1st Anniversary--A year of Knitting Furiously

I completed my first knitting project last year in July.  It was July 3rd.  I finished a garter stitch scarf for my step-granddaughter.  It was pink and brown-Chocolate Cupcake. I followed that with the matching hat and its been a rolling ball of yarn ever since.  Knitting has really brought me something I've always wanted:  to keep my idle hands busy.  My mind doesn't ever shut down, you see.  It moves and thinks and ponders and creates constantly.  I would say its attention deficit but coffee seems to keep all the loose ends within arms reach.  My husband and I laugh to ourselves whenever someone answers the question, "what are you thinking?" with "Nothing."  We find it hysterical because he and I have never thought of "nothing." It is completely inconceivable to us.

I was a quilter before I started knitting.  I constantly looked for something to carry along with me like redwork, embroidery, applique', English paper-piecing...I have done tons of it.  Don't get me wrong, I loved it but knitting is, well, better...better for me.  I completed four quilts last year and only enjoyed making one of them.  I really want to make one for my bedroom, king sized.  I have all the stuff just not the desire. Maybe the years and years and hundreds of quilts was just too much for me.

When I first started, all I really wanted to do was make a pair of socks.  I don't know why I wanted to make the socks but I was in the craft store and saw this loom and next to it were the instructions for making socks on it.  I thought, yes, I'll try that.  Much to my dismay, the sock was "Dobby" sized, meaning very small.  I gave it to my husband as a book mark (I should find it and photograph it).  Next I endevoured to buy a book with hand knitted socks in it not realizing that a beginning knitter doesn't start with socks.  Actually, I had made knitted items in the past, years ago when I was really young so I had this idea that I knew how to knit.  I have to laugh at myself now.

The thinking over the past year has gone from "I will make this thing next," to "my next 12 projects are these..." 

I have proof, of course.  I have a basket full of gauges, "tried it and failed," goofs and oopsies.  I have two drawers of completed-and-don't-know-what-to-do-with's, all meant to be learning experiences.  Then there's my completed list on my Ravelry account.  I currently have 10 active projects and nineteen bins of yarn.  Its been a productive year and a happy one. One thing is for sure, I've learned so much and I know there is still much to learn.  It has been and will be an adventure from here in my little sewing room.  Maybe I need to change the name to the "Yarn Room."

New Dish Clothes

I have a new friend named Nancy.  We just met last month but have really hit it off.  She's one of those really "up" people.  Type "As" I guess they are called.  Always laughing and joking.  Of course, she has her serious side just like us all.  Anyway she sells a skin care product called Aloette and that's actually how we met.  She was at a party and I thought she was younger than me and turned out to be 5 years older.  I thought she looked soooo good I had to ask and of course that lead to her selling me her product line, lol.  She showed me pictures of herself 10 years earlier and she actually looks younger now.

So I decided to make her these wash clothes to go with her skin care products:

 

Learning to Lace

I have wanted to knit a shawl in lace since I first started knitting, well after socks, of course.  I have seen some spectacular shawls in magazines and on Ravelry.  So I saw some lace weight yarn that wasn't too expensive the other day and thought I'd give it a go.  I have just the top part started, eventually the lacey part begins.  I hope I don't mess it up.  Better make sure I use those life-lines that I learned with my scarf!!

Here's the new socks too:

Keeping busy, just like I like it!