2015 Tally

Last weekend it occurred to me I haven't the slightest idea about my 2015 knitting tally. I guess my needles and I spent the year "living in the moment".

'Probably also why I've got six months of FO's yet to be posted! My New Year's Knitting Resolutions will start with staying on top of that stuff in 2016!

Good thing I maintained a skeleton of project specifics on Ravelry. Even with that its taken days to assemble the detail in this post!

I was "into" mittens in a big way...

Starting with Drop's Design "Silver Dream Mittens" - angora/wool/silk colour work. I felt like knitting them and think they are utterly beautiful in every way but apparently I was not into wearing them so maybe no surprise their existence slipped my mind.

The remaining 7 pairs; "Arched Gusset Mittens" from Purl Soho...

 These will be my new go-to mittens both for knitting and wearing this mild winter. Lots to say about these - worthy of their own blog post I think.

In 2015 Darling Daughter took up the needles in a serious way. Following on the success of the men's vest "Alberta" she stitched 2 embroidered versions of the Arched Gusset Mittens - love what she did with them!

She also knit Julie Hoover's "Dunaway" for gifting. Late one evening a couple of days before Christmas we undertook the hateful task of threading blocking wires through the ultra long sides of it. As we worked she noted the vast difference between the Cascade Superwash yarn of the scarf and the earthy Cascade Ecological Wool from the mittens and "Alberta" vest. As she spoke I thought to myself "she's a knitter now!".

Back to my Ravelry list though, hats were also a "thing" with me last year, starting with turning remnants into infant caps (Free pattern "Troll") and bonnets from vintage patterns I inherited from my mom/grandmother.

I also jumped on the 1000 Stitches for Syria bandwagon and I wasn't alone. I watched volunteers haul away two humongous bags of hand knits from one of the the LYS drop off spots mid November. For my part, I gathered up a few knitted pieces that were languishing around here and worked a new worsted toddler-sized version of the infant cap and a matching pair of toddler-sized gusset mittens. (Yet another unblogged FO)

My "hat thing" also produced "Baker Street" by Courtney Kelly - I wear this all the time. LOVE the Rowan Kid Classic yarn!

"Seathwaite", by Kate Gagnon Osbourn was A Christmas gift for a friend of Number One Son in BFL from Yorkshire Spinners. I seemed to be veering away from coloured yarns towards natural, undyed shades last year...

"Rikke" by Sarah Young - another Christmas gift...

 ...topped with a furry pompom!

Both of these were quick, yet to be blogged about, pre-Christmas efforts.

I made 4 Toys last year. I like making toys so with babies being born amongst friends and family I...

knit remnants into The Reversible Dog/Dog House

A "Chocolate" Bunny at Easter time - more remnant yarn for this one very cleverly fashioned from a knitted square...

Then, from the midst of the pre-Christmas frenzy, an unblogged Bone and a Ball for Hudson...

'Have to say I was downright shocked to see I completed 6 Sweater projects last year because it feels like it was a knitting year free of drama and angst and those are usually key ingredients any time I knit a sweater. Maybe I'm getting the hang of this at last!

EZ's Tomten in Bulky, natural wool yarn in an infant size was first up...

Then I finished the BT pullover "Hawser" that I'd started the previous autumn...

'Renovated My First Ever Hand Knit Sweater with a new collar and better assembly technique...

'Repurposed some deep blue Jo Sharp Aran yarn from an unworn cardigan to make a now frequently worn/never blogged knitted top...

Very last minute in June I cast on a very "Quick Sand" by Heidi Kirrmaier...

I wore it all summer long - a fantastic piece to keep the sun off - haven't blogged about this one either.

Then there was the uneventful knitting of "Slade" for My Beloved in utterly fantastic hand dyed BFL.

A lot to say about this one - another blog post that wants doing!

The only socks I finished last year were a tiny pair for a young baby, again using remnant yarn...

These persistent themes of knitting up remnants,natural, undyed fibre, knitting in the moment (and failing to post about them!) was best illustrated in the bits and pieces I worked on over the summer at the cottage as I played around with cotton remnants and jute string/rope I've been collecting over the past couple of years.

Two cute little gifts - a cotton washcloth and an exfoliating jute so envelope came of the exercise...

As did a Bag I worked up on the fly which, as we speak, is in the sewing pile awaiting a lining. (Its therefore also awaiting a blog post...boy unblogged FO's - possibly the strongest theme of 2015 for me?)

So my 2015 knitting was 30 easy pieces, remnant yarn and using what I had on hand without much thought or acknowledgement. 'Feels like that might have been a nice little break in the routine but that maybe 2016 would benefit from a bit more structure.

And speaking of which, before Christmas I noted I wanted to knit Number One Son a sweater - something quick and easy. 'Back from the UK for a couple of weeks he let me know last weekend he would like me to knit him something...a sweater, like one I knit for his dad...this one...

And lets review he is living in London England, where the daffodils start blooming in February. I've got to knit this thing (1800 yards or so of cabling) and mail it off ASAP if its going to get worn this winter.

So 'starting 2016 with a bang (and a tubular cast on) around here - good thing I "rested up" last year eh?!