2008 Hits and Misses

2008 was a pretty good knitting year for me.  My output was not as ambitious as some years, but most of my projects were successful and I enjoyed knitting them and wearing the finished results.

The obvious winner of the year was Granite.  It looks great, it holds up well, and I just love wearing it.  The fact that I also get compliments every time I wear it does not hurt either.

It is probably about to be retired until the weather warms up again, as it is not really a winter sweater.  But then, winter that is too cool for Granite is just perfect for Dreaming of Spring, my second favorite sweater from last year.

I am using all the scarves I knitted as well and am quite fond of them as well as the fingerless mitts and the boot liners, which are crying out for a second pair as they are in quite heavy rotation.

There is only one real miss in the 2008 output.  Compare and contrast looked nice in theory but I didn't like wearing them together on me.  They did look good on Matilda, the dressmaker's dummy, but she doesn't really get a say.  In retrospect I should have put some shaping in at the bust on the vest, as it gaped open every time I wore it even though there was enough room all around.  I wore the under-sweater  several times over a tank or a turtleneck, but it seemed to catch on everything and snagged very easily.  Once at the mall I caught a sleeve on something and made a long rip up one arm and at that point I just gave up on it.  

Two other sweaters are almost successful:

Rage Management is beautiful and warm and snuggly but I have lost weight since I made it and it is truly a little big.  The neckline no longer stays in place (it did when I knit it) and it borders on sloppy more than comfy and cool.  I haven't yet decided if I will reuse the yarn and knit it again, but The yarn is rather fuzzy and I am not sure if it will hold up to reknitting.  This may be given away.  

  

Lilac Serenade is also turning out to be a bit of a disappointment.  The problem is not with the sweater pattern or its shaping.  I love this pattern and will make it again and again.  

Here the problem is due to my own pig-headed choice.  The yarn pills badly and there are always long yarn worms appearing on my sweater as I am wearing it.  Now I did check ravelry and this was noted by many users of this yarn, but I just ignored their advice.  I bought this yarn because I just fell in love with the color.

That said the sweater has been versatile and I have worn it a great deal.  It too is getting a little loose and baggy looking.  This yarn will not be salvaged however, and it still looks good enough to see me through a couple of months, at which point I will simply say good riddance and toss it.  I will be making this pattern again, in several different yarns as it is just the perfect versatile cardigan for me.

That's it for 2008.  Not a bad year at all.  Hopefully 2009 will be even more productive.

Comments

[Monique]

Love the sweater you're wearing in the photo. Just saw it the other day somewhere on the net. You did a great job!

[Carolyn]

Very nice post. I learned a few things myself.

[Gina]

Forget the knits -- is that your library? I'm smitten! I can't wait to see you Thursday!

[Liana]

What a good idea to really take a hard look at the success or lack thereof of various finished garments. I think your analysis probably lets you avoid similar errors in the future. I should try this, or perhaps just thinking harder in general? :)