2011 in review

feb siac, a photo by gradschoolknitter on Flickr.

Earlier this year I decided to try and use up some of my stash by making sure that at least one project a month was knit only using stash yarn. To this end I completed 10 projects starting in February and ending in November. (Technically I made lots of projects in December and some of them even fit the criteria, but the whole Christmas rush thing was more important than picking a particular project to feature as the SIAC project du jour.)

Above are the first socks I made for the Self-Imposed-Accessory-Club in February. Their simplicity (but cute picot detail) was very satisfying at that point, and I still wear them often.



March was dedicated to the shawl I would wear on my wedding day. I don't count it technically finished until April 2, according to ravelry, but the knitting portion was finished long before that... I just waited around forever to block it.



April was a busy month (see previous project...) and I had fought with this yarn on previous occasions, trying to find a way to make it into something that looked good and was usable. Finally, in the last few days of the month (and possibly running into the next), this cowl came to light.



Can I just say that I looooooove the socks that May brought about? The yarn (knit picks stroll tonal) is so soft but strong, and the pattern was just the right amount of mindless and interest. I really need to make more socks with paneled patterns as opposed to pattern all over.



June took us to Iceland for our honeymoon (of which there are many, many pictures both on this blog and in my flickr stream), where I worked on these socks for DH as we drove around the island.



July was moving time, and I'm shocked that I actually finished a project in that time. It was a strange time for us, we moved to a temporary place with most of our stuff in storage, and then again a week or two later... most of it is a blur to me now, so I barely remember how or when I actually had the time to knit, but I did. I ended up gifting this shawl to my grandmother this Christmas. I'm just not a shawl person, but I'm more than happy to knit them for others!



It was so hot I don't know what possessed me to make this hat in August.... but it was quick and small, so I guess it was easier than a blanket? In any case, I love the hat (and the mitts I made to match for a later SIAC) and wore both for most of the late fall with a leather jacket that matched the tones perfectly.



Oh, monkey, how you torture me. I've made so many pairs of monkey socks and so many of them have come to ruin. I only got to wear these a few times before one accidentally made it into the dryer and felted beyond repair. Sigh.



Matching mittens! Sadly the manos is fuzzing a lot, especially on the palms, where they come into contact with things like steering wheels, but the hat is in great condition, and I think the mitts will be again soon, whenever I take the time to locate my sweater shaver...



November had me madly dashing to finish some socks for a friend, long promised. And I did it! I even was able to leave them for her in her mailbox while visiting so that I didn't have to risk mailing them. (The PO and I have been in disagreement lately as to how efficiently they should send my packages.)

And that was 2011. Obviously that was not everything that I made this year, but it was a good representation and funnily enough, many of the projects are connected deeply to the major events of my year. I plan to continue the SIAC/stash down (which has grown in spite of my valiant efforts) in 2012, but more on that later...