The number of projects I actually completed in 2009 is reflective of the way I knit: slowly and methodically. Overall, I'm proud of what I accomplished. From developing an appreciation for knitted socks, to finishing projects languishing in the UFO pile, to challenging myself with different types of patterns and deadlines, I've definitely covered a lot of ground and become a more competent knitter in the process. Let's take a look back at the projects of 2009:

Wicked Eyelet Rib Vest

When I saw the Wicked Eyelet Rib Vest pattern it was love at first sight. Everything about it is perfect from its femininity right down to its faux cables. I chose Lily Chin's Gramercy yarn for this project partly for the gorgeous raspberry color and partly for the price point. In retrospect I wish I'd chosen a yarn that was a little thinner and not quite so splitty, but I'm fairly pleased with how the vest turned out. This project was relegated to the UFO pile for a few months because of my abhorrence of seaming and a very tiny mistake on the back piece of the vest that made me not want to look at it. Ultimately, though, I just sucked it up and pushed through. The result is a beautiful FO...which I really haven't worn. Actually, I'm still trying to find the perfect top that will do it justice and that's definitely not easy given all the junk in the stores these days.


Eyelet Yoke Baby Cardigan

In keeping the the eyelet theme, when I stumbled across the Eyelet Yoke Baby Cardigan I knew it would be the perfect project for my co-worker's baby. The cardigan knit up very quickly in Cherub 4-Ply. I made a matching hat (courtesy of the Baby's Beanie Hat pattern) and a pair of booties (courtesy of the Classic Cashemere Bootees pattern) to complete the set. I've only seen photos Miguel in the cardigan -- I'm sure he has long outgrown the hat and booties -- but he looked looked absolutely adorable in it!


Nutkin Socks

I came across the Nutkin sock pattern when looking for a pattern that would work well with a skein of Lisa Souza Sock! Merino in the Berry Poppins colorway. My frustrations with the yarn aside, it works very well with this pattern. This was also my attempt at a no-wrap short row heel thanks to a great blog I found. Sadly, though, the blogger's Photo Bucket account is not active so the photos no longer appear with the text. I'll be sure to update the link once I find well-documented instructions for this method.


Jaywalker Socks

Next up is the Jaywalker sock. I chose this pattern because I needed something that would work well the Sunshine Yarns Classic Sock Yarn in the Alice colorway. This was my first time working with a heavily variegated yarn and I ended up learning a lot about pooling and flashing through trial and error. Although the socks do not match exactly I really love them. The yarn was particularly nice to work with. I guess that's why several of Dani's Twilight-inspired colorways have found their way into my stash. Yes, I'm a big Twilight fan. There. I said it.

Amazingly enough most of my knitting took place towards the end of 2009. The Wedding Clapotis, the French Press Felted Slippers, the Super Cupcake Hat, and the Almeara Gloves were all finished within a few weeks of each other. Since I've already blogged about the majority of these projects I think it will be easier if I just include the links. The Almeara Gloves, however, will be featured in a separate post as I have a lot to say about this particular pattern. Believe me when I say a lot.

Well, that's my year in review. What's in store for 2010, you ask? I've set the following knitting goals for myself:

• Knit more socks: Let's face it, you can never have too many of them and there are so many great patterns out there.
• Knit a lace shawl: See my previous post
• Learn entrelac: It doesn't look too hard, maybe a little fiddly.
• Keep working on things from the UFO pile: Some projects in there are screaming to be worked on.
• Colorwork: Enough said.
• Design an original project: I've got something already in the works.
• Be better organized when it comes to projects: Plan ahead, review what's in the stash before buying yarn, etc. Sigh. I know, but I've got to try
• Join a sock club: Kind of defeats the purpose of the previous goal, but I guess that's part of the fun =)

What are your knitting goals for 2010?

...Merry Christmas to you. I couldn't resist sneaking in some lyrics from one of my favorite Christmas songs. Actually, I've been saying "Merry Christmas" as often as I possibly can over the past few weeks. Yes, the PC police probably have me on their naughty list, but I don't really care. We spend so much time and energy trying to make sure that we don't say something that will offend that more often than not we are not adequately able to express our feelings, especially during a wonderful season like this one. I'm sorry, but it gets to the point where 'Happy Holidays' just doesn't cut it anymore. Happily I think a lot of you out there are feeling the same way because I've heard many more public utterances of 'Merry Christmas' this season than I have in a long time. To quote Martha Stewart: "It's a good thing."

I suppose I should climb down from the soap box and get on with this week's post. This is really the first time I've had a chance to blog since I've been back from New York. This can largely be attributed to the following:

• Christmas Preparations
  
• Work
  
• Carmen kitty
  
• Two feet of snow
  
• Timesucks (more on that in a future post)

At this time of year I essentially have two full-time jobs. It can be a little stressful going from a job that keeps me busy throughout the day to tackling Christmas shopping, baking, decorating, etc., but I've gotten used to it. What caught me off guard this year was an emergency with Carmen, our female cat, and some weather issues (check out the picture of the snow that piled up on our deck!) that forced me to make some adjustments to my preparations.


Ultimately, though, I was able to do what I needed to make the holiday special for me and the people I care about. The rest...well, there's always next year.

So, I've become somewhat of a monogamous knitter of late. A good portion of the last week and half was spent working on the Super Cupcake Hat for my boss for Christmas. Most people would probably able to knit this up fairly quickly -- Ravelry posting lists the length of time from start to finish as 2 days?! -- but this just doesn't happen in the world of the SH. The fact that I was using this weird abbreviated Magic Loop method probably didn't help. I also struggled with some aspects of the Shaker Rib pattern that made it necessary to resort to frogging more often than usual. To top it all off, the hat 'grew' during the blocking process. I figured that it would from what I'd observed with the swatches but I didn't think it would grow quite so much -- happily a ten minute trip through the dryer (low setting) helped solve this problem.



In spite of all this the hat turned out pretty well. Leslie was so happy with it that she put it on at once and wore it home. The funny thing is that we were having a conversation about knitted hats the day before, so I really think this turned out to be the perfect gift for her. Hopefully she'll get a lot of use out of it.

Now that I'm relatively free of knitting obligations -- I say 'relatively' because my father has put in a request for a pair of socks, but there's no real timeline on those -- I plan on getting back to some of the projects that had to be set aside while I was working on other things. The buttons came in for the French Press Felted Slippers, so I'm going to make a valiant attempt to finish those off this weekend. I may also see if I can finish off the Almeara Gloves and the Peapod Baby Set #2 over the next week or two. Of course, sleep is also very appealing right now... On that note, "Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

(Note: Carmen is fine. What we initially thought to be a break/dislocation was probably more along the lines of a blood clot. She has a pre-existing heart condition and was recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism so we've been trying to find a balance with her medications. She's prancing around here like nothing ever happened!)

Just because I'm away from SH headquarters doesn't mean I'm going to neglect my weekly post. After all, I've been on a roll with my posts since early November and it seems silly to stop now. Anyone taking bets on how long it will take me to get distracted and forget to post to the blog for say...oh...another two years? Well, you're stuck with me until the next all-consuming project comes along, so read on.

So, I'm here in NYC for the weekend and loving every minute of it. NYC is my hometown and I will always consider myself a New Yorker no matter where I go. I love the pulse and energy of the city. I love that I can walk out of the door and be in the center of everything. I love having a good mass transit system at my disposal -- seriously, it's non-existant in Central Maryland. Most of all, though, I love New York during the Christmas season because the city always looks at its best with all the Christmas lights and decorations. Here are some pictures I snapped today:











In knitting news, I'm a good way through the portion of the leg on the first Little Pumpkins sock. The pattern calls for four repeats of the pumpkin chart, but I may only end up doing three -- the leg already measures six inches. I may also do a SRH (short-row heel) instead of the heel flap for no good reason other than I'm too lazy to pick up the stitches on the gusset. The SRH worked out well on the Nutkin socks (first SRH I ever worked) so I'm anticipating good results here. It all comes down to whether or not the yarn will cooperate. Ahem.

Yet none of that matters right now because the Little Pumpkins socks are about to be abandonned yet again in favor of a shiny new project: the newly released Super Cupcake Hat pattern by Bonne Marie Burns (aka chicknits on Ravelry) of Chic Knits fame. I saw this pattern and knew instantly that I should knit this for my boss for Christmas. I'm so committed to this project that I even went as far as to delve into the depths of my stash for some suitable yarn. Okay, so I ran out of time to go to the LYS before I left, but at least I was able to re-purpose a good skein of Cascade 220 since the Michael Kors Boxy Cardigan it was originally intended for is unlikely to materialize any time soon. Now all I have to deal with is a little issue known as gauge. I've had to drop two needle sizes so far. It's likely I'll have to drop down another size, but I won't know for sure until the swatch dries. Great.

ETA: Guess who'll be knitting this hat on US #4s and 5s =( That's three sizes less than what is called for in the pattern!