sweetgeorgia

So, it’s the nearing the end of the year. If you can get your hands to relax a bit from all that Christmas knitting, let me know what your knitting top five are for 2004 — the best yarn you’ve used this year, your favourite needles, the most successful finished object, or your most exciting discovery… While you’re at it, what about your knitting resolutions for 2005? Here are mine:

Top Five for 2004

1. Favourite needles for 2004: Addi Turbo’s. As a kid I knit with long aluminum straights from the K-mart in Toronto. The first pair of needles I bought when I restarted knitting this year were Addi’s and they are amazingly light, smooth and (of course) fast.
2. Favourite online shop for 2004: It’s a toss-up. E-bay and The Knitting Garden. I never thought I’d buy yarn of all things from E-bay, but you can’t say no to Jannette where she sells entire packs of glorious Rowan yarns at amazing prices.
3. Favourite yarn for 2004: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran. Ok, so I haven’t finished anything in this yarn yet except for TKGA swatches, but it’s so soft and springy… and comes in fabulous colours. Really, I think I just like this stuff because it makes my stitches look good!
4. Favourite finished object and KAL for 2004: Audrey. Probably one of the best documented and well-attended knit-alongs I’ve seen this year! I even got a little label from the hosts of the KAL to sew into my Audrey!
5. Exciting new technique (for me) for 2004: Tubular cast off! Ok, so you have to plan in advance to do a tubular cast off and it takes forever to complete but once it’s done, you get a great stretchy bind off. Very good for necklines and collars!

Knitting Resolutions for 2005

1. Socks: I’ve already done all the book work — reading up about toe-up vs. cuff down, DPNs vs two circs, two socks on two circs, self-patterning yarn, joined two sock knitters KALs and harassed at least a few sock-knitting bloggers. I have at least enough yarn in the stash for three or four pairs of socks. Now, I just have to actually sit down and knit a pair!
2. Steeks: What an ingenious idea, steeks! Not that I have anything against purling… I think Wendy’s Baby Norgi is probably a good way to get into trying out a steeked sweater. Now, to find a kid who will wear my stuff.
3. Cables: Oh, this will definitely happen…once my Jaeger Luxury Tweed arrives. Then it’s off to “Highgate” I go!
4. TKGA Master Knitter Level 2: The plan is to finish all the swatches by the end of this year and ship it off. Hopefully if all goes well, I can start on Level 2 sometime in 2005!
5. Knitting up the stash: My DH keeps asking what I’d like for Christmas and when I answering, hesitatingly, “Yarn?” the answer is “uh, no.” There’s quite a few sweaters worth of yarn in the tub that need to be knit… including his Manly Sweater… Hmm, maybe that’s why I can’t get more yarn! It would distract me from finishing HIS sweater! Oh, I see the logic now.