2017 in Knits

I thought that it might be a fun idea to round out the year with a look at what I knitted in 2017.

So, let's get into it!

In 2017, I finished 26 projects in total. This is an improvement of 6 projects from 2016, and it was an absolute bumper year for shawls.

Of the 26 projects, a massive 11 were shawls. That means 42% of my knitting time went into shawls. The one thing I swore I would never knit as a beginner knitter!

So, let's take a look at them!

The first shawl of 2017 was the beautiful Aisling by Justyna Lorkowska. I actually started this shawl way back in 2015, but the edging really got me. I found the cabled pattern really hard to wrap my head around, and the huge amount of stitches was really intimidating to me. But I buckled down, stuck on some This is England and bashed out those many, many stitches. I'm really happy with this shawl, the pale colour is some gorgeous glittery Sparkleduck yarn. It shimmers so wonderfully under the lights. It's also a lovely big, drapey shawl.

My second finished was was The First Light by Veera Välimäki. I have complicated feelings about this shawl. It's knitted in the most beautiful, silky Stranded Dyeworks singles yarn, but absolutely no amount of blocking will make this shawl sit nicely on my shoulders. It feels very tight around the top of the shawl, and granted I do have fairly broad shoulders but I'm disappointed by how inelastic the top edge is. I wonder if it's possible to gently unpick it and reknit? Or perhaps it should be regifted to someone with more narrow shoulders!

2017 really was the year of finishing longterm WIPs. The gorgeous Vedbaek by Karie Westermann was the third shawl I tackled. I originally started this in 2015, but managed to convince myself the design was harder than it actually is - although I suppose this is a good indication that my knitting skills are definitely improving over the years. I knitted this out of some beautiful Malabrigo in the Candombe colourway. However, despite ordering two skeins of the same dyelot they came out so wildly different, it's hard for me to give this shawl the love it deserves. It's mostly my own fault, I should have alternated the skeins as I was knitting, but I didn't realise they would be so different that they looked like different colourways. It means the shawl has a big pale green strip towards the bottom, while the rest is a sort of grey, purple with flashes of deep green. It really is a shame, because it's a gorgeous shawl until the last three or four inches.

Shawl number four is the Quill Shawl by Helen Stewart. This is one of my absolute go-to shawls for the colder weather. I love the bright, fresh colours and warm, cosy feel. It's a combination of Rowan Lima and Malabrigo worsted, and it's so soft to wear around the neck. To me, this is the chicken soup of shawls. Warm, comfortable and homely, I couldn't love it more. I also really enjoyed knitting this, Helen Stewart's patterns are so beautifully written.

The fifth shawl of 2017 is another Helen Stewart shawl, the beautifully ethereal Fairyhill Shawl. I knitted this shawl in eight days, I enjoyed it so much. The combination of soft, silky yarn, shimmering beads and clear, well-written pattern made this an absolute dream to knit. I've never knitted with flydesigns Pashmara yarn before, it's a gorgeous blend of cashmere, silk and merino, and now I've tried it I'm desperate to get my hands on some more!

Shawl number six is Building Blocks Shawl by Stephen West. I joined the mystery KAL for this shawl, and I was so excited for it to begin. I planned so carefully for it, choosing four perfect yarns at Yarndale and counting down the days until it was released. But, sadly I really didn't enjoy it. I didn't like the knitting and I don't like the finished object. It makes me incredibly sad to think about, because I still absolutely adore the soft colour palette I chose for it. And I want so much to love it, but it just doesn't work for me.

The seventh shawl of the year was a KAL with my lovely friend Karen. We wanted to make something soft, cosy and warm. After a bit of searching we settled on the oddly named Ennui by Justyna Lorkowska. This shawl was an absolute joy to knit, I made it out of soft coloured Malabrigo worsted in Pearl, Polar Morn and Damask Rose and I love how subtle the colours look together, with the bright pop of dusty pink.

Shawl number eight is the delightful Daydreamer by Janina Kallio. I'd examined my shawl collection careful and decided I was seriously lacking in blue shawls, so I wanted some ocean tones in my collection. The Daydreamer seemed to fit perfectly with a watery palette, so it jumped to the top of my queue immediately. I've written about this shawl in more detail here, so I'll just say one more time how much I love it, and leave you to read the more detailed account!

Number nine! I fell in love with Stripe'aganza by Julie Knits In Paris the second I saw it, and I knew it would be perfect in the skein of Lamby Toes in Excited Party Pony that I'd be hoarding away. I've written about the shawl in LOTS of detail here, so I'll just round this off by saying that this is my favourite knit of 2017. For both the knitting, and the finished object.

For my tenth shawl I made the lovely Luster Shawl by Amélie Bernier. I've spoken about this shawl at length here. So, all I'll say here is that this is an incredibly special shawl to me, and one I will cherish for years to come.

And finally shawl number eleven! I made the wonderful Pure Joy by Joji Locatelli. I desperately need to get a better photograph of this shawl, but honestly it's barely left my neck since I finished it! It's the perfect length for wrapping around a few times, and sits perfectly on my shoulders. It was a pleasure to knit, it was easy to fall into a rhythm while knitting away and I'm already plotting a second shawl in more neutral colours this time.

So, there we have them - the 11 shawls of 2017!

But of course, there are still 15 projects left that I haven't discussed, so let's get into it!

I made 10 toys, some of which whooshed away to friends, some joined my collection and others made my two kitty pals very happy indeed.

There's Bob the Blue-Footed Booby by Rebecca Danger, Scrootch the Mix n Match Monster by Anna Hrachovec and a Wild Thing by Susan Claudino.

Then there are a bunch of animals from Rebecca Danger's 50 Yards of Fun, Baobab the Elephant, Bubbles the Hippo, the Bitsy-Bot and the Bitty Bee (of who I forgot to take a picture!)

In addition to these I also knitted a mini Stormtrooper, a teeny-tiny penguin and a jellyfish toy for my kitties.

I made 1 garment. The stunning Penguono by Stephen West. You can read about this in LOTS of detail, here. This is the first garment I've made in a long time, and I really loved knitting it. It was very challenging in some places, but the joy of the colours working together and different textures, directions and techniques really kept me whooshing along.

And finally, I made 4 pairs of socks. Three pairs were straight up vanilla, and I made a lovely pair of Christmas socks in the Evergreen pattern by Madeline Gannon.