A New Year

The new year is the time to kick bad habits and start cultivating good ones, a time of renewal. It’s also a time of reflection. For me, it also happens to be the anniversary of a few things: this month I will have been faithfully blogging for a year, and I just passed my one year knitaversary. January, for me, is less a time of looking forward to new things, but a time of reflection on decisions that I have made and how well they have turned out. In that same spirit, I would like to spend some time here at the beginning of the year to reflect on the things that I knit over the last year, how well they turned out, and how well they’ve worn.

First, a list of things that I knit, broken down by category: Sweaters and Tanks: Fair Isle 101 pullover (drastically changed from the original,) Greek Pullover, Manly Sweater, Lotus Blossom Tank; Mittens: Latvian Mittens for me, Latvian Mittens for Stephen, Rib & Cable Mitts; Socks: Thuja for my dad, Jim, Stephen and me, Embossed leaves socks for me and my mom, Kew, Father and Son socks, Socks of my own pattern for Mike, Falling Leaves, Simply Lovely Lace Socks, Baby Socks galore, Fuzzy Feet for me, Stephen, Dave and Kim; Hats: Dragon hat, Center Square for Emily and Lori, Miss Dashwood, Baby Hats; Shawls, Shrugs and Scarves: Mini-Clapotis for me, Becky, my mom, Branching Out, Sharfik for my mom, Becky, me, Flower Basket Shawl, Viennese Shrug, Backyard Leaves Scarf, Scarf from recycled sari silk, Brooke’s Column of Leaves Scarf; Toys: Laura Jane Bears for Gwen and Anna, Norberta, Mr. Stegs for Noah and Donovan, Trice, Bronty for Donovan and Noah, Nautie for me and Stephen; Insane Delusions: Knit Bikini from SNB; Whimsical Designs: Knitted Tea Sets for Gwen and Anna, Lilies for both grandmothers, Perdita for me and Becky; Bags: Punk Rock Purse for me and Becky, Best Friend Bags for both grandmothers.

I think I will start with the first project on the list, the Fair Isle 101 Pullover. I changed just about everything about this pattern. I changed the yarn, which meant that I couldn’t do the fair isle portion of the pattern, so I replaced it with the lace leaf design from the Embossed Leaf Socks. I didn’t get gauge with the new yarn so I refigured all of the math in the pattern to convert it to the gauge I was actually getting. I literally rewrote the whole pattern as I went along. Luckily, it all worked out and the I like the way that the sweater fits me. So, that’s the first thing, I like the way the sweater fits me. I wear it pretty often. Usually once a week or once every two weeks, in colder weather. I also wear it to work with a dress shirt underneath. It’s very cute. In fact, the only complaint that I have about the sweater now that I’ve been wearing it around for a year is that the yarn does pill. It’s Mountain Colors Weaving Quarters in Juniper and it pills from the underarm all the way down the side where my arm rubs against the sweater. That being said, I can’t really complain, because the yarn is next-to-the-skin soft and hasn’t pilled anywhere else.

In other knitting news, progress continues on Ene’s Scarf. It’s going pretty well. The good thing about this pattern is that it’s really just two rows, repeated over and over again, with slight differences at the edges. The bad thing about this pattern is that it’s really just two rows, repeated over and over again. I knit on it, and I like it, but it is a bit monotonous where I am right now, in the middle. I am also making progress on the sickness front. I slept through the night last night without being woken at two a.m. with a coughing fit.