A year of knitting - year 1

Exactly a year ago I started to knit. Actually I started again, because like all Swiss girls I'd learnt to knit at school between the age of 10 and 14. Then knitting was horrible. The yarn always was too tense, my fingers turned white from the lack of blood, my stitches kept dropping and I can't remember finishing anything. The only big project I ever started was a ski sweater when I was around 16. It was an intense dark pink, it was all stockinette (I think) and it had a V-neck. I got as far as the ribbing and maybe two inches on the back and then I gave up and my mom had to finish it for me. After that I gave up knitting.

Almost 30 years later, last year in February, we were on holidays in Tschiertschen with friends. I knew that my friend Evelyne was always knitting stuff in the train on her commute. I was kind of fascinated but had no idea how to start. So when we planned our holiday she promised to bring along some yarn left overs and a couple of needles for me to try.

The rest is history or almost 50 finished projects in my first 12 months. What started with a very lopsided pair of 2r2l wristwarmers turned into a fierce passion.

I am very happy to have found this creative way to spend my time and I am proud how much I learnt in just a year. Thank you so much, Evelyne, for starting this and I am so pleased to be back exactly where it started, in Tschiertschen in the Swiss mountains, spending time on the slopes and in the evenings chillaxing with a new project on my needles.

Here is what I've done in these twelve months:

Wristwarmers, mitts and gloves

1. Tintagel Mitts, 2. Adelia Mitts, 3. Lady Grey Mitts, 4. Fair Isle Mitts

5. Paddle Mitts, 6/7. Cable & Lace Wrist Warmers, 8. Feather and Fan Wrist Warmers

9./10. Cable Wrist Warmers, 11. Wrist Warmers

I love to knit mitts, they are fast but can be so different from each other. I like to knit them for other people, 5 of these were presents. My favourites are the Feather and Fan Wrist Warmers on a cool summer evening with a t-shirt, the Cable & Lace Wrist Warmers for inbetween fall weather and the Adelia Mitts for when it's quite cold.

Socks and baby booties:

1. Little Socks, 2. No Purl Monkey Socks, 3. Simple Skyp Socks, 4. Business Casual Socks, 

5. Baby Booties

I'm kind of undecided about socks. I love knitting the first one, not so much the second one. There are lovely sock yarns and very cool patterns. But (and I think that's keeping me from knitting more of them so far) I find it difficult to knit the right size, they always get too large after I've been wearing them and they are worn inside shoes so nobody can actually see them. 

Shawls, scarfs and cowls:

1. Honey Cowl, 2. No Purl Ribbed Scarf, 3. Tweed hoch drei, 4. Estuary Shawl

5. Round Shawl, 6. Drop Stitch Scarf, 7. Spring Scarf, 8. Cable Scarf

Scarfs make good presents too - 4 of these are now warming someone else. My favourites are the Estuary Shawl for inside and the Round Shawl for when it's not yet very cold outside.

Tops:

1. Ravello, 2./6. School Boy Vest, 3. Sundottir, 4. Cardigan

5. Lush, 7. I Heart Cardigan, 8. Shrug

When I started knitting tops I found choosing the right size very difficult (especially because I always used yarn that made me calculate a lot) Therefore the first two were too big and then one was a bit too tight. Now I think I am slowly getting the hang of it. So far I've only given away tops for babies, I guess I have to get really good at the sizing before I make sweaters that can't be grown into.

The one I wear most is probably the Sundottir, followed by the Ravello. I'm looking forward to warmer temperatures when the Lush can be worn again and right now I am knitting a second I Heart Cardigan, trying to get it better fitted the second time.

Hats:

1. Take Heart, 2. Foxy, 3. Dreaming of Cornwall, 4. Foliage Hat

5./11. Frosted Alpine Hats, 6. Sundottir Hats, 7. Graham, 8./9. Norwegian Hat

10. Norwegian Hat, 12. Trench Hat

Hats are good presents again, half of them belong to somebody else now. I keep looking for the perfect hat. Sadly a few of my hats have grown while I wore them, they were really comfortable at first but then they started to get too loose for my liking. I am trying to figure out a way to fix this (knit smaller hats or add an elastic somewhere???)

Home and decorations:

1. Balls up!, 2. Love You Forever, 3. Vivid

Last but not least I knit a few things to make our living room more beautiful. The christmas decorations looked lovely among our other stuff on the tree, the hearts are still hanging on the wall because I like them so much and I use the Vivid most chilly evenings while knitting, reading or watching TV.

Because Ravelry knows best: 18,338 meters in 46 projects - Phewww!!! So many meters and projects - I am curious what I'll knit in my second year ;-)