Tuesday, January 01, 2008

2007 Knitting Review

I love sitting down at the start of a fresh year and taking stock of the past year's accomplishments. Put together, it feels like something to be proud of! In 2006, I was pushing myself to develop new skills. In 2007, I think I just went ahead and knit a whole lot of fun things.

My hands-down favorite thing to knit is hats. Lots of 'em. I knit 3 Cambridge Watchcaps, 2 Rivendells, 2 berets (pink, red), 2 basic ribbed watchcaps, 1 Shedir, 1 beanie, and 1 Calorimetry.

And as there seems to be lot of fertility going around, I also ended up knitting a lot of baby items. 3 baby blankets (striped and sprouting), 2 baby sweaters (green cotton and blue wool), 1 baby bonnet and booties, 1 Woodins, and Hobs I, II, and III. I enjoy these little creations, but I never get the pleasure of seeing them used. I have mixed feelings, then, about how great they are to knit.

I had a great time experimenting with garments for myself -- maybe not as sweet to knit as those baby things, but at least I get to see them worn! I made a Forecast, a top-down tee, and a hemp camisole.

I also knit a couple of wraps: lace scarf, little leaf shawl, and a clapotis-style scarf.

Then there's the random stuff: camera case, wristlets and flower, and a pair of toe-up socks that I have yet to blog about.

The biggest discovery of the year, for me, was yarn dyeing. Aside from a little flirtation with Kool-aid, which I have yet to post about, it was really all about the deep seduction of natural dyes. I LOVE these colors. I love the process. And I love that the yarns carry with them a bit of sunshine and organic energy.

My new year's knitting resolution is to go even greener with my knitting this year. My hope is to do more natural dyeing, to focus on organic and alternative fibers, and to be better about knitting from my stash rather than letting myself get swept up into consumerism. Here's wishing you a creative 2008!

6 comments:

Theresa said...

That's a lovely collection of knits. Happy 2008!

Veronique said...

I remember your posts about natural dyes vividly! Do you think you might start selling some of this lovely yarn?...

Sharon said...

You are wonderful and talented! I didn't know a blog for knitblog contests existed until now. Thank you for posting my contest!

Rachael said...

I've really enjoyed reading about your dyeing experiments, I guess it's vicarious for me b/c while I think it's a wonderful idea and the results are so beautiful, I just dont' have the patience!

But I like learning through your posts about it!

Gustavo said...

happy new year! I bet it is really satisfying to see the pictures of your knitting all collected like that. Very productive. I have something for you by the way. You should send me your address.

Anonymous said...

That is truly spectacular! To see it all together must really be a rewarding feeling. And I'm sure there are many grateful friends and family who are in awe. Beautiful beautiful work.