What I Was Doing While You Weren't Looking

Dear Blog-

Yippee to the New Year! I look forward to 2009 with hope and all sorts of optimism and creative energy. Because I'll be honest with you, as it was for so many others, 2008 was very much not a good year for us. It is behind us, it is done, and good riddance to it, too!

But a New Year is time for new leaves, new chapters and new beginnings. I've got a roast beef in the oven and I'm even going to attempt a Yorkshire pudding today. Okay, it's my first roast beef, my first Yorkshire pud and I'm doing my first parsley potatoes just to round it all out. I have cooked frozen vegetables before, so that won't be such an experiment.

In the meantime I've been a busy knitter and a busy teacher of knitting. That hasn't left me with much time for blogging, but I plan to change all that. Think of this like opening a book somewhere in the middle and just picking up the story from there. This past year, the times that I made time to sit down and blog all got used up for the blog I write for Kiwi Knitting Co. - which I love to do. And it wasn't the reason I was neglecting this blog. But no more ignoring you, Dear Blog.

At some point during 2008 I realized that I was knitting a seemingly endless procession of socks. Socks for me, socks for my husband, socks for my sisters, for my brother and sister-in-law. Every sort of heel, every type of toe, cuff-down, toe-up, and yes, even sideways. My conclusions? I love knitting socks, I love wearing hand-made socks and so does my husband, I love giving hand-made socks to people who love to get them, I love sock yarns. So sock knitting, for me at any rate, is not going to go away. I suspect that for quite some time now, I will always have a sock on the needles.

I knit socks for my husband for Valentine's Day...

And socks for his birthday...

I am pleased to report that he wears all of his handmade socks by preference. I know when it is time to do his laundry when he starts resorting to store-bought socks.

I made Oak Leaf Socks for my eldest sister for Christmas...

Socks for my middle sister for Christmas...

and socks for her birthday, which is on Christmas...

Socks for my brother for Christmas...

and socks for my sister-in-law for Christmas.

I made three pairs of Detonators for Sock Wars 3 (something I will never take part in again) before I finally just gave up and waited to be killed. Couldn't begin to guess where the pictures of the other two pairs are.

I made Rivendells for me...



sideways socks for me...

socks for me out of the same yarn as DH's V Day socks...

Somewhere along the way I made Annetrelac socks for myself with Kureyon Sock...

I also made some Twisted Flower Socks from the Cookie A pattern, but can't seem to find that photo...

Then there were the sock monkeys for both sister for Christmas. The Pookie Monkey that you have already seen, and here is the Knit Wit Monkey...

Isn't she loverly?

There was an old pullover sweater that I felted, cut into a v-neck cardigan vest, knitted and crocheted up edgings and a collar, and then hand-beaded what felt like 9,000 snowflakes...

I love this thing.

Some details of the beading...

My eldest sister unexpectedly lost her eldest Golden retriever, who wasn't that old, and I knitted Harry the Hedgehog to the rescue!

Notice the running shoes so he can get there in a hurry.

I designed a crochet pattern for a shop where I teach, Kiwi Knitting Co. This is Karla the Kiwi.

For my birthday I was gifted with a needle-felting machine and went crazy. Nothing will ever be the same again. I started with this pillow-top...

Which became this pillow. DH picked out the fringe...

Like everyone else, I knitted a February Lady Sweater, out of Cascade 220...

I wear this thing all. the. time.

I finally finished the Color on Color Scarf from Scarf Style, with lots of bad language during the process. After it was finished, I felted the danged thing and embellished the daylights out of it.

with beading and crochet

embroidery and needle-felting.

I can't bear to put it away in a closet yet.

I knitted this tam for a class I was teaching...

the obligatory Clapotis, with a hand-spun cotton yarn...

a feather and fan scarf for my eldest sister for her birthday...

And then I went on a felted scarf craze. Here are just a few of them...

Climbing Roses.

Dogwood.



Oak Tree.

White Pine

They were knitted, felted, and then some combination of needle-felting, embroidery, beading and crochet was added, according to what I wanted.

And at the same time, I took 10 sweaters that my parents found at the thrift store during their summer in Montana, felted them cut them into 6 inch squares, and had DH lay them out into a pattern for a quilt top. This is now Mom's, as a Christmas gift from middle sister.

So there you go, there is my knitting year in brief. And I already have more to tell you about this new year of knitting.