Last night and this morning I managed to turn out a couple more FOs for 2007:
First, I finally finished my Irish Hiking scarf. It’s only been on my needles since November (ha ha)!
I’m extremely happy with the way it turned out. I used 4 balls of Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in Claret Heather. It’s not a color I’d normally pick, but I thought it would look nice with my black peacoat.
I’d set a goal of wanting to learn to do cables this year, and this project was my first experience knitting them. I think they turned out well! I only screwed up once: I twisted the cable the wrong direction by putting the cable needle to the back instead of to the front. I almost let it go and kept knitting, but I decided to rip back and fix it. I’m glad I did because I’m sure it would have driven me crazy.
The other quick FO I completed this morning was a pair of Fetching gloves. This is such a popular pattern, but I’d actually never knit a pair before. However, after knitting them up, I understand why they’re so popular! They are super fast and you really get a great finished product with very little effort.
The Fetching pattern calls for size 6 DPNs, but I decided to give my new Knit Picks Options interchangeable needles a whirl instead. I used the size 6 needles with the 32″ cable and knit them using the magic loop technique:
I have to say, I’m more than pleased with the Knit Picks Options needles. They’re every bit as nice as Addi Turbos! (And what a deal…!) I have to make sure to call my parents and thank them again for getting them for me for Christmas.
The first one turned out a little on the small/tight side. I guess I was knitting a little too tight, which I sometimes have a tendency to do. So when I knit the second one, I went up to a size 7 needle and that worked much better. Eventually I may re-knit the left one on size 7s so that they both fit better, but right now they’ll do the trick!
I’m guessing those will be my last FOs for ‘07. I may finish up my FIL’s socks tonight while watching the ball drop on TV, but it probably depends on how much toasting Nick and I have done! 
I’m happy with how much my knitting has progressed in 2007. I achieved two goals I’d set for myself: learning to knit socks and learning to knit cables. Neither one turned out to be nearly so scary as I’d feared. Quite the opposite, really, because now I’m hooked on sock-knitting!
My knitting-related goals for 2008 are:
- Knit my first sweater (any pattern)
- Learn to do colorwork (intarsia and/or fair isle)
- Learn to knit 2 socks at once on circs
- Knit or crochet an afghan
And yes, I said crochet. I know a lot of knitters consider that blasphemous, but I’m an equal-opportunity fiber artist. My grandma taught me to crochet when I was 7 or 8 years old, but I’ve never really crocheted anything “nice” before. So I’d kind of like to dust off my crochet skills and make something. I’m thinking a traditional granny-square afghan might be fun!
What are your knitting goals for ‘08?
Anyway… hope everyone has a happy and safe new years eve!
