This year has been such a train wreck in so many ways that it is difficult to put a happy spin on my traditional end-of-year post. On the personal front, many great things happened this year: I graduated from business school with an EMBA, I settled into a new and exciting career, I celebrated my 25th wedding anniversary, and I traveled a lot, including a fantastic holiday with Doug and the girls and dear friends to Sicily, a visit to my mom in Phoenix, and some lovely trips with Doug to Beirut, Verona, South Africa and Vancouver. The double whammy of Brexit and Trump threw me for a loop, however, and all of this good stuff seems to pale into insignificance when compared to the state of the world. I admit to feeling depressed and still in a state of shock.
On the knitting front, it has been my least productive year since I began this blog. My new job took a lot of my attention and energy, and knitting took a back seat. This year I finished only 9 projects: a hat, a pair of mitts, a shawl, a baby sweater, three cowls and a sweater each for Leah and Emma. In the photos below, I am modelling Leah’s sweater and I have included a teaser photo of Emma’s on the bottom right. (I have finished her cardigan but haven’t had time to blog about it yet. I will get photos before I leave Vancouver and will blog about it soon.)
In an interesting twist, I didn’t knit any sweaters for myself this year. Last year, I knit five sweaters, all of them for myself. Most of my knitting time this year was taken up with the gold cabled shawl in Kidsilk Haze Eclipse, which I love to pieces so it was worth the effort. The general trend for the year has been a bit of a loss in knitting mojo, due to lots of other things keeping me occupied and feeling in a bit of a funk. However, I am happy with the projects I have finished, and they are all getting lots of use, which makes me feel good.
As for the year to come, I am optimistic (as far as knitting is concerned). I have just two knitting goals for the year. The first is to organise my knitting tools and supplies, including stash, in such a way that knitting is easy. Right now it seems like I can never find what I need when I need it, and this often leads me to just give up and read a book instead. My second goal is to have fun knitting. I want to knit what pleases me and enjoy the process. I think I may have forgotten a bit of the fun this year.
This New Year has begun with absolute gorgeous, crystal clear skies here in Vancouver – the kind of days that make you catch your breath at the beauty of it all. We have been walking in the mountains and enjoying the freezing cold but spectacular outdoors. My mind is bubbling away with plans for the knitting year to come. I am looking forward to another year of knitting and blogging.
Very nice to see all your projects together. I wondered if you, like me, found it interesting to see that you had, perhaps inadvertently, knit around a particular colour palette? 🙂
I did notice that! I rarely if ever knit in blue, but there is a real blue theme emerging here (the same for gold…..)
And I’m looking forward to reading your thoughtful and entertaining blog. I don’t work and spend a lot of time knitting and one of the dilemmas is the compromise between what i like to knit and what the people I mostly knit for want to wear! I have started the year with three things on the go – Marie Wallin’s Fairisle Club 2 for times of absolute concentration, a moderately easy but still interesting jumper for my husband and something very straightforward for myself. i hope I’m ready for all knitting moods!
Deborah, this is an excellent plan. I am trying to aim for that myself this year – three or four projects that take different levels of concentration. And Marie Wallin’s Fairisle Club is pretty gorgeous knitting. I wish you luck!
Yes, 2016 was not a great year for the world, was it? Arrgh! It is lucky that knitting has anti-stress properties which we will all need to draw on in the next four years! Congratulations on your graduation and your new career!
Hi Leah, I fear that this year I will need lots of knitting. And maybe a lobotomy. Or both……
At times like these I think of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s quote, “Knit on, with confidence and hope, through all crisis.” Have a wonderful knitting year.
It’s good to start the year with a quote from the great Elizabeth. Let’s hope we make it through with our sanity intact. I wish you a wonderful year of knitting as well.
Hello Kelly! Happy New Year to you and Doug and the girls!
Much like you, I was in a tail-spin regarding Brexit and Trump. Shaking my head at both outcomes, with many sleepless nights under my belt, especially regarding our friends south of the border. What is this world coming to? (Don’t answer…!) I still don’t understand just HOW we got there on both counts. Are we becoming so apathetic, collectively? I am just so dismayed…
My knitting is in a funk, too, which doesn’t help things. I know I should pick up the needles and get my knitting crap together, but it’s just not happening. I’m looking for inspiration, but right now, I think I just need to ride this wave out. I’m trying to focus on the positive (first world problems, blahblahblah) and cast aside the rest.
Hopefully Vancouver has helped recharge your batteries! In the interim, I think we should just focus on the present, and knit on, like Midnight Knitter mentioned.
So knit on, Kelly, and make 2017 the best ever!
Ann, so lovely to hear from you! I have been thinking about you lately and wondering if you were managing to do any knitting. (Especially since you are likely snowed in for the winter!) Happy New Year! We shall hopefully get through these dark times.