Monday, January 7, 2008

Looking back, forging ahead

I've been thinking a lot about the knitting year that was 2007. Far and away my most prolific knitting year ever.

I learned to knit as a child, trying my hand at a few things through high school, but I don't think I ever really finished anything. When I was in university my one of my roommates wanted to knit, taught herself, and when we weren't studying, we knit. I think I did about 3 sweaters for myself. Since then (I graduated in 1996) I've been a sporatic knitter, always with A project on the go that takes awhile to complete because my mojo would ebb and flow. These projects would be knit from the pattern, adding length to the body and sleeves as the only modifications. Not that I'm saying I make more mods now, but I digress. And they would have been made of Patons something or other, acrylic or a blend. I could do cables, I could do colourwork. I was pretty confident in my abilities, I even knit a Philosophers Wool cardigan (~2001) that my mom bought for herself (for me to knit) and steeked it, and I didn't even know that it was called a Steek. Still scared the bejeezus out of me though.

Enter January 2007. I decided I wanted to knit myself a scarf, so I decided I would look on the internet for a pattern. There had to be a pattern on the internet. I found Knitty, and the scarf pattern I wanted to knit. I bought some Patons SWS (which is far to itchy for a scarf, don't do it) and knit myself a scarf.

I also found the Yarn Harlot around the time she was making some Fiber Trends felted clogs. So I bought myself a pattern and have since made 8 pairs of them, and I wear mine (the first pair) every day. From reading that blog, I decided to try knitting socks, what was the big deal anyway? In April, I knit my first pair. Now I get it.

In 2007 I discovered knitting blogland. So many blogs to read, then just look in the side bar of any one of those and find many more blogs to read. I love it. I've kept a blog about my life at livejournal since March 2002, but then I started this one, because I didn't think my friends over there wanted to hear me prattling on about sticks and string. I have learned so much from these blogs. My yarn choices have changed completely, I am a yarn snob now. I have a ball winder. I have a STASH! It's a sock yarn stash, which apparently doesn't count, but it's prolific if not diverse. I still can't buy a sweaters worth of yarn just because it's pretty and not have any reason to use it. That's just not me. I have been inspired by these blogs. I find myself wanting to knit things that I never before would have imagined wanting to knit. Like socks. Like lace, but Anne Hanson, wow, she makes me want to knit lace. And I will, when I finsh what I'm doing.

Then, in July, there was Ravelry. I love Ravelry. I want Ravelry to be around forever. What a great resource it is.

So here I sit in 2008, amazed at what I have accomplished in 2007 and excited about what I want to do in 2008. I knit everyday, I have a little tendonitis in my right wrist, but a tensor helps that, so I can knit everyday. I miss it if I don't.

I still love to decorate cakes, but when it's not your job, it's not really something you can do everyday. Especially since I don't really have a desire to weigh 300 pounds. I do want to get better at making flowers though, so a gumpaste course may be in order. At the end of January I will be starting a photography course at the local college. I love my D50 and want to learn how to use it to full advantage. I'm also (gulp) going to take a Pilates instructor course over a weekend in February, this scares me a little because it could turn into an actual job.

So that's that. I've been thinking about all that, so I wanted to get it out. I'm not much of a writer so please forgive my poor sentence structure and jumbled thoughts. My counter says that I'm 2 visits shy of my 200th visitor! Which, quite frankly surprises me. Do I have any regular readers or are you just popping in from my link on Ravelry? Whoever you are, thanks.

Happy 2008!

Thursday, January 3, 2008

A New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

We had a very nice Christmas, and although I have been horribly sick since Christmas day we have managed to complete all of the family/friend obligations and now I get a few days to rest. Ha! Right. The husband is back at work and there are 3 children here all.day.

My 2008 has started with some squishy yarn mail that I was waiting for! First, yesterday came both my December Booty Club package AND my purchase from the Yarn Pirates Etsy update she did shortly before Christmas.

The December yarn is a Merino/Tencel blend called Icicle. I'm sure that one day I will get to it, but since I'm just now knitting with the August shipment, it's not going to be anytime soon.


From the Etsy shop, I bought her Christmas colourway, Hawthorne, for some Christmas socks for next year and an overdye called Prehistoric which I love! I pulled it out of the envelope and my 4 year old said "It looks like a dinosaur!"



Then today, I got my sock yarn shipment from Sundara's Season Yarn club. My season is Autumn and the December yarn is called Mossy. It's even prettier than the pictures I snuck peeks at on Ravelry.


To close out the FO 2007 file, I realized that you have not yet seen the lovely Anemoi. I would totally make another pair of these mittens, my first ever mittens actually. They were such fun to knit, and they are warm and cozy and match both my coats perfectly! (one green, one brown)




And, pair #3 of the IL socks are also done and in the hands of the grateful recipient. They are Retro Rib Socks from Favorite socks knit in Socks That Rock mediumweight colour, Mystic Kelp. They did some strange striping and pooling, but turned out nicely.


And my favourite parts, the bottoms!


Plans for 2008, well first I have to finish the last 2 IL socks, they are another pair of Monkeys and another Retro Rib. A matching pair of slippers for my Dearest, a second pair of slippers requested by my SIL. I'm going to TRY to somewhat keep up with the Rockin' Sock Club, but I don't know. Avast needs to be finished (this sweater is haunting me!) and my Tangled Yoke needs to be finished, the sleeves are done. Sounds like enough doesn't it! But what I really want to do in 2008 is a lace project, something from Anne Hanson of Knitspot. But I must finish the lingering projects first!

What about you, do you have big knitting plans for 2008?