1.01.2009

2008 - my year in review

well, the 2008 year has come to a close, and as i sit here, i thought i'd look back over my year and see what i've accomplished.

when the year started, i was still pretty much stuck in the dishcloth/scarf/anything square mode. the most ambitious projects i'd undertaken to that point were a bonnet and booties for my new niece.
carainda's bonnetIMG_7104

then i took the plunge to make a sweater for my youngest for her 1st birthday, choosing the Baby Surprise Jacket as it's made in one piece and has only two small seams at the shoulders. it took me longer than i though it would, and i had some trouble working the seams to lay flat, but in the end, i was pretty happy with the result.
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i admit then that i did make many more dishcloths, although, in my defense, i used it as a learning experience to add new techniques to my repertoire. in june, i made some black & white cloths for my cousin bride-to-be for her shower, and they were a huge hit.
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then, a friend of mine was expecting a baby, so i got really ambitious and decided to make a Big Bad Baby Blanket... this was a wonderful idea, however, i did not properly judge the time it would take me to complete such a thing, and i did not finish it until about 2 weeks after the baby was born! i added a bib and some cotton washcloths to go along with it, and she just loved them. :)
first bbbblogan's bib 3

as summer was closing and fall beginning, the shrug bug bit me. so i decided to give the 'anthropologie-inspired' shrug a try. my first attempt came out small enough to fit my (then) 18 month old!
trial sweater
i made another attempt with a larger number of cast on sts, and the second one was just perfect for my oldest daughter, who was turning 7 and who the first one was supposed to be for!

finally, as my nieces 1st birthday crept closer and closer, the search was on for an easy sweater pattern that i could make with some lovely cotton i'd had sitting in my stash. i found a nice pattern, and ended up working the whole sweater (minus edging and buttons) in 1 week! it was finished 2 hrs before the birthday party, and the edging and buttons added the next afternoon. it came out beautifully and i'm definitely going to make it again (soon, actually).
Picture 023

at the very end of the year, i finally got up the courage to try dpns, when Jess sent me some beautiful sock yarn. to ease me into them, without having to worry about heels and toes, i chose a fingerless mitt pattern, which is (now) worked farther than this photo, but i haven't taken any new ones lately.
Picture 043

so, all in all, i can definitely see growth in my knitting, but i'm hoping for even more in the coming year!

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