Year of Projects – Which Week Is It? Does Time Really Exist?

I’ve been so inconsistent of late with blogging about my knitting progress. But that doesn’t mean I’m not knitting (though that too has been inconsistent at times) – and I’ve been nearly perfect about taking my #MarkItMonday photos of my active projects.

That being said, I have some inactive projects, things that haven’t seen any love in far too long. I’ll be turning my attention to them relatively soon, I hope, but the days just keep marching on!

Stitched or Still-in-Progress

Looking back on what I accomplished in 2024, I’m rather proud of what I did complete. I knit 19 pairs of socks – that included the twelve pairs for the Desert Vista Dyeworks challenge (earning me an exclusive skein coming soon!) The next largest category of knitting was shawls, and I completed eight of them. That number felt low until I realized that several of them were enormous!

I also knit two adult sweaters, and the rest of my projects were a mishmash of little things: hat, dishcloths, mitts, an eyeglass cord and a pair of leg warmers. All told, I knit up 18,628 yards of yarn, ranging from light fingering weight to Aran (heavy worsted) weight. That’s a decent number, but understand that in the height of my KAL participation days (2014-17), I was knitting more than 30K yards a year.

I do have some projects that weren’t completed by New Year’s Eve, things that will hang around for a while. Some may never be completed (the shorts are a toss up right now), while others may just take a lot longer than I wanted. See my past couple posts about how my personal life has been disrupted a bit, so I had to sacrifice some things, including knitting time.

I haven’t shared project updates since early November, so here’s what I finished towards the end of the year.

Perennial by Lisa K. Ross, yarn: Emma’s Yarn Practically Perfect Smalls in the Tra-la-la rainbow gradient set on US4 (3.5mm) needles – test knit for the designer
SHaGS – pattern by Sarah Jordan, yarn: Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso in colorway Brace Yourself and a neutral mini (heels, toes, cuffs) on US1 (2.25mm) needles
Winterlong Beanie – pattern by Helen Stuart Knits, yarn: Knitters Brewing Company Sock-aholic Brewski in Punkin Chunkin Ale on US6 (4.0 mm) for ribbing and US8 (5.0mm) for the cable pattern – another test knit
Fade Into Advent – pattern by Lisa K. Ross; yarn: Canon Hand Dyes Bruce Yak Merino Fingering in the Bridgerton Advent Kit (25 colors) on US5 (3.75mm) needles – the shawl is folded in half here since I don’t have floor space to accommodate the twelve foot long wrap!!
SHaGS – pattern by Sarah Jordan, yarn: Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso in a variety of colorways, using a bunch of my leftovers along with some neutral mini remnants for heels and toes, plus some of the cuffs; on US1 (2.25mm) needles
SHaGS – pattern by Sarah Jordan, yarn: Fibernymph Dye Works Bounce in colorways Green Dragon (MC) and Brandywine Blue (CC) on US1 (2.25mm)

That last sock was the only active WIP I’ve worked on since early November since I was diligently working on the Advent shawl and the DVD socks to be done by the end of the year. I want to get back into working on the Citadel sweater – hopefully by next week I’ll have made some progress!

Cast-on Conversations

With the new year I have some particular goals. I will not be knitting DVD socks this year – I had historically participated in that KAL every other year, and I just completed a second year in a row, since the dyer had planned to stop running the event after 2024. Her plans have changed, but I need to shift my focus for a bit. I ordered plenty more yarn using the discount I earned during the year, so perhaps I’ll hop back in for 2026.

That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped working with DVD yarn though! I pulled out a lot of my remnants for the monster socks I knit in December. Since I’d consolidated a majority of my collection, I’ve started a blanket to be knit exclusively with DVD yarn. I’ve modified the pattern slightly since it was written for a larger gauge of yarn. Once I start on the next row, I’ll share what my structure is.

Ten Stitch Zigzag – pattern by Frankie Brown; yarn: Desert Vista Dyeworks Viso in a multitude of colorways, on US3 (3.25mm) needles

And my other current active project, which I cast on January 1st, is another test knit. That pattern will be released later this month, so I’ll share as soon as I can! I still need to check my progress against my YOP goals through December – I believe I’m behind on a bunch of them. Once I’m home I can more easily manage that – so stay tuned!

And with that, I need to get some rest. It’s raining here (much better than the snow back home!), and my body is aching as a result.

Knit on. 🧶

Responses

  1. highlandheffalump Avatar

    You knitted so much last year, that’s an impressive collection of FOs to be proud of. I love how colourful your projects are, so cheery and I love the rainbow scarf/shawl.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. roocmc Avatar

      I often will test knit from stash/scraps, but when I saw that rainbow gradient set, I couldn’t pass it up! ☺️ Thank you!

      Liked by 1 person

  2. knittingissofun Avatar

    WOW!! That’s a lot of projects completed!! Desert Vista yarns are indeed beautiful and therefore hard to resist.

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Scone Blog Avatar

    I love your title. Does time really exist? Is something that I wonder about too. It’s certainly a large and mysterious creature with private plans of its own.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. roocmc Avatar

      😊 Yes it is. Of course, so much behind the meaning and use of time is man-made. I hadn’t really thought much about it until I had a significant stretch without a lot of commitments. Now that I’m contemplating retirement, it’s becoming a more relevant question. 😂 Thanks for your input!

      Like

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