Knitting Year 2014 In Review ...
I did this last year and think I'm going to make it an annual thing. Its nice to take a look back and see what you've done in a year with your knitting. Sometimes it just seems like we get stuck or hit a wall or have so many WIP's it doesn't feel like you're making any progress with anything. Its nice to take a look back and see everything that you've accomplished throughout the year. The next few days, and week are going to be very busy so I wanted to make sure I got this post done. For me and for you! We are having, for all intents and purposes, 2 Christmases this year. The one with just me, Mom, Dad and Aunt Betty...and then the Christmas with Dan and Dilshani and all the kids! Its gonna be so awesome! So, I'm not sure I'd get another post done before we ring in the New Year or not. So lets take a review!
At this time last year I was still making A LOT of fingerless mitts. I find myself doing that again this year although not near as many pairs. They do make such great gifts though. This year, but the time its all said and done (and it may carry into January) I will have done 10 pairs. Last year I made 14 pairs. I also finally got the pattern out as a freebie on Ravelry and Craftsy, Vanilla Fingerless Mitts.
I made my first child's sweater for Savannah. It was a wonderful pattern by Heidi Kirrmaier called 'Sweet Peasy...'
Savannah's little sister Alia arrived in May of this year so I made her a sweater with a GREAT pattern by Carina Spencer called 'Small Things Sweater...'
It was definitely a baby year this year! Friends and friends of friends were all having babies. This Carina Spencer pattern was so wonderful I knew it would be the one I would use for all of them. It was easy to get baby in and out of and with the yarn I was using it was easy to take care of. Next up was my friend Stacey. After 15 years she was having another baby! She knew she was having a boy...
My good friend Jana had a very close friend of hers living in India that was having a baby and she really wanted to give the gift of homemade. The happy couple did not know what they were having so we chose neutral colors with cultural meaning....
The last one was for a dear friend of mine that I went to school with many years ago. She was finally having her first baby and this was a miracle baby! She knew she was having a little girl so I had a little fun...
...and I made some little Mary Jane shoes to go with it...
Next up was my second design of the year. (The first one was actually completed early in the year in February. It wasn't released until much later in the year so I'll add it into this in the same order all my other projects were completed) Ferryn was a collaboration I did with Crave Yarn out of Santa Fe...
Next finished was Sidney's Cornwall Coast. From the time I released Cornwall a couple years ago, she wanted one. We agreed to trade talents. I started working on it 2 years ago and finally finished it this year. She loves it and that's all that matters!
My next finished work was another design of mine called Patina Crescent. This was a special shawl to me. The yarn was from Phydeaux Designs and was absolutely incredible to work with. I designed this shawl to be easy to make. Period. It was designed so that, basically, the design in the shawl is left up to the knitter to decide how much, where, how often, etc. A good knit for the beginner and a relaxing and fun knit for the advanced knitter...
I was itching to make another sweater for my Fairy Godchild Alia but the more I thought about it the more I felt that she and Savannah should have matching sweaters! So I picked out a pattern, did a little math and ordered up the yarn. The pattern was called 'In Threes...'
There wasn't anything I didn't absolutely love about this sweater...
I loved these and highly recommend them if you're looking for a sweater pattern to knit for a girl. These were positively charming!
Finally, released in October was my Teaberry Crescent Shawl Pattern. It had been finished since late February, early March. The release was a collaboration with Phydeaux Designs. I was so in love with this shawl. I'm not sure exactly what took so long to get it released. I had hoped for at least a summer release, it would have coincided with the description of the shawl and the shawl itself. At any rate, it finally did get released and I was happy. Phydeaux Designs Yarn is absolutely incredible. The colorways are all so beautiful its so hard to choose if you are shopping! I chose the colorway Danaerys for Teaberry Crescent...
In November, you may recall Mom and I attending Camp STITCHES which was held here in Albuquerque, NM. Mom took a spinning class with Janel Laidman and I took a class with Myra Wood titled "Multi Directional Madness!" I learned so much and had a BLAST. I started a free form piece that I finished soon after coming home...
I loved working in this method and cannot wait to do so again. NOTE: We were recently notified that Camp STITCHES will be returning to Albuquerque's Tamaya Resort re terribly excited about that& Spa in 2015!!! Mom and I are terribly excited about that!
The final piece that I will finish in 2014 (bearing in mind that for months now I have, in between getting these projects finished, been knitting pair upon pair of fingerless mitts!) is the Cinnamon Stone shawl that I started way back in, like, March of this year. I LOVED this shawl and loved finishing and blocking it....
This shawl will be gifted away as a Random Act of Kindness through a group on Ravelry. I have done RAK's before and they are so fun. You never know what kind of day the person who will be receiving your package is having...you have the opportunity to make someones whole day change for the better. I love that.
I encourage you all to take time and do the same thing as I did by doing this post....take inventory of what you've done over the year. It's nice to know that you have accomplished a lot even when it doesn't seem like it! I'm really looking forward to some awesome things in 2015! I will share some of that with you after we've rang in the New Year. Needless to say, I'm very excited! Thanks so much for sticking around with me and my musings, I do appreciate it. Have a wonderful Holiday everyone! Be safe in all that you do. Appreciate the people around you. I'll see you all on the flip side and until then....KNIT ON!!!
At this time last year I was still making A LOT of fingerless mitts. I find myself doing that again this year although not near as many pairs. They do make such great gifts though. This year, but the time its all said and done (and it may carry into January) I will have done 10 pairs. Last year I made 14 pairs. I also finally got the pattern out as a freebie on Ravelry and Craftsy, Vanilla Fingerless Mitts.
I made my first child's sweater for Savannah. It was a wonderful pattern by Heidi Kirrmaier called 'Sweet Peasy...'
Savannah's little sister Alia arrived in May of this year so I made her a sweater with a GREAT pattern by Carina Spencer called 'Small Things Sweater...'
It was definitely a baby year this year! Friends and friends of friends were all having babies. This Carina Spencer pattern was so wonderful I knew it would be the one I would use for all of them. It was easy to get baby in and out of and with the yarn I was using it was easy to take care of. Next up was my friend Stacey. After 15 years she was having another baby! She knew she was having a boy...
My good friend Jana had a very close friend of hers living in India that was having a baby and she really wanted to give the gift of homemade. The happy couple did not know what they were having so we chose neutral colors with cultural meaning....
The last one was for a dear friend of mine that I went to school with many years ago. She was finally having her first baby and this was a miracle baby! She knew she was having a little girl so I had a little fun...
...and I made some little Mary Jane shoes to go with it...
Next up was my second design of the year. (The first one was actually completed early in the year in February. It wasn't released until much later in the year so I'll add it into this in the same order all my other projects were completed) Ferryn was a collaboration I did with Crave Yarn out of Santa Fe...
Next finished was Sidney's Cornwall Coast. From the time I released Cornwall a couple years ago, she wanted one. We agreed to trade talents. I started working on it 2 years ago and finally finished it this year. She loves it and that's all that matters!
My next finished work was another design of mine called Patina Crescent. This was a special shawl to me. The yarn was from Phydeaux Designs and was absolutely incredible to work with. I designed this shawl to be easy to make. Period. It was designed so that, basically, the design in the shawl is left up to the knitter to decide how much, where, how often, etc. A good knit for the beginner and a relaxing and fun knit for the advanced knitter...
I was itching to make another sweater for my Fairy Godchild Alia but the more I thought about it the more I felt that she and Savannah should have matching sweaters! So I picked out a pattern, did a little math and ordered up the yarn. The pattern was called 'In Threes...'
There wasn't anything I didn't absolutely love about this sweater...
I loved these and highly recommend them if you're looking for a sweater pattern to knit for a girl. These were positively charming!
Finally, released in October was my Teaberry Crescent Shawl Pattern. It had been finished since late February, early March. The release was a collaboration with Phydeaux Designs. I was so in love with this shawl. I'm not sure exactly what took so long to get it released. I had hoped for at least a summer release, it would have coincided with the description of the shawl and the shawl itself. At any rate, it finally did get released and I was happy. Phydeaux Designs Yarn is absolutely incredible. The colorways are all so beautiful its so hard to choose if you are shopping! I chose the colorway Danaerys for Teaberry Crescent...
In November, you may recall Mom and I attending Camp STITCHES which was held here in Albuquerque, NM. Mom took a spinning class with Janel Laidman and I took a class with Myra Wood titled "Multi Directional Madness!" I learned so much and had a BLAST. I started a free form piece that I finished soon after coming home...
I loved working in this method and cannot wait to do so again. NOTE: We were recently notified that Camp STITCHES will be returning to Albuquerque's Tamaya Resort re terribly excited about that& Spa in 2015!!! Mom and I are terribly excited about that!
The final piece that I will finish in 2014 (bearing in mind that for months now I have, in between getting these projects finished, been knitting pair upon pair of fingerless mitts!) is the Cinnamon Stone shawl that I started way back in, like, March of this year. I LOVED this shawl and loved finishing and blocking it....
This shawl will be gifted away as a Random Act of Kindness through a group on Ravelry. I have done RAK's before and they are so fun. You never know what kind of day the person who will be receiving your package is having...you have the opportunity to make someones whole day change for the better. I love that.
I encourage you all to take time and do the same thing as I did by doing this post....take inventory of what you've done over the year. It's nice to know that you have accomplished a lot even when it doesn't seem like it! I'm really looking forward to some awesome things in 2015! I will share some of that with you after we've rang in the New Year. Needless to say, I'm very excited! Thanks so much for sticking around with me and my musings, I do appreciate it. Have a wonderful Holiday everyone! Be safe in all that you do. Appreciate the people around you. I'll see you all on the flip side and until then....KNIT ON!!!
You do such BEAUTIFUL work!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Lynne :-)
Delete