2021 Summary and 2022 Plans

 

2021 began with quite a few socks. These are Thriambus by Rich Ensor. I started them back in 2018. The yarn is Miss Babs in the Maryland Sheep and Wool colorway from 2016, the first year I ever attended MDS&W.  The pattern is not symmetrical on a given sock. I chose to follow the directions to make two socks which are mirrors of each other, rather than being identical. On each foot, there are two bands of the twisted stitch pattern repeat--one full and one half repeat. The split occurs at the gusset. 

The instructions are quite clear in how to set up each foot and I had no trouble following it. Fortunately when I set these socks down for extended periods of time, I did so at points where I didn't have to struggle to figure out what I was doing. I also managed to mark the pattern with notes on which row I split for the heel and stopped for the toe shaping. Otherwise, I'd have had to spend considerable time comparing the charts to my knitting before proceeding. More likely I'd have done some basic perusal, decided on a course of action that was likely to be close enough, and proceeded. For socks, I am completely ok with having fraternal twins. I also acknowledge that few people are likely to be studying my feet long enough or closely enough to notice whether or not the patterns between left and right are identical. 

The second pair of well-aged socks are these February Lady Socks that were started in February 2018. It would have been amusing to finish them in February of this year, but that didn’t come to pass. These socks  traveled with me to three continents in 2018. I like the easy-to-memorize stitch pattern and the subtle variegation in the yarn.

These cheery Halloween socks are from a Twitter-based KAL led by Kate Atherley. I didn’t finish on time with the KAL, but I was only a few months late. The yarn is some well-aged Vesper sock yarn by Knitterly Things. The colorway is Whiskey in the Jar. I needed some happy Halloween socks at the time the pattern came out. These fit the bill perfectly. They do not, however, quite fit my feet. They’re a bit large and floppy. I will likely rip them out and re-do them with 1-2 fewer repeats.

I call these my Easter Egg socks. The yarn is the first skein of Fully Spun that I bought at my local fiber festival in Virginia. It reminded me of the Easter eggs we dyed as kids. I used a plain K1, P1 rib pattern to allow the color transitions to show through. I like that they are fraternal twins. I also like that I’ve got a decent amount of leftover yarn. I have a couple more skeins of this yarn in different colors so perhaps a Fully Spun odd ball project is in my future.

This pair replaces a pair I wore out. Same colorway (Jungle Stripe) from Lorna’s Laces but in a different sock yarn. I like this yarn a lot less than the original wool/nylon blend. This blend doesn’t spring back nearly as nicely as the old socks, which surprised me since the hand of the fabric was good. I don’t know if it is worth the effort of re-knitting them on a smaller needle. 

Another pair of simple ribbed socks in autumn colors. My basic beaded rib pattern except I inadvertently included an extra repeat, so they’re a bit too big and will need to be frogged. I should have tried on the first one before knitting the second one and I should have looked up the stitch count on the previous pairs using this yarn and pattern instead of assuming I’d remembered it correctly. I really like the color though and Mountain Colors Weaver’s Wool wears very well. 

The big non-sock project for the year was Kate Atherley’s Everyday Desk Shawl. (Now part of a collection of Everyday Shawl patterns.)  It took 2 skeins of Berocco Ultra Alpaca so it is soft and warm. I wear it almost daily at my desk, which is exactly what I intended when I knit it and what Kate intended when she designed it. Definitely a win. I might knit another one and if I do, I’ll make it 1-2 skeins larger for extra snuggly warmth.

All told, I completed 11 projects, containing 2881 yards of yarn, in 2021. In 2022, I’d like to finish some of the already started sock projects and at least one adult sweater (also already started).

I also took several online knitting and spinning classes. I like the ability to take courses from instructors from whom I might otherwise never be able to take a course due to travel costs or time. In 2022, I will continue taking online fiber arts classes and keep building my skills. I’m also going to study Kate Atherley’s Custom Socks book so that I can fine tune my sock fitting. 

2020 Wrap up and 2021 Plans

The recap 

I met my 2020 goal of completing 12 knitting projects, most of which were also started in 2020. This effort used up about 3850 yards of yarn. Among the projects completed were a beaded lace shawl, a lovely Papillon shawl, a test knit hat for Woolly Wormhead, several pairs of mittens, and a couple of dishcloths. It really makes a difference to stay focused on just one or two things at a time if you are aiming to complete things. Some of this dedication to a handful of projects was driven by being isolated away from my stash and WIPs bin for 8 months of the year, but it was nice to see solid progress being made. Whether this impacts how I do things in future years will remain to be seen.

I did manage to demonstrate to myself that I can successfully do 2-handed colorwork and that my color selection skills are actually pretty decent. 

   

My pandemic yarn purchases greatly exceeded the yardage knit, thanks to a couple of one of a kind yarn sets from madelinetosh and the desire to keep some of my favorite dyers in business despite the cancelling of fiber festivals. I’m ok with having my stash grow, given those circumstances.

There were only 4 spinning projects completed, generating 723 yards of finished 2-ply yarns.  This relative lack of productivity was partly due to being several time zones away from my spinning wheels. I picked up a drop spindle and an Electric Eel Nano, as well as a beautiful gray Coopworth fleece from Hidden Valley Farm, but didn’t get in much spinning while away from home.  

This purple/gray skein is from a Polwarth roving picked up at MD Sheep and Wool in 2019.

My last spinning project of the year was a quick spin of the Romney roving I’ve been chipping away at for the past couple of years. This particular skein is a bit lighter in grist than the previous ones, so may end up as hats rather than being added to the pillowcase of aran weight yarn that is intended for a gansey.

I did get a reasonable amount of the Coopworth washed and the locks teased open. I started to comb some of it and will card the combing waste. When I purchased the fleece, I was thinking I’d spin myself a sweater. On the Nano, it wants to spin fairly fine, so this may end up being a fingering to sport weight sweater. Or I may end up with a whole lot of laceweight if it keeps going finer. Either way, I’ll end up with some beautiful yarn.

For 2021

I’m not sure how to set this year’s goal. I have my DRAGON to complete and it takes up nearly all of my knitting and spinning time. I’ve also agreed to knit the edging of a Queen Susan shawl for a friend who can’t knit any more. These two things have deadlines, so take precedence over anything else. I’ll likely knit a new sweater for Ezra next fall as I expect he’ll outgrow the 2019-2020 sweater fairly soon. Four year olds are known for that sort of behavior. The collection of dishcloths also needs refreshing and I’ve got a handful of sock projects in various degrees of completion. 

What I propose is this: 

• Finish the DRAGON and the Queen Susan edging
• Knit at least 3 dishcloths
• Finish 4 socks
• Spin 2 skeins of yarn

with the caveat that only the first bullet is a “must do.” Any other accomplishment is a bonus.