Ok, so I said I wouldn't write any special new-years posts, because I tend to be so reflexive most of the time, and the January 1st event, is not a particularly useful temporal marker in my life. But the end of the Fall semester coincides with New Years, and that's a cycle which is worth recognizing, if for no other reason than I tend to mark time in these units anyway. And, I feel like I should write more for this website, and the topic was ripe for the picking. So here we go: a round-up of the knitting projects I completed last semester.

  • Faroe, Take Two Design by Alice Starmore, from Fisherman's Sweaters. This was my second attempt at this design, and I think it came off rather well. Yarn: Cascade 220, in black and white
  • Rose Jacket Desing by Yours Truely. This is a sweater using a Turkish design named "Gul" or rose. Frankly I can't se it at all, but it was a fun design, and I enjoyed making the sweater. It's also a passable cardigan/jacket/coat, which I consider an acomplishment. It is, however, HUGE, and I have yet to discover who it was meant for. Yarn: Patton's Classic Merino.
  • Herny VIII Design by Alice Starmore (variations by yours truly), from Tudor Roses. A great sweater design, with a couple of great modifications. I'm really glad I made this sweater, and I think it turned out really well. This sweater has left a large impact on me, and I think it will continue to influence the kinds of sweaters I design and choose to knit in the future.
  • Nature Wool Socks (2 pair) I made two pairs of fairly generic socks, out of Arcunia Nature Wool this semester, both "toe-up." The first, and heretofore unworn pair of socks, used Pricillia Gibson-Roberts, short row-heel, design, and the second--more worn pair--used my now standard, reverse heel flap method. I'm forever fascinated by this yarn, and the socks are really great. I think I have another ball of it lying around somewhere.
  • Socks That Rock I made a pair of socks in blue-and-green medium weight socks that rock, sock yarn, that I got at the fold for a friend. They rock. Love.
  • Tosty Toes I made my last pair of cuff-down socks, out of interlacement's "Tosty Toes" Sock yarn. I love these socks, and they are in heavy rotation. Must knit more of these things.
  • Teal Socks At this very moment I'm wrapping up work on a pair of Teal Socks, out of Cascade 220's Dark Teal Color. It's actually the second pair of socks out of this yarn that I've made. No really. I keep buying this yarn in isolated cases because I think it's so pretty. And it is.

On the plans for next semester:

  • Alpaca Sweater A "sport sweater" with Henry's Attic Prime alpaca sport weight in grays using turkish designs. I'm five inches into the sweater at the moment, and have put it on breif hiatus for a little while.
  • Commission Sweater Pattons sweater in red and black for a former professors kiddlet. When I get the measurements I'll put everything aside to crank this one out.
  • Shetland Sweater I got a sweater's worth of Harrisville Designs shetland and it'll be a sweater when it grows up, I just have to pick the patterns and wait for it to come up in the cue.
  • Another plain sweater for me: What would a spring semester be like without a plain sweater in the works for me? At this point, it looks like, a mostly black sweater, with slight trim (oh so very slight) in either: teal, red, or gray.
  • Impressionist Socks I have a pair of socks in Opal 6ply from germany, in colors inspired by an impressionist. It's way cool
  • Fingering weight socks I have some shetland, and some Shafer Anne that wants to be socks. I really hate making such fine socks, but sometimes it's worth it.

More Long range plans that might encroach upon next semester if I'm majority productive, or something comes up.

  • Teal and Black Sweater in Knit Picks Gloss This is the yarn that I did Henry in. It's incredibly fun to work with and I really like these colors. No clue what the pattern would look like, but I'm sure I could come up with something.
  • Handpaint Enterlac Sweater I hand-painted some yarn over break, which turned out well. I'm thinking of combining it with a few skeins of commercially dyed (solids) for an enterlac sweater, because it would be fun, and it's been a while since I've done anything in entrelac.
  • Blue Mint There's some knit picks yarn in blue and mint colors which I think would be really good looking together. It's cheaper yarn, and if I plow through other projects this one would be rather inexpensive to start up if I was in a pinch.

Anyway, there you have it. That's what I'm thinking about at the moment. We'll see how it all turns out.

Cheers folks!