2019 Knitting Year in Review
Welcome to the official Knitting Year in Review post for 2019! Every year I look back on the projects I undertook and as always, 2019 was a year full of wonderful creativity. May 2020 be as inspiring!
This is the second year in a row you can set yourself a 'challenge' on Ravelry. For 2019 I set myself the modest target of 18 and finished exactly that amount of projects. (2018: 22 out of 15, 147%)
I didn't want to aim too high, and of course the kind of project you undertake also influences how many projects you can finish. I knit a lot of socks, and those are fairly quick. If I wanted to and had the yarn, I could probably finish 200 hats in a year. In short: it doesn't say much about my knitting year.
For 2019 I decided on more general plans, rather than specifying which patterns I wanted to knit this year. But they were good plans:
Join the Sokkenbreien monthly sock KAL - It's pretty hard to remember how often I joined in the KAL. I only just cast off the September Samenbreien Sok at the end of December, but I do keep my eye on the group because it's fun to chat there. I've also already purchased the design for the January 2020 SSOK because I've knit two other socks from this designer and had loads of fun working on those. It's a promising start of 2020!
Finish 2, maybe 3 cardigans - I did finish the Bagtanker and Sprout cardigans that were already on the needles. The Bagtanker is too short for me and both cardigans are too itchy for me to wear. The Bagtanker is going to be donated to Tyldak, and I may wear my Sprout cardi with a simple shawl to keep the collar from my skin.
Join the Sock Madness - I joined the Sock Madness as a cheerleader and knit 4 designs from the contest in my own tempo.
Visit at least one fun yarn fair with my friends - Done! We visited the Knit and Knot together. In spring I went with Anemoona and we did a Fair Isle workshop, where we made a set of fingerless mittens. In autumn wannabe_bitch (Kat) joined us and the three of us did a brioche workshop.
Keep filling up that jar - The Start A Jar to set aside some cash for fairs, yarns and other fun events works really well. I don't feel guilty about spending money on a lovely skein because the money was already set aside for that exact purpose, and because it's a set amount I don't frivolously spend it on even more sock yarn unnecessarily. I can splurge on a lovely merino skein for a pair of socks for myself though.
18 finished projects this year:
- 2 workshops. The fair isle mittens were a gift for an NPC from Emphebion, the brioche workshop samples are not pictured.
- 1 quick hat to bust some stash that Strix happily claimed.
- 2 cardigans
- 1 shawl that I may keep or sell
- 12 pairs of socks, all for friends and acquaintances; with only 1 pattern from a book and 1 not pictured.
I also started on a sweater for Eisirt's birthday and cast on in August, frogged the whole thing, chose another pattern and started over with yarn held double. It may yet be finished for his next birthday in December 2020.
One of the things I am a little sad about this year is that I feel like I don't always have the energy to knit. I've been working my ass off this year -- having an intern means I have to work steady hours, and can't just take a day off unexpectedly. It means I come home often being tired and exhausted and not in a mood to knit. It's a pretty decent wake-up call, and I hope to do better in the coming year because this is not a way to live. Not having the energy to make a decent meal for myself and not recharging by doing something I love after work is costing me way too much.
And with work having deadlines and goals, I am as always reluctant to set deadlines and goals for something that is and should be a hobby. I am recycling goals from last year though!
Visit at least one yarn-themed event with my friends. Probably Knit & Knot in March?
Knit at least one pair of socks for myself; -- I have a few lovely skeins of merino sock wool in my stash for just this purpose.
Knit at least one pattern from a book; -- The Soxx book has some beautiful and striking designs and I only knit ONE sock from it this year, the red-green-yellow zigzag number. Shame on me! They are so much fun to do so I should do at least one more from that book.
Finish the Stonehaven Sweater (birthday gift for Eisirt)
Find yarn to knit the Pumpkin Ale cardigan with and maybe even cast on!
Knit while on vacation! I love the fact that I could knit in Austria and longingly remember that holiday when I see the picture again.
Enjoy the process!
And maybe....nah...probably join the Sock Madness as a cheerleader again.
It was a great year!
This is the second year in a row you can set yourself a 'challenge' on Ravelry. For 2019 I set myself the modest target of 18 and finished exactly that amount of projects. (2018: 22 out of 15, 147%)
I didn't want to aim too high, and of course the kind of project you undertake also influences how many projects you can finish. I knit a lot of socks, and those are fairly quick. If I wanted to and had the yarn, I could probably finish 200 hats in a year. In short: it doesn't say much about my knitting year.
For 2019 I decided on more general plans, rather than specifying which patterns I wanted to knit this year. But they were good plans:
18 finished projects this year:
- 2 workshops. The fair isle mittens were a gift for an NPC from Emphebion, the brioche workshop samples are not pictured.
- 1 quick hat to bust some stash that Strix happily claimed.
- 2 cardigans
- 1 shawl that I may keep or sell
- 12 pairs of socks, all for friends and acquaintances; with only 1 pattern from a book and 1 not pictured.
I also started on a sweater for Eisirt's birthday and cast on in August, frogged the whole thing, chose another pattern and started over with yarn held double. It may yet be finished for his next birthday in December 2020.
One of the things I am a little sad about this year is that I feel like I don't always have the energy to knit. I've been working my ass off this year -- having an intern means I have to work steady hours, and can't just take a day off unexpectedly. It means I come home often being tired and exhausted and not in a mood to knit. It's a pretty decent wake-up call, and I hope to do better in the coming year because this is not a way to live. Not having the energy to make a decent meal for myself and not recharging by doing something I love after work is costing me way too much.
And with work having deadlines and goals, I am as always reluctant to set deadlines and goals for something that is and should be a hobby. I am recycling goals from last year though!
It was a great year!