Knitting - learning new things

I took a much longer break than I had anticipated, but sometimes it's nice to spend time with family and friends without thinking about anything else...especially when the littles (and some not so littles) are feeling under the weather and just need that time.

This holiday season seems to have been exactly what I needed.  I have not felt "in the spirit" for the last couple of years.  We took it very easy this year for the holidays.  Hardly any decorations came out - just evergreen branches clipped from the garden mostly, and a few natural elements, and the tree with a few bits and pieces on it.  Most of the decorations stayed in storage.  Our holiday party was downsized to just two couples.  A very relaxed potluck dinner was added to the agenda, and hardly any gifts were exchanged - even for the kids.  And now, I am looking forward to a new year of celebrating all year long instead of saving it all up for "big occasions".  A tiny change in the way I was thinking, but it has changed me significantly none-the-less.

This year, I am going to learn some new skills:

My first real attempt at colour-work.  I am planning on a few of these, because everyone who sees the picture in the book seems to want one of these ski masks.  It is from Son of Stitch and Bitch.  And then I will be moving on to more complex colour work.

...and I am going to learn toe-up socks.  See how far I got?  I lost my 4th knitting needle some time on Christmas Eve and noticed the next day.  We were out of town in a hotel and all the stores were closed.  I bought a new set a few days ago but I haven't gotten back to them yet.  Here's the kicker...it was the only project I brought with me, so for days I could only look at my knitting bag - totally unable to knit a single stitch.  These socks are from Sock Knitting Master Class.

On the reading front:  I have decided to re-read lots of the books on my bookshelf.  Things I haven't read in a while.  I just started re-reading "Middlemarch" by George Elliott.  Not very far into it yet, and little things are coming back to me as I read it, but it's kind of like reading a new book.  I don't remember much of it at all.

I'll be joining:   Yarn Along over at small things