Goodbye; Hello, Hello

My community radio station starts every morning with the Beatles, and this morning, as Hello, Goodbye played, I was reminded that I haven't stopped to think about where I am with my knitting as 2015 gives way to 2016. So here it is...Overall, I was more productive in 2015 than ever before, completing 17 projects: 9 sweaters, 3 shawls, 2 blankets, 2 socks, and 1 hat.

Two sweaters that I completed in this summer top my list of favorite projects. Isabel Kramer's Daylen is my go to sweater. It's a warm, comfy, slightly oversized sweater knit up in Swan's Island All American Collection, worsted. The colorway is Newport, reminiscent of the dark-blue-black waters of some of my favorite New England beaches. Unfortunately, the key design element, the garter stitch back which flows to the front on congruent angles, doesn't pop with the dark color. I wear this sweater so much, Bill has declared it part of my "uniform". The other sweater topping my list of favorite projects is Mirry-Dancers. This pattern, by Cheryl Burke, can be found in Mary Jane Mucklestone's Fair Isle Style book. It's a yoked pullover, knit up in Jamieson's DK. I stuck to the original colors because it's the gradient against the wine MC that I fell in love with. The sweater fits perfectly, no modifications.

Glad tidings about my progress are, however, undermined by the reality that I also brought home A LOT of new yarn. My stash has grown so much that this year there was more than one trip to Target to buy storage bins and Peace Valley Lavender Farm to buy Moth Away Sachets. I would love to store my yarn in more breathable, better looking bins where texture and color can be enjoyed with all our senses, but I'm so worried about all the little critters attracted to our barn that I'd much rather have moth free yarn than a work of art.

There are as many reasons to stash yarn as there are knitters in the world- I was (notice past tense) stashing yarn primarily for two reasons: to get over a bad day and to prepare for the inevitably lean times that come with big medical bills. I had been embarrassed by my growing stash; however, now that we are one month post transplant and those lean times have arrived, I'm thankful that I have loads and loads of yarn to squish, smell, and shape into beautiful knitwear!

As a result of equal parts choice and circumstance, 2016 will be the year of the STASH! When I first contemplated setting this goal for the new year, I believed it was just another resolution whose life would be cut short almost immediately. Nevertheless, I got it into my head and decided to throw it out into the universe to see if it is possible.

Turns out it just might be! I'm back from Slater Mill's Knitting Weekend having purchased only one skien from Dirty Water Dyeworks: Bertha Sport in the Vermont colorway. Enabled by my new friend, Lynn, who recommended the hat pattern Clamber, I got up from lunch and wandered through the market place looking for the perfect yarn to make this Irish hiking hat. With over 300 yds, there is enough to make matching hats for Bill and I. They will be great for our hiking trip this summer. Perhaps we'll even choose some part of VT's Long Trail...