2019: A (knitting) year in review

Each year, I enjoy writing up a little summary of completed projects. It's fun for me to notice trends in my creativity from year-to-year, considering life events etc. And I do enjoy looking at a year-long collection of work, so to speak.

So here, listed by type and in order of completion date, are the knitting projects I finished this year. Each one is linked to either my Ravelry project page or to a blog post about that project. Either will include more photos and details about each project.

Adult sweaters:

Tecumseh sweater

Baby sweaters:

Baby accessories:

Teeny tiny knit mitts
Classic cuffed hat
Baby mitten socks (two pairs for Cooper and a few more pairs for friends with new babies)

Adult hats:

Socks:

Neckwear (shawls):

This month, I knit a pair of self-patterning DK-weight socks for myself. This was such a fun knit! I wrote out all the details, since I did modify and knit my own pattern essentially, apart from using the heel turn instructions from the Spree Socks pattern. I prefer my handknit socks to be knit at quite a dense gauge, so I knit these on US 2 dpns.

And then, there are the secret Christmas knits that I worked on, from September to December. Most of the recipients read the blog in some capacity, so I haven't mentioned their gifts here on the blog previously. Now that everything has been gifted, I provided a brief recap of each item, with more detail on the (linked) entry on my Ravelry:

Cabled DK-weight socks for my Grandma Donna, knit out of the prettiest yarn, in the colorway Macaroon. I mashed up a few patterns to get my desired fit/gauge, and I'm so pleased with how they turned out.

(Another) More honey hat, knit for my mom out of ivory yarn. This pattern is fun and is texturally the most interesting pattern I've ever knit, I think! She tried on my rust-colored version last year and liked the fit, and so I knit one for her.

Surprise blue striped socks for Nicholas, that I knit as a stocking stuffer. I knit these exactly as I did the grey marled pair from earlier this year. It seems to be the perfect sock "recipe" for Nicholas' feet. Pictured with his pajamas, because he wears them the most at night. I knit these sneakily, in the evenings when we would be doing our own things, but in the same room. I'd strategically prop a pillow or the laptop in a way so he couldn't see what I was knitting on. And they were a complete surprise, thankfully!

(Another) Family ribbed hat, aka #knithatsfordad, year six! This was the sixth year that I've knit my dad his annual Christmas hat. The ribbed hats seem to fit the best, and I love how this yarn knit up.

(Another) 2x2 ribbed hat for Nicholas. He wears and loves his grey version so much, I knit him another one just like, even in the same yarn, just in another color. In fingering weight, it is most suited to slightly milder weather, but that still merits a lot of use where we live. And that's a good thing, because this is a slow knit: miles of 2x2 rib and a deep folded cuff, plus unconventional crown shaping that isn't intuitive. But the result? Worth it.

The Tolovana cowl, knit for my mother-in-law, Karen. I used the same yarn that I used for my Yeva shawl, and it is so soft. The pattern is written for aran weight, but I modified the stitch count a bit so I could use this bulky yarn, and I knit it a bit shorter so that it had a more snuggly fit.

Socks for Katelyn, knit with a garter short row heel. I loved knitting these! We picked out the yarn together at my LYS and she tried them on as I knit them to ensure a good fit.

Overall, I finished 23 projects. Funnily enough, that's the same number of projects that I finished last year, although many completed knits for me this year were smaller projects. Some general observations (mostly fun for me to note):

I only knit one adult-sized garment, my Tecumseh sweater, and in all fairness, it was cast on in 2018.
This year was a very sock-heavy, in part because socks are portable, and typically "comfort" knitting for me. In an eventful year, they felt more doable than larger projects.
My knitting mojo was definitely derailed with morning sickness. Even after that resolved, with a move and preparing for a baby, I did have less time to knit.
I knit quite a lot of baby items, both for Coop and for a few friends who had babies.
The item on my needles the longest was my Tecumseh sweater, and it was a WIP for about 9 months. I knit with fingering weight yarn more than ever before, which is of note to me.
Looking back to my knitting plans for the year, I stayed fairly true-to-course, at least at the start. I did knit items with immediate stash yarn and new-to-me patterns that I wanted to use, like the Ryg hat, striped Clockwork shawl, Yeva shawl, and Quadri hat.
I didn't get around to knitting with my special Lettlopi that my family brought home for me from their trip to Iceland, but I intend to knit with that shortly! And of course, now we live in a climate much better-suited to Icelandic wool, so I'm very much looking forward to using this yarn now.

I'll share a post in the next week or two about my current projects, what's on my needles, and my preliminary creative plans for 2020, including sewing, knitting, and other creative goodness.

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