•7 min read

2023: A knitting year in review

Every year, I find it helpful to look back on the last 12 months (ish) of knitting and make some observations. Notably, I like to pay attention to what did I make, did I learn new skills, try new materials, knit a specific pattern more than once? And I make note of how this hobby of mine served me: did it keep my hands busy while watching shows and movies with Nicholas? Yes. Did it help quiet my mind when I was worried about XYZ? Yes. Did it deepen friendships and bring great inspiration and satisfaction? Yes!

Before getting into my review of all that I knit, I wanted to mention a few gift knits that were recently gifted as Christmas gifts.

Coziest cowl

I knit this for my sister-in-law, Katelyn, for Christmas. It's a Purl Soho pattern and I used the recommended yarn – a buclé alpaca yarn that is dreamy and soft, but annoying to knit. That said, the pattern was straightforward and the finished cowl is true to its name – the coziest. I finished this in mid-September.

Align mitts (yet again!)

My mom loves this pattern of fingerless gloves, and I've knit many pairs. Since she wears them often, I like to knit them semi-regularly for her, so she can always have a fresh pair. This yarn was fun to knit with its little pops of color. More details can be found on my Ravelry project page.

Neutral socks with folded cuff

Nicholas loves his handknit socks, so he's always fun to knit for. I opted for a few new things with these: a peek-a-boo cuff using this tutorial, paired with ribbing on the leg and top of the foot, and a shorter leg length. He loves them. More specifics and details can be found on my Ravelry project page. I knit these in October.

November DK-weight socks

In November, amongst the chaos of packing and moving, I wanted a super simple, gratifying project. This self-patterning yarn is so fun and the colors felt perfectly seasonally appropriate. More details can be found on my Ravelry project page. I finished these on Thanksgiving Day.

Red cowl for Cooper

Ever since I knit a red hat for Cooper last Christmas, I have wanted to knit him a matching cowl out of an extra skein of the same yarn. This year I did! He was so excited and saw me knitting on it, so he received it well before Christmas, and he's worn it basically every time we've been outside this winter. Such a knit-worthy little guy! I basically made up a little recipe, and the size turned out just right. More details can be found on my ravelry page. I'm sure I will knit him another one sometime. The only pictures I have of it were after he wore it for several hours right after I gave it to him, but that's okay! I knit things to be worn, not just so they look nice in pictures. ;)

Another cozy hot water bottle cover

My mom and dad requested a hot water bottle cover like the ones I have knit previously. This is such a satisfying project! And it's neat because they actually purchased the lettlopi yarn that I used for it while on their Iceland trip several years ago. More details on my Ravelry project page.

Tweedy waffle socks

My dad really enjoys handknit socks, so I knit him another pair for Christmas. These were fun! I finished them in July. More details on my Ravelry project page.

DK weight waffle socks

In December, I wanted a pair of simple socks to work on, so these fit the bill. I used the texture from the Blueberry Waffle socks, but used DK-weight yarn for a thicker sock. This yarn was so fun to knit with all the subtle micro striping. The second sock was noticeably darker, due to the dye style, but I don't mind. More details found on my Ravelry project page.

Marled Sophie scarf

And also in panicking-about-having-my-yarn-packed-away, I cast on a little Sophie scarf, since I wear my other one constantly. This one is in a cotton/merino blown yarn, and it's wonderful! I wanted to finish this before midnight on New Year's Eve, but didn't bind off until 12:16am. This is a fun little pattern and a very wearable little item. For more details, see my Ravelry project page.

Phew, it feels good to share all those months of knitting, now that it's all finished and/or gifted. Without further ado, I've listed all my 2023 projects (those finished in 2022, that is), sorted by type and recipient demographic (kids vs adults). All links take you to either a blog post or ravelry page with more details and photos of the given project.

Adult sweaters

Adult accessories

  • Align mitts for my mom (see above)

Adult hats

Baby/kid accessories and baby gifts

Socks

Neckwear (shawls and cowls)

Home goods/other

A few quick notes

  • I finished twenty-nine knitting projects in 2023.
  • 14/29 of those were socks of some variation
  • I completed three adult sweaters, which is more than I have ever knit in a year before.
  • I knit very little neckwear this year (only two Sophie Scarves) compared to years previous. I find that I don't have a gap in my wardrobe for shawls or bigger scarves, since I have so many I love to wear, and they don't really "wear out."
  • I knit a lot of socks, per usual, and four pairs in DK-weight.
  • A dear friend taught me how to crochet! I crocheted several swatches and a little pumpkin, and I have bigger plans for more crochet in the year ahead. Right now, I just know the very basics, and I really enjoy it.

As I mentioned above, I am realizing that there is a shift in what kinds of projects ultimately feel enjoyable and practical. I really don't need any more shawls or cowls, and so while that used to be a very common type of knit for me, I am not knitting them quite as often, unless they are gift knits. I do see the enjoyment and practicality of knitted socks, since they do wear out over time, and I so enjoy wearing them. And the more I wear handknit sweaters, the more I enjoy the wearing of them, but also the longer process of planning, knitting, and learning new skills in garment knitting.

Looking back on my Creative goals for 2023, I do see that I did knit my Kerti Sweater from that list, along with nearly all of the sock yarn I set aside for socks this past year. However, that was the only pattern I actually knit from that inital list. I purchased a decent amount of yarn in the closing sale at my former local yarn shop, and knit with a lot of yarn from that acquisition in the latter half of the year.

I still enjoy having two or three projects on my needles (no more) to give me variety in needle size, needed attention, or project size and portability, without any accompanying overwhelm.

Knitting served as entertainment on long car rides, a way to create gifts for loved ones or fun things for myself, a way to keep my hands busy (and my mind occupied, when prone to worry), and a creative outlet (always).

I have a lot of plans for the year ahead, but I'll share those in a post soon!

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Slightly sassy v sweater, finished
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Christmas 2023, part 2

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