OhSewCrafty Blog

Well, I knitted over 27,000 yards in 2011.  Some of this yardage represents projects where the knitting is finished, but it’s not yet in the wardrobe due to lack of seaming, etc.  Subtracting those, I am left with 36 projects.  And now for some fun statistics…. I knit more accessories this year, with the pie almost evenly split between garments and accessories.  Hats accounted for most of the accessories, for some reason I was really inspired to knit up toppers; a few were gifts.  Lots of lightweight yarn was used, with 37% of my projects made with sport, fingering, or laceweight.

The highlights of my crafting experience(s) in 2011 were all knitting and/or kitchen related, since I hardly got around to my other hobbies.  Sewing was limited to a box bag in January, which was novel and fun, and frantic men’s shirt-making for Christmas, while cross stitching was only an old project, a tree skirt, which only got a bit of attention in December before I set it aside in favor of gift-crafting.  I started using my ice cream maker this year, and churned out some truly delightful treats.  In fact, I’ve pretty much spoiled myself for the commercial stuff.  My favorite was the mint chocolate chip made with fresh mint leaves, yum!  I also made a ton of candy and treats as Christmas gifts: caramels, truffles, sugared cranberries, marshmallows, hot chocolate mix, and cinnamon bread.  Lastly I also made an apple pie and sweet potato casserole for Christmas dinner.  Whew, that was a lot of work, but everything was well received and delicious if I do say so myself.

Knitting wise, a few of the highlights were knitting with a lovely pure silk yarn, Louisa Harding Mulberry, for my Samba top (left).  I loved working up my vintage-style short sleeve red sweater; the lace up front is a nice detail (center).  Alice was an interesting challenge, true knitted lace for the most part worked in a deep midnight blue for some cool gothic charm (right).

Other faves include Lizette (right), basically a feat of pattern modification.  The pattern as written would have looked terrible on me, but I measured, sketched, calculated, and made it work!  Skelf (center) was really fun to knit, almost like magic as you work on the WS while the pattern emerges on the RS.  I picked out the buttons at Webs, and finished it the night before Rhinebeck, that was a super fun weekend!  Salina (right) was not so much fun to knit (not a fan of the yarn), but the FO is just so wearable.  I really do love Kim Hargreaves’ aesthetic.

Lastly, I’ll share a few special accessories.  The Glorious Cabled Mitts (right) were my first project on size zero needles, and I actually knit them twice (second time was a gift for my sister).   The Orchid Thief shawl (center) was fun and challenging in a way, as the pattern is a bit cryptic, plus the yarn, Stricken Smitten Shimmer Glimmer, is truly lovely.  The Gwynedd hat (right) is fun to wear, a bright punch of green with whimsical style.  It kept me on the edge of my seat, as it used all but a few inches of one skein.

In 2012, I will repeat one of my goals from last year: sew and cross stitch more.  I really want to finish the tree skirt, which I began a long time ago (2002, maybe?) and have it under the tree for Christmas 2012.  As for sewing, I’d like to make some more clothes.  I’ve rediscovered the fun of wearing dresses and I’d love to have more in my closet.  Also, I’d like to sew knits.  From what I’ve heard, this is easy, but I learned to sew on wovens, so that is my comfort zone.  As far as knitting, I am truly committed to stashdown.  I’ll just state it publicly: I have over 200,000 yards of yarn, which is kind of ridiculous.  I need to use what I have and stop buying so much.  My offical goal is to stashdown 10,000 yards but 20,000 would be nice.  On a physical wellness front, I want to stay active.  I discovered yoga in 2011; its myriad physical and mental/spiritual benefits.  One of my resolutions is to keep and develop my practice.