It should come as no surprise that the item I knitted the most of was socks. Hey, I should get double the credit for these, as I had to make two of them per project. What, that's not a thing? Well, harrumph. If I were in charge, there would be all kinds of superlatives and ribbons handed out. I grew up in an era before the participation trophy became a thing, so I'm a bit needy in that area.
Anyway, socks. I completed nine pairs last year:
...and if you count the single socks that are still in process of getting their mate, I knitted a grand total of 21 socks! I'm happy with that amount - I love sock yarn and really enjoy seeing how it knits up. I still can't believe I can take what is basically some colorful string and a couple of sticks and turn that into a pair of socks, but that's the magic of knitting for you.
Hats were my next most-often knitted items - I separated them out into adult and baby groupings for this post. Here are the adult hats:
Only one was for me (the hat in the top right square, made out of leftover yarn from hats I made for friends - I love sharing a hat with them).
Baby items rounded out my completed projects - if you ever want to be entertained, just listen to me as I knit a baby hat or sweater...I can't stop myself from speaking out loud (usually only Paco is listening) about how darn adorable and tiny everything is. Two more tiny hats, plus a wee sweater:
That monkey hat still kills me with cuteness.
So in total, I completed 16 projects in 2016 - OOOOH!!! I just realized that! Dang it. You know I'm going to have to go for 17 projects this year. Well, I have a good start on one - this sweater, which I began in March of 2016 but then set aside for the duration of our long hot summer. I am very close to finishing it and I'm declaring my goal, here, in front of all 12 of my readers, that I will have it done by March 23, 2017, which is one year to the day of casting on:
Taking it out of the bin will be a big step in actually knitting it. Which I will do. Soon.
I've been knitting for five years now, and while I can see how my knitting has evolved and improved over those five years, I still feel somewhat like a beginner at times. There are a lot of techniques that I won't tackle (like Fair Isle, or anything that is charted), but I'm getting braver - did you see all those socks? And soon, a full-fledged, adult-sized sweater that I knitted will be in my closet - how wild is that??
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Well, we are on taper week for the upcoming Houston half marathon - this race sure came up fast! At this point, we've done all we can do, so our run for tomorrow is going to be a Gump run - we'll just take off running and go until we feel like stopping. Hopefully we'll stop somewhere near our vehicles, because otherwise that could be problematic, LOL. Actually, there's a new road that juts off of the main road that we run on, and while it's not open to traffic yet, it is completed, so I think that's the direction we'll go...and see where we end up!
Have a great weekend!
Your knitting posts make me wish I could knit! I love everything!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Wendy!
DeleteWow great job on all your knitting projects last year!
ReplyDeleteHave fun on your run tomorrow!
Thanks! It was pretty fun to see all the projects together like this.
Delete"Taking it out of the bin will be a big step in actually knitting it." I'm still laughing. Because its SO TRUE. I am truly impressed with how many projects you finished, and that you only set the sweater aside for a matter of months, not years!
ReplyDeleteAnd the Houston Half--I am surprised too at how fast it came up. I will look forward to reading about that adventure.
A fellow knitter KNOWS. ;)
DeleteGood job on all your projects. I love the monkey hat, it's just adorable. Also I think I see a kitty hat up there? I'm having one done for me for the March on Washington. I waited until the last minute to decide if I wanted one or not, otherwise I would have asked/paid you to do it ;)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your taper. It's such a conundrum - it's nice to rest but it makes you restless lol.
I wondered if you were wanting a hat, but I ended up not knitting much over the holidays (some people want the room pitch dark when we watch movies), so I kinda let go of knitting for a bit. Really excited for you to go to the March on Washington and I cannot wait to hear about it!
Delete5 years. I remember when you first started knitting. It can't be 5 years!
ReplyDeleteI know. Time is FLYING by!!!
DeleteI'm pretty embarrassed. I may have run a lot of races but knitting-wise 2016 was pathetic.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't finished that pair of socks!!!
And I was inspired by your picture to finish my pair!
DeleteDo you have an Etsy shop? If not, I think you should start one. Also, I always love your sock projects and would like to offer a suggestion. Could you make longer socks (like boot socks) and then sew lace (or something) around the top. I think you would be able to sell those in a heartbeat. Heck, maybe you can get approved to sell them at the hospital gift shop. ( I teach an 8th grade entrepreneur class so of course my brain is always thinking like this...haha)
ReplyDeleteI appreciate when people suggest an Etsy shop because that means they like what I knit. But I am not a fast knitter, nor am I a cheap knitter - sock yarn can run me anywhere from $12 to $25 a pair, and that's not including any cost for time spent knitting. I don't think most people would pay $50 and up for a pair of hand knit socks, sadly.
DeleteAnd your idea for the lace-trimmed boot socks is a good one - in fact, we do sell socks like that at the hospital gift shop. Simply Noelle brand. I think they go for about $23...you can see the difference in something manufactured overseas vs. handmade.
You make a good point. Most hand made items are usually made out of more expensive materials. My aunt knots/chrochets andd has made oodles and oodles of blankets and I know she has lots of $ into each one of them. What do you do with all your projects?
DeleteWell, I have a lot of socks, LOL. I give things to people who I feel appreciate a handknitted item (there are those who love machine knits from Target better, and that's fine - they just don't get stuff from me).
DeleteI am so impressed by all of those pairs of socks! Knitting amazes me because I cannot do it :) Can't wait to see the sweater all finished!! :)
ReplyDeleteWow! You have completed a lot of projects last year. And all beautiful, hard to choose a favourite.
ReplyDeleteI remember when you started knitting and yes, you have learned so much. To me you are definitely an experienced knitter!
You will totally get that sweater done! I have to show you the sweater my friend made her mom for xmas - it's amazing - https://micapie.com/2016/12/29/ambitious-arrowhead-coat-igan-for-mom/
ReplyDeleteEverything you made turned out so great! I especially love the hat you made with leftover yarn. That's super cool.
Hope your last gump run was fun!
Thanks for that link - the sweater she made is just beautiful. I can't even imagine taking on a project like that.
Delete"All 12 of your readers"
ReplyDeleteHa!
You silly...
Chrissy