2008: Year in review

Since I love numbers, some stats:

• According to the Ravelry notebook, I finished over 28 thing in 2008. There are probably more, since I don't put small, quick stuff on Ravelry.

• The first was the Koolhaas hat. I have yet to wear it out of the house. The only time I have put it on recently was right after the cat attacked my head (long, weird story). It ruins curls, so it has to be worn on select occasions, none of which has come up yet.

Yarn: Berroco Comfort, 1 ball in some sagey color
Needles: US size 7
Pattern: Koolhaas Hat by Jared Flood from Interweave Knits Holiday 2007

• The last completed knit of 2008 was a Cobblestone for me, finished Christmas Day. Funny that the first and the last are both Jared Flood patterns. The dude is pretty talented.

Yarn: Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend, 6 skeins of 3110 (I think that's the color) - early X-Mas gift from my MIL
Needles: US size 5 and 6
Pattern: Cobblestone Pullover by Jared Flood
Modifications: Made the smallest size which turned out about 32" at the chest. Added a little waist shaping. Started the sleeves with 40 sts instead of 52, but worked up to the same number. Reduced the number of stitches decreased over the yoke to end up with...shit, can't remember now. I think it was something like 90. Had to leave off the last pair of short rows, for fear of running out of yarn, but worked even for an extra inch or so after the last decrease round. I ended up using every bit of yarn except what was used for the swatch.

That yarn is soooo soft and light. It is a very comfortable sweater.

• Project that took the longest: Venezia, at approx. 6.5 months (see below)

• There were tons of short projects, including some white baby socks - great for using up leftover sock yarn so you don't go on a bender at the yarn shop (well, you can delay it at least). The socks are now being worn (I hope) by a friend's baby.
  

Pattern: Better-than-Booties baby socks by Ann Budd.

• Most expensive project: Venezia again. It wasn't very expensive, maybe $60 for both yarn and needles, I'm just really cheap when it comes to knitting. If you are going to make 28+ things per year on my salary, you have to be cheap. And I didn't pay for the yarn for my cobblestone, which would have come out at around $70.

Yarn: Knit Picks Gloss in Woodland Sage (3.5 balls) and Dolphin (2.5 balls)
Needles: US size 2 and 2.5 (3mm)
Pattern: Venezia by Eunny Jang from Interweave Knits Winter 2006
Modifications: Scoop neck.

The truth: I'm not sure I'm that fond of it - still has big shoulders, which I'm very self conscious about. I'll give it one more blocking before it gets tossed in the back of the closet.

• Most expensive on a per inch basis (I guessed, I'm not that much of a number lover): Cherry Tree Hill Socks. But they are really lovely.

• It's too hard to pick a favorite knit of the year, but I do know my least favorite:

I hate you, Surplice Bodice Top

Let's face it: I hate Cotton Classic. No drape, very stiff, and this stuff is an absolutely awful virginal white (I think the bleaching, done by Tahki not me, contributes to the stiffness). This is the second sweater I have made with this same yarn - I hated the last one too, so I took it apart and made this thing. When will I learn.

Count:
6 pairs of socks (1 baby pair)
5 pullovers
3 pairs of bootees
3 shawls
2 bags
2 tanks
2 toys
1 adult cardigan
1 baby cardigan
1 shrug
1 scarf
1 hat
1 beret
1 pair of gloves
1 hankie

• Amount spent on yarn and needles in 2008: $442 (not including use of leftovers), or less than 2% of my gross earnings in 2008. Not bad.