a knitter's yearbook

it's that time of year where a girl gets reflective about the months past, and since this is a knitting blog, and since i knit, i've been thinking of my year in knitting. so i thought i'd come up with a little snapshot of sorts of 2006, and maybe start to look to the year ahead. i'm already excited for all of the plans i have for 2007!

new skills?
many! the biggies though were sock knitting and fair isle. who knew that turning a heel wasn't so hard afterall?

improved skills?
i've gotten much better at being able to fix my mistakes, and more of a willingness to actually go back and fix them, even if it means ripping back all my hard work. i've also learned a new way to cast on (i only knew the knitted cast on before...now i can do the long tail cast on too! i would like to learn even more ways though), and i think i'm finally not knitting as tight as i used to. go me!

areas of self-discovery?
i think this year i finally admitted to myself that i don't really like cables. well, i like how they look, i just don't like making them. there, i said it!

biggest success?
i was absolutely thrilled with my squirrel and oak mittens, as well as my clapotis, which i made pre-blog.

biggest failure?
hmm...i made one of a pair of maryjane slippers earlier this year. it ended up GIGANTIC, so i thought maybe i'd try to felt it, and now it's too small. i've yet to make the second slipper - who knows if i ever will!?

favorite yarns i tried:
definitely the whole world of sock yarn. i went a little crazy here in the latter part of 2006 buying sock yarn. i think i like buying the yarn more than actually knitting the socks! that's not really true, but something about how fine the yarn is, and how much more colorful sock yarn can be than yarn you would use for bigger projects, appeals to me. i've especially loved collecting yarn pirate's beautiful yarn, and trying out yarntini as well.

and looking forward...

yarns i would like to try in 2007:
i have my eye on some vesper yarn (but i can never find any!) and i've still yet to try any koigu, but that should be remedied pretty soon. i would also like to try more of the many small yarn-dying outfits that are out there...etsy is full of them, and i hear about others everyday. some of them are doing such beautiful work, and i would like to support them.

projects for 2007:
more socks! i'm dying to work my way through many of the patterns in nancy bush's knitting vintage socks and knitting on the road (i also happen to know that i'm getting her folk socks book for christmas so i'm sure i'll have more to add to the long list). i would also like to finish the half-finished orangina that is languishing in my knitting bag, make my cashmere cowl and do some more color work, probably in the form of mittens once again.

goals for 2007:
i really, really think it's time i finished a garment of some kind, ideally a cute sweater or cardigan. i know i have the skills, i just don't ever seem to have the patience! i have a few uncompleted sweaters lying around. i think it's time to start fresh (except, of course, with orangina. that i'll finish!). any ideas for a good, fairly quick sweater that i won't get tired of knitting after a week?

i would also like to expand my lace skills, so i have a goal of completing a shawl of some kind. i don't have a pattern in mind yet but i think i will enjoy getting into a good lace project!

two other goals: try my hand at designing something (probably something very simple) and also to knit more for other people - i tend to get caught up in things i want to make for myself, and never manage to find time to knit for my friends and family, or do any charity knitting, which i would like to do. my poor husband has never received anything hand knit by me!

and not quite knitting related, but i also want to pretty up my blog a little and give it two side columns instead of one. this might be the most challenging goal of all for me!

this is probably my last post before christmas, so i'll see you all post-holidays!