2020: A (knitting) year in review

Each year, I compile a list of the items I knit in that year, and then write a post about them. I enjoy noticing trends in my creative process, and how life events and the rhythm of our daily life affects what I'm making. Every year looks a little different.

So here, listed by type and in order of completion date, are the knitting projects I finished this year. Each one is linked to either my Ravelry project page or to a blog post about that project. Either will include more photos and details about each project.

Adult sweaters:

• Tundra jumper (colorwork yoke sweater)
• Cabled cardigan test knit

Adult accessories:

• blue align mitts for my mom for her birthday
• grey align mitts, knit for my MIL for mother's day
• align mitts, unblogged and I never took a picture of these, but they were knit for my grandma in a beautiful green tweed yarn leftover from my second pair of Cyril socks.

Adult hats:

• Graham hat, II
• peach Tread hat for my SIL for her birthday

Baby accessories & baby gifts:

• mavis hat for our friends' little girl
• dark grey mavis hat for Cooper, since the first one was so sweet
• baby socks, for our friends' baby, never blogged
• a tiny knitted house, knit for a friend's new baby

Socks:

• Christmas socks that I finished in January
• Navy striped February socks for Nicholas
• April socks, became a gift for my friend Maeve
• Raspberry socks, for my mom for mother's day
• Cyril socks, green tweed, never blogged
• Summer fair isle socks, gifted to my mom, never blogged
• Sport weight socks for Nicholas (gold, grey, blue)
• Christmas sport weight socks for Nicholas

Neckwear (shawls & cowls):

• Garter snake cowl
• Atmen shawl, knit in Faroese yarn

Finished sportweight Christmas socks

I listed them above, but just recently finished a pair of Christmas socks for Nicholas. They were done just in time for him to wear them the week of Christmas. Knit to fit just like his previous sport weight socks, I held yarn double. I used a larger stitch count to account for slightly thinner yarn (75/25 blends versus the more plump 80/20 that I predominantly used in the first pair). And incidentally, the leg is a little shorter, unintentionally. I haven't held a self-patterning yarn doubled before, but really enjoyed it. I love the vintage feel of these Christmas colors, and he loves them, so I'm happy.

Details

For more details, see my ravelry project page

Yarn: a few light-colored stash sock yarns, stripes, held double with Cascade Heritage Prints in Holidaze

Size: 56 stitches, slightly higher than previous version to account for thinner yarn

Pattern: a vanilla sock recipe, made-up as I went to fit Nicholas' foot, used Lindsay from A Wooden Nest's project as a starting point (see above)

Needles: US 2 dpns

Specifics/modification: All the details are on my ravelry (linked above), but I knit them to fit his foot. Carried the self-striping yarn throughout the sock, just swapping in the other color for very subtle stripes. Garter stitch heel, didn't slip edges of heel flap, just picked up for the gusset between each garter ridge.

Some general observations about my knitting this year:

• So many socks! They are portable and "mindless," and a nice creative experience. But also, this was the first full year that we spent back in the Midwest and we really, truly, wear handknit socks so much, and so it makes sense for me to keep knitting them. Also, it was a year when mindless, but productive activities felt good to me. And I grieved my way through some sock knitting, as well.
• I knit a lot of repeat patterns, since I craved predictable (favorable) outcomes, I think.
• Finally knit with two portions of special souvenir yarn from family travels: the Tundra jumper and the Atmen shawl (see above)
• Nicholas got more new socks this year than ever before! But he's such a grateful and enthusiastic handknit sock wearer, I love it.
• Looking back at my knitting goals in January 2020, I stayed pretty true to my loose plans. I do always knit more gifts than I plan to (not a bad thing). Didn't get around to a few scrappy-type projects that I expected to.
• I finished the year with a few works-in-progress, including a sweater I cast on in August before feeling really sick with pregnancy, and a few gift knits that weren't quite finished.

I'm brainstorming for an upcoming post where I'll go into detail about my current projects as well as things I'd like to make in the coming year. Nothing with creative process is set in stone, but I do find it helpful to give myself a loose outline or think ahead of well-matched yarn and pattern pairings. I'll share those thoughts soon. Cheers to another year of making!