Today is the last day of the year, so in keeping with last year, this post will document the year in knits. I knit 6 sweaters, two cowls, two hats and three pairs of fingerless mitts this year; two of which I have somehow failed to document on the blog, but will remedy that today. I haven’t managed quite as much knitting this year as last, perhaps because I now spend considerable time on this blog that might have been spent knitting (but more likely as a result of a big reading spree the last few months).
I knit the hats in the fall to send to my friend Maria who has been undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer. These were the Zelda Cloche by Alexis Winslow:
(Please note that for convenience sake – my convenience that is – I am using the Ravelry links for the patterns in this post.)
In August, I knit a cowl for my sister-in-law Vivian. It is knit in seed stitch with three shades of Kid Silk Haze held together. I am told that she wears it often. It is light as a cloud, and soft and fluffy. I decided to make a second one, exactly the same, for Emma as a Christmas gift. I didn’t use a pattern for this; I used big needles, three strands of Kidsilk Haze, cast on an odd number of stitches (I used 149 stitches for Emma’s cowl), and then knit until it felt long enough (about 11″-12″). So, this cowl counts as two:
I made the cowl with the leftover yarn from Emma’s Smoulder sweater, which I blogged about here (it’s a great sweater, check it out). I bought a bag of Kidsilk Haze (10 balls) on sale at the end of the year a few years ago; I think I paid about £20 for the bag. With it, I made Emma’s Smoulder sweater and both cowls. That was definitely one of my better yarn bargains!
The first sweater of the year was by far my favorite; I love everything about it! This is the Brick pullover, designed by Hanne Falkenberg, that I knit for Doug:
Next up, I knit the Backward Cabled Pullover for Leah. This sweater, designed by Wendy Bernard, is called that because the scoop is supposed to be in the back; I knit the Backward Cabled sweater backward, thus having the scoop forward! I knit it in Madelinetosh Pashmina in the luscious colour Flashdance. Leah wears it all the time:
I then knit two cardigans, both designed by Carol Feller. The absolutely marvelous Killybegs, which I wear constantly:
The last sweater of the year, which I just finished a few weeks ago, is the pullover I call Medieval Gems, that I designed for my daughter Leah (based on patterns by Marnie MacLean and Lauren Osborne; see this post for details).
Last, but not least, I knit three pairs of fingerless mitts this year. The first pair I knit in August for Emma, to match her Carnaby skirt. These are the Optimistic Mitts, by Devin Joesting:
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Happy New Year and Happy Knitting! Love from me and Mark!
Nice end of year blog! Happy New Year!
Those are lovely projects! Happy New Year!
Really nice work, Kelly! Your smiles say it all!
All the best to you and Doug and Emma and Leah for 2013. Much health and happiness and Rowan, I always tell my knitting friends! Enjoy!
Ann
PS: My Joy of Cooking does not have the New Orleans praline recipe – waaahhh! (Or maybe that’s a good thing!)
Hi Ann, Happy New Year! We have two copies of The Joy of Cooking – one from 1964 and one from 1997 – both are falling apart from over-use and are tied together with string. I have found that many of my favorite recipes can be found in one or the other edition but not both. The New Orleans Pralines recipe is in the later edition but not the earlier. If you decide you want to make them, let me know and I will send the recipe to you. On that note, the girls were really pleased with the recipe for Bienenstich from your blog (http://shimfarm.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/bienenstich). It reminds them of their childhood in Germany.
Hi Kelly! I found a recipe in my Martha Stewart’s “Christmas Cookbook” that looks great. Thanks for your offer though, I’ll let you know how things turn out! I have the ’75 version of “Joy of Cooking” (the how to skin a squirrel and make chitterlings LOL!, pralines sound waaay better!)
Bienenstich is my favorite cake ever. I know some people crave chocolate or buttery frosting, but a simple Bienenstich makes me to swoon! So glad I could stir up some memories!
Pralines will definitely beat squirrel! Enjoy!