I can only assume I was a bad girl in 2007 because Santa only brought me one of the things off my wish list. This left me more than a little depressed so I treated myself to a swift and ball winder. Both of these items can be a little pricey, which is one of the reasons I put off buying them, but I found them on sale on Joann.com. Use a 40-50% coupon (go, scour the Internet!), or gift card, to offset some of the costs and you have a terrific value. I am very pleased with my new toys, despite some initial set up problems (be sure to read the reviews of the products -- the feedback is tremendously helpful).
Gone are the tangled hanks of Araucania Nature Wool that were seeping into all parts of my stash. Peek in the containers and you'll find the wool wound, labeled, and neatly stacked. No more knitting off the hank (that happened only once, but what a fiasco it was!) or feeling guilty about asking my LYS to wind yarn bought elsewhere. I feel that I've graduated to a whole new level of knitting.

Wow...the first blog post of 2008. Okay, so it deals with 2007 projects, but I think it's important to take some time and reflect on my knitting accomplishments over the past year. The list of completed projects, though small to some, is tremendous by Serial Hobbyist standards. I even managed to learn a couple of things along the way so it doesn't get much better than that. Here goes:

• Fetching: Like many, I fell in love with Cheryl Niamath's pattern that appeared on knitty.com in late 2006. I ended up making five pairs of these gloves (most of them were knit in Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran), four of which were given as gifts. If you're looking for a quick and easy project, this is it


• Snowman at Midnight Stocking: I became obsessed with knitted stockings in the post-Christmas slump of 2006 thanks to the beautiful creations featured in Christmas Stockings and Knit Christmas Stockings!. Somehow I got this wild idea that I was going to spend the year knitting stockings and have them ready for use by the time December 2007 rolled around. In true Serial Hobbyist fashion, I was only able to complete one stocking: the Snowman at Midnight from Christmas Stockings.

  The Rowan yarn used for the body of the stocking is no longer available, so I used some dark blue Araucania Nature Wool from the stash -- the shades in the yarn are reminiscent of the sky on a cold, clear night. The snowman and snow bobbles were worked from scraps in the stash. The patterns called for sewing the i-cord on to the stocking, but given my aversion to sewing I found it much easier (and cleaner) to knit it on. This technique is explained here.




• Squares for the Hokie Healing Project:
  

  Thanks to Gina of the Mosaic Yarn Shop, knitters and crocheters alike were able to cope with their emotions in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings by lending a helping hand. These 8"x8" squares will be used to create blankets for shooting victims and their families. At last check 8000+ squares had been received from all over the world! Read more about this project here. I was so proud to be part of such a worthwhile endeavor.



• Cable and Rib Turtleneck:
  This sweater was my first foray into cables and garment shaping. I chose to knit the Small size in Cascade 220 (Natural). Information about the pattern can be found here. I actually finished knitting this sweater in April of 2006, but the sewing aversion left it sitting on my blocking board for a year and a half. I was forced to spring into action in June of 2007 when I saw that the cat had thrown up on it! Fortunately, the stain came out (I love Shout!), but I still couldn't wrap my head around the sewing process. Enter Renee from Knits Finished. She was able to sew my pieces together to create a work of art. I love this sweater so much! Not only is it super warm, but I get this tremendous sense of satisfaction knowing that I saw this project through to completion every time I wear it.


• Pea Pod Baby Set:
  What started out as a "Welcome to the World" gift turned into a Christmas present for my friend Jackie's baby girl. Fortunately I knit the cardigan in the 12-month size and the hat in the Large size so Riley should get some use out of both pieces. The set was knit in Elann's Super Cable Aran, a 100% mercerized cotton, in Elm Green. The yarn worked well for the pattern, but it did get slippery at times. The plies split easily, so you really need to watch where you put your needles. The cardigan was finished with six 4-hole 15mm wood buttons (Natural) courtesy of M & J Trimming. I love the way this set turned out. It's simple, yet sophisticated. It's also a great introduction to lacework. I'm really glad that I have another Pea Pod Baby Set left to knit.

Those of you paying attention to this blog will notice the distinct absence of the Ariann cardigan in the list of finished projects. In spite of my best efforts it's still not done. I actually was very close to finishing, but had to rip out close to thirty rows because I hadn't worked the decreases correctly. Interestingly enough it seems that this is the section that people struggle with the most. I'm really surprised that Bonne Marie Burns hasn't posted some sort of FAQ for this project. It certainly would help to clarify things. Sooo... I'm taking Ariann into 2008 with me. This doesn't necessarily make me thrill me to the core, but I do feel that this is a worthwhile project. Let's hope it doesn't drive me crazy.