The Year in Review

I started blogging about my knitting over a year ago and recently compiled a list of everything I have knitted in that time. All I can say is, Wow! If it weren't for this blog, I would have no record of all those knits and purls (and single crochets and double crochets, etc., etc., and so forth). Well, that's not quite accurate. Originally I tried to keep a project notebook, but that rapidly fell by the wayside. A blog is much more fun, plus I can post photos and share with my cyber friends.

Anyway, I won't bore you by listing all those projects, but I do want to say a few things about them. Like how many of them were dishcloths and socks. And like how almost everyone I know now has at least one handknit scarf if not also a hat and armwarmers and legwarmers. The most challenging projects were the Ladylike Lace gloves and the swallowtail shawl. Both projects sometimes reduced me to tears. But once completed, both projects not only gave me a real sense of accomplishment but also raised my skill level. And as I have become more skilled, I have become more adventuresome and more relaxed about the outcome.

But my favorite part of knitting and crocheting is giving it away. Everyone on the receiving end has treated my gifts as something special, even when the gift was simple or flawed or silly. Something made with one's hands is also made with the heart. I'm grateful that my friends and family recognize and value that.

So, knit on in 2008!