A Year In Knitting

So, per Carole's request, I'm trying to remember everything I knitted this year. Let's see....

Two hats for the boys (blue and yellow ones)
A hat for Shelby
Two sweaters for the boys
Embossed Leaves socks
Kool-aid Jaywalkers
Tropical Jaywalkers
Striped Jaywalkers
Trekking "Ground Clown" socks
Koigu socks
Three, maybe four warsh rags (can't recall for sure)
Scarf for Caz
Corazon mittens for me (technically not finished yet, but only have one thumb to finish and ends to weave in)

So that totals up to:

2 kid sweaters
6 pairs of socks
3-4 warsh rags
1 scarf
3 hats
1 pair of mittens

UFOs
Two Christmas stockings for boys
Sockotta socks
Huimaa Mismatched Socks
Socktoberfest socks (though I think there's still hope for them)
And a few almost-started projects that are too early in their development to even count as UFOs, as far as I'm concerned

So what was my favorite? Well, the boys' sweaters I'm awfully proud of, and when the mojo was on, they were awfully nice to knit, I have to admit. However, they were also pretty big projects, and the green one languished for what, eight months? waiting for me to finish seaming it and put a collar on it, fer cryin' out loud. So obviously, there were times when the magic of the sweaters faded for me.

As far as the sheer knitting experience, combined with the lovely final product? I think I have to go with the Embossed Leaves socks. The yarn was fantastic, the pattern was great, I had no major ripping incidents, and I remember knitting them with a rather high level of dedication, just because I loved knitting them so much. Seriously, I finished the pair in just under three weeks, if I recall correctly.

Though I have to admit, Corazon has been a close second. I got kind of stalled in the middle, when I thought I was actually (ha ha ha!) going to finish my kids' stockings in time for Christmas, but once I realized that just wasn't going to happen, I set them aside so I could finish my mittens. Which was great, because I totally had that lovely synergy of exactly the right yarn for exactly the right pattern, and it was all just flowing along like crazy and I was just in love love love with the whole thing.

You know what this list really tells me though? I totally need to blog this stuff more often. I mean, half the FOs up there I've never blogged about, and if you actually take time to follow links? You'll see that several of the links lead to pictures of the projects in their early to mid-stages, and that no pictures of the final products have appeared on this blog at all. Which is just sad.

I guess I know what my New Year's resolution will be, at the very least - blog blog blog blog BLOG!

Merry Christmas to all (who celebrate it) and to all (yes all!) a good night!

What Christmas Knitting?

I was doing really well on keeping up with my Christmas knitting. That is, until the new Knitty came out.

But I was intent on staying strong, sticking with my big ol' long-term projects, and seeing everything through.

And then the kids pulled the needles out of the five rows of scarf I'd started for my sister, and I thought to myself, "Well, I /could/ painstakingly pick up all those stitches and try not to mess it all up. OR I could just start up a fancy pair of mittens!"

Guess what won out?


In case you're curious, that's KnitPicks Merino Style in Hollyberry and Nutmeg, fished out of the stash from projects long ago forgotten or abandoned. And I love this mitten with a love that's deep and fierce and true. I just hope it will understand when I want to bring its fraternal twin sister into the relationship.