Do you remember these little coloured balls that I posted about back in December? I told you that they were going to be used as part of my 2014 challenges, but I left you guessing what for.
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Each year I keep meaning to join in with The Innocent Big Knit but so far, I've never got round to it. To join in, you have to knit little hats which are then sent to Innocent for them to put on Innocent bottles in November. Once sold, 25p from each bottle goes to Age UK to help vulnerable older people.
The hats need to be sent in by the beginning of October, and as I'd like to get fifty done to send in, my challenge is to knit one each week. There would still be a shortfall, so I've knit eleven already to start me off and get me on track.
So where do the little coloured balls come in? Well, take a look at the hat at the back of the photo below, the one which is knit in two different blues. This was the first one I knit. Just look at my rubbish attempt at making a pom pom. After that turned out so bad, I decided that I needed to rethink my idea and that's where these little coloured balls come in. I think the rest of the hats look much better.
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My second challenge for 2014 came to me when I read Su's blog post, A List of Nice Things on her Living On The Edge blog. Su's post was about doing something nice for herself each month, and I thought this would be a nice challenge for me this year. What the nice things will be, I have no idea yet, but I intend to find twelve fun things. I suppose that most of them will be done with other people, but perhaps a couple may be things which I do on my own, we'll see.
A visit to the library is my third challenge. We're very lucky where I live, I know that so many libraries around the country have been under threat of closure, whereas my local library has recently been refurbished after the Big Lottery Fund awarded over £1m of funding to extend and refurbish it. It's now based on a green design which features the use of recycled materials and a variety of green technologies such as solar panels for heating water and a living sedum roof which is energy efficient and encourages wildlife. As we're so fortunate to have such a great resource in our area, it's important that we use it.
Back to my library challenge then. What I'd like to do is visit the library each month and choose a non fiction book to read. There's so many subjects I'd like to learn more about but never get round to, so this challenge should spur me on.
So that's my challenges set for 2014. They're all things I'm going to enjoy doing again so I shouldn't have any problem keeping up with them.
I hope everyone enjoyed their New Year's Eve celebrations. Another year's sped past, it's hard to believe that we're now in to 2014. Mick's back to work tomorrow, Daniel heads back to uni on Saturday and Eleanor's back to school on Monday. It's all over for another year.
Happy New Year.
Love the little hats including the one with your pompom. Good ideas for challenges - something nice for myself every month eh? I think I already do that ,
ReplyDeleteI think the photo makes my pom pom look better than it actually is, it really isn't a pretty sight. I haven't got any ideas yet what my nice things will be each month, it will be fun deciding though.
DeleteHappy New Year. Interesting challenges, love the hat one and what a good idea for the book reading :) xx
ReplyDeleteThank you. Happy New Year to you too. I've been meaning to join in with the Innocent Big Knit for the last few years so this really does have to be on my challenge list this year. It's good to get started on it so early.
DeleteFood for thought here xxxx
ReplyDeleteI hope I've given you some ideas.
DeleteThree really good challenges which I'm sure that you'll enjoy doing. I look forward to seeing what books you choose to read.
ReplyDeleteThanks, and to you too. Flighty xx
I've chosen challenges again which I'll enjoy. I think I shall pop along to the library and see what grabs me, I get loads of inspiration from just browsing the bookshelves. Thank you.
DeleteGreat challenges Jo. I didnt think your pom pom was as bad as you did. Did you see the Kirstie crafting show just before christmas where she made a pom pom using a pom pom maker? Have you ever seen them in the shops? No, me either! I do love to see the little hats and if you manage to make 50 that will be quite an achievment!
ReplyDeleteI don't think the pom pom looks as bad in the photo as it does in real life. I did see the Kirstie show where she was making pom poms. I've seen the pom pom maker on a couple of blogs before, I think they sell them on Amazon. I'd really like to achieve my target of fifty little hats to send off, I must keep up with this challenge.
DeleteI'm sure those hats will look fab with their little pompoms on, what a great challenge.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your other fun challenges.
Lisa x
Well I've definitely got enough pom poms for fifty hats. Thank you, I'm sure I'll manage to keep up with my challenges again this year, they're all fun.
DeleteHappy New Year to you and family, Jo. I Iike the ideas of challenges and look forward to seeing what you end up doing. I'm going to have "gentle goals" this year to ease myself into a new town. We visit the library here at the moment and will join the Ballarat one once we move. Cute little hats and a great challenge. Hope 2014 is going to be great and take care.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Happy New Year to you and yours too. It will be good to set some gentle goals once you move to your new town, they should help you settle in in no time. I've always used the library from being very young, I do wish that more people would use it, we're so lucky to have it.
DeleteGreat challenges again Jo! I use the local library quite a lot, mainly for the crafting and home inspiration books which are so expensive to buy. I scan things that I like the look of, or knitting patterns that I want to use.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea, scanning bits of the books you borrow from the library. I seem to use the library more for fiction than anything else, I'm hoping that this new challenge will encourage me to use it for other things too.
DeleteI'm looking forward to following along with your challenges again this year, Jo.
ReplyDeleteI shall keep you updated so you can see how I'm getting on.
DeleteYour library sounds amazing. I'm a big library visitor, both our local one and other ones in our area. And we always have a big pile of books out on loan. In fact I've been going to libraries regularly for as long as I can remember. Fantastic places. Good luck with your challenges Jo, and have a very happy New Year.
ReplyDeleteI was thrilled when I heard that our library had been given this funding. I know we're so lucky to have it, lots of places have seen libraries close down over the last few years, so I think it's important to use them otherwise we'll end up losing them. Thank you, sending very best wishes back to you and yours for a happy and healthy 2014.
DeleteThose are 3 great challenges you've given yourself, Jo. I bet you manage them all easily. :o)
ReplyDeleteI hope so. I always choose fun challenges which will be easier to keep going with.
DeleteSome more great challenges Jo for this year. Your hats look great and I love the idea, I usually buy some hatted smothies so I will have to remember to look out for yours this year. I look forward to reading along and following your challenge progress. xx
ReplyDeleteThat would be amazing if someone managed to spot one of my hats on a smoothie bottle. I've been meaning to knit some hats for The Big Knit for the last few years so I really want to succeed and have fifty ready to send off.
DeleteHappy New Year Jo! I like your idea of monthly challenges, yours sound good. Your hats are a good idea, when ever it gets near the time for the hats to be done, I run out of time to make any. They look great! We are all back to normal next week too but it has been a much needed break!
ReplyDeleteThank you. Happy New Year to you and yours too. I'm just the same, I've been meaning to knit hats for The Big Knit for the last few years, hopefully, I'll have fifty to send off this year. I've really enjoyed the festive break but we're getting back to normal here now. Mick was back to work this morning.
DeleteYour little hats look really professional with those pompoms... what a lovely idea! I look forward to reading about your 2014 challenges. Jx
ReplyDeleteThank you, I was really pleased when I came across the pom poms, they were just what I needed.
DeleteHappy New Year :)
ReplyDeleteI have to say I love the idea of a List of Nice Things - I have to admit that I will be stealing that one!
I took part in the Big Knit a few years ago, I wish I'd thought of using coloured balls, I spent ages making tiny pom poms!
Here's to a fun filled 2014
Happy New Year to you too. Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment. I don't know what my nice things are going to be yet but I think this is going to be a very fun challenge. I'd have made my own pom poms if they'd turned out a little better than they did. They're for charity so I reckon anyone buying them deserves something better than those which I can make.
DeleteGood challenges! I enjoyed reading about last year's so these will be good to watch as well x
ReplyDeleteI like to set myself some fun challenges. I always think that resolutions sound like things I'm going to hate doing and give up after a few days so I never make those, these are much nicer.
DeleteHI No Happy New Year to you. I like your challenges for 2014. I am picking up where you left off with watching an old film at least one per month. I love old films so just don"t always have the time but as this is now one of my challenges I"m going to have to make time. Also picking up the challege of the little hats for Age Uk so we"'ll be able to keep each other on track with that one but you"'ve made a brilliant start.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Happy new year to you too. I'm looking forward to hearing which films you watch, I'm still going to carry on with this, I'll watch out for any I want to see being shown on tv. It's such a worthwhile cause, knitting hats for The Big Knit, so it's nice that you're joining in. I thought that if I start now, I should have a decent amount to send come October.
DeleteI love your little hats No. Funny how we both had the same idea. What's uhh our something nice going to be for January?
ReplyDeleteI've got one or two ideas for my something nice for January, I shall let you know which I decide on in due course.
DeleteI left my Smooth hats last year till the last minute. I wish I'd made lots more than the 2 I sent them. Your plan to knit 50 is great. Think I'll try and knit some more with the oddments of yarn I have laying around. Not sure I'll be able to make the 50 mark though!! Love the pom poms - they're so colourful.
ReplyDeleteYour other resolutions sound fun - good luck with them all. I'm sure you'll think of plenty of fun activities to treat yourself too once a month.
Jill xx
I've kept saying that I'll make some hats for the Big Knit but I haven't ever got round to it, so it'll get me on track now that it's one of my challenges. I'm sure I'll manage to do something nice each month, the challenge will be knowing when to stop.
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