Hmmm...

Today, I am going to take a look back at my so-called knitting progress over the past year.  (I wish the topic was how my stash has grown over the past year - by leaps and bounds - perhaps too much!  But that will be a blog post for another day!)

Last year at this time I was a Twitter and Ravelry newbie and I probably hadn't even thought about a blog yet.  I was just beginning to get interested in knitting again...I learned to knit from my grandmother when I was about 9 and have gone through knitting phases over the years...no previous knitting phase has been quite like this one though.  I attribute this lasting interest to Twitter and Ravelry.


@Voolenvine's Vinelle



So, about this time last year, I knitted Bella's Mittens, which were my first learn about it on Twitter and find it on Ravelry project.  Then, I knit @Voolenvine's sweater, Vinelle. 


Later came Ishbel, joined a sweater twitablong with @jbee42 and @cheekytart.  And met @knittingknoobie when I visited NYC last summer! 


Test Knit Granny Bomber Jacket
for @Sweatshopoflove










Then, I test knit a sweater with intarsia for @sweatshopoflove.

Irish Hiking Mittens Designed by Me!!

And I even designed a pair of mitts and a pair of mittens. I guess my knitting has progressed quite a bit since last year! Learned to knit lace and intarsia. I had never knit mittens before and here I was at the end of 2010 designing my own! And I am noticing that I am a bit of a binge knitter. Handbags knitted for holiday gifts in 2009 was followed up with hats for holiday gifts in 2010. Now, it's socks. Lots and lots of socks. For me, this kind of binge knitting gives me a chance to develop certain skills and see how different yarns work in similar patterns. Of course, that's not really why I binge knit...it's more like...Oh! This is fun! Let me knit another one! Hmmmm.....what's next? Any suggestions?



A Completed Ravelry Project!

Well, it’s been a pretty busy month around our house…the school year ends on Thursday so there’s been lots of school projects, exams, baseball playoffs, and ballet recitals for my kiddos. For me, all of their activities means lots of driving around and waiting. Which gives me ample time to knit! No complaints here! In the beginning of May, I started Vinelle by Kristin Alexandra. She’s probably better known to fellow twitter knitters as @Voolenvine. It’s the first project that I’ve knitted using a Ravelry Designer Pattern. I really like the vine pattern on the front sides of the cardigan and I found just the right yarn in my stash to knit this sweater for my daughter:

Cascade 220 Tweed in Spring Green!
I love the flecks of red, yellow and blue that are in this yarn…originally, I bought it to make another felted handbag, but if you’ve seen my Ravelry page, you know that I’ve probably knitted enough felted handbags for a while! I found some cute flower shaped buttons...perfect for a tween! For me, this sweater had some great challenges: the vine pattern and the raglan sleeves. I don’t think I’ve ever knitted a sweater with raglan sleeves before! I loved knitting them…and I think they look great! I’m looking forward to knitting this sweater for me!