So, apparently I’m going to make this a thing. Which makes me think I need a better system for naming these posts, or the titles will eventually get long. I’ll ruminate on that.
In the meantime, let’s review a few knitting firsts from the past year.
- I wrote up a pattern and sent it to test knitters.
- I knit a sample for a local yarn dyer.
- I finally figured out a colorwork hat design I had been futzing with.
- I made socks from knitting-machine-cranked tubes.
- I did mosaic colorwork (Ravelry link).
- I felted a project (on purpose!).
- I learned how to cable without a cable needle.
- And, last but certainly not least, I STEEKED A SWEATER (Ravelry link), you guys.
2019 was, in many ways, a garbage fire year, both personally and globally… Knitting was a consistent bright spot, so I’m thankful for that.
Hours spent knitting per day: I think this is probably, on average, the same as last year—4-5 hours per day.
Bins of yarn under my desk: 5 (same as last year!); each with cedar in the bottom and locking lids; yarn separated by color, and entirely natural fibers
2019 Ravelry Challenge number: 30
2019 projects completed: 36*
- sweaters—9, including two baby sweaters and the aforementioned steeked cardigan
- socks—8, including 5 gift pairs (3 of which were cranked for me into tubes)
- slippers—1 pair (my first felting-on-purpose experiment)
- neckwear—5, including the first design I’ve written up and sent to testers
- hats—7
- blankets—1 (another Welcome Blanket [Ravelry Link] in a pattern I love so much I want one for myself)
- dishcloths—5
- mitts—1
- earbud cord cozies (Ravelry link)—1 (technically crocheted)
As always, I learned a great deal from even the projects that didn’t go as planned, not least being the pattern I sent to testers. (It got stalled, partly because only one of the testers finished the project and most of them just stopped responding to messages, which was disappointing.) I did get some valuable notes from a couple testers, though, so I’m hoping to get that pattern published for real in the coming year. I’ve also got another pattern that’s finished (I just need to write the damned thing) and one tester who’s already enthusiastically lined up, so that’s encouraging.
In addition to the goal of publishing a pattern in the coming year, my other non-pattern-specific goals are to knit from my yarn stash and use patterns I’ve already bought as much as possible. And, if I do need to get yarn for a project, I’m going to browse recycled yarn options before I buy anything new.
Yes, I’ll probably get a little something during the Rose City Yarn Crawl, ditto if I go to Oregon Flock & Fiber again, but overall I want to cut down on my, “Oooh, that’s pretty, I must buy it even though I have nothing in mind for it whatsoever” purchases. I’m learning that no matter how much I love that one awesome skein of yarn in the moment, there will always be more awesome skeins of yarn—and, as I learned this past year, some dyers will even see your Instagram pleas for more skeins of that one awesome colorway and offer to send it to you. So, yeah. I’m going to try to chill on the impulse purchases.
Stay tuned for how that actually pans out.
* Because the dishcloth projects aren’t counted in Rav individually. Trust me, this year the math actually works.