Gwen Makes Things: 2009 Highlights

2009 was a busy year in the world of my knitting.

I knit (knitted? past tense is tricky) my first pair of socks just before New Year's Day 2009, and my current sock count is now 6 1/4 pairs (one pair is, of course, on the needles - one must always have a pair of socks on one's needles), and there are quite a few pairs in my mental cue that I Just Have to Make Right Now, and every time I visit a yarn store, I have to recite the mantra "I don't need more sock yarn, I don't need more sock yarn..." and then I always wander over to the sock yarn just to tease myself.

I also discovered shawls, lace knitting, and the Magical World of Blocking this year. Lace shawls are a thing of beauty because: A) Well, they're beautiful; and B) They are deceptively simple to execute; which C) Makes you look like some sort of knitting rock star.

I felted for the first time in my Christmas knitting frenzy, and it's awesome! You knit something big and floppy and then put it in the washer and then it's small and awesome! Seriously.

I also now understand the obsession with Malabrigo (it's like knitting a cloud), Noro (I am hypnotized every time), and Knit Picks' Harmony needles, and am beginning to go to Cascade 220 as my standard workhorse yarn (sorry, Jo Ann fabrics, but I'm becoming a fiber snob. So much so, that I just typed "fibre.").

Anywho, let's take a look back in a photo-heavy blog post at some of 2009's creations.

Here's a present I made for the baby girl of some friends of mine. Aren't they the cutest?

They are adorable long toed booties...

Then fold up into tulips!

Pattern: Tulip Toes (Cathy Campaigne), Knitty Summer 2006

Socks, oh, socks. I love you.

Lace + Socks = super happy fun time

Pattern: Baudelaire (by Cookie A, my sock hero), Knitty Summer 2006

Here's a shawl I knit for my G-ma for her 93rd birthday. It was my first shawl, and first large lace project.

Pattern: Forest Canopy Shawl, Susan Lawrence

Next we have a gratuitous pair of Fetching made in preparation for a trip to Alaska. My first time working with Malabrigo, and I wanted to make a bed out of it and roll around in it.

Pattern: Fetching (Cheryl Niamath), Knitty Summer 2006 (it was a good issue, okay?)

Here's a shawl for me!

Pattern: Springtime Bandit, Katie Gagnon Osborn

Here are socks I made for my mom for her birthday. They were almost too small, but not enough that I got to keep them. Lace AND cables? That's insane.

Pattern: Absinthe (Sara Morris), Knitty Spring 2009

The Husband and I celebrated our 1st anniversary in October. Because the first anniversary is paper, I made him an origami heart:

And because we both love penguins, I crocheted an amigurumi penguin that ended up looking like Mr. T because I was using scrap yarn and the dark purple was extra fluffy.

I made him a lei because we honeymooned on Maui.

Pattern: Penguin Amigurumi found in Women's Day, apparently. Link

Noro Stripey Socks! They're my fave.

Pattern: Noro Stripey Socks, Faith AD (of the Needle and the Damage Done)

It's Christmas time!

For my brother, a pair of fingerless mits

Pattern: Dashing (Cheryl Niamath), Knitty Spring 2007

And a hat

Pattern: Trilobite (Hannah Ingalls), Knitty Summer 2009

For G-ma, some felted slippers!
Pre-felting:

Post-felting:

Pattern: Felted Slipper, Midnattsol

For my BFF, a noro scarf!

Pattern: 1x1 rib, repeat until done with alternating balls of 1 skein of Noro Kureyon

And for my aunts, more Noro scarves!

Pattern: Improvised crochet - alternating rows of single and half-double crochet until the ball was done. Then added kicky buttons.

Finally, for my mom, a shawl (that I loooove) made with yarn I bought in Alaska.