belated end-of-year knitting meme

[ceruleancorvid]

1. Your favorite knitting project this year

 

In terms of craft: the Pembroke Street Cowl I made, which is lovely and soft and has beautiful Noro colors. 

Sentimentally, I have a lot of feelings about the Parlor Cats. They were modeled closely off of some of the adult cats in the rescue my mom works with, in hopes that I could use them to stir up interest. The adult cats are harder to find homes for than the kittens, and these three were all black or black and white, which makes them often overlooked as well. One cat in particular who I really loved, Momma, was a big fat shy tuxedo who sat in her bed all day (and would walk right back to it if you moved her), but who was incredibly sweet when you gave her affection. Here she is with her mini-me:

 

 

A little while after that, Momma was adopted! Not because of my knitted cat, lol, but a woman came in to look at another cat and said she felt like Momma needed her more. The guy who dropped Momma off brought her my little knitted cat, and the adopter left me a really sweet voicemail about it. <3

 

2. Your least favorite knitting project this year 

 

I’m dissatisfied with the last hat I made my mom — we’ve tried it a few times, but she’s picky about clothes. Which is fine, I also am, but hmph. Hmph I say! She picked out the yarn for this one, and I don’t love the colors, so I can’t even adopt it into my wardrobe. :P

 

3. The number of knitting projects you completed this year

 

Ravelry says nine. Ten if you count my dad’s cowl, which I haven’t posted yet. I think there are a few more I forgot to post, but not a LOT more; I was in a bit of a knitting slump for the first half of the year. 

 

4. The number of knitting projects you started but have not yet completed this year

 

I think two: some more fingerless gloves I sort of forgot about, and the Reyna shawl I’ve been putting off weaving in the ends on and blocking for literally months. 

 

5. Your biggest knitting project of the year

 

Probably said shawl: 


Ugh it looks so janky unblocked and it still is. >.> 
 

6. Your smallest knitting project of the year

 

Parlor cats! Parlor cats! 



 

7. The project you most enjoyed the process of knitting this year

 

This Midnight Sea hat: 


The colorwork was simple enough that it wasn't too hard for my unpracticed colorwork skills, but complicated enough to be fun. Plus, brioche brim! 

 

8. Knitting events (exchanges/knit-a-longs/classes/etc) you participated in this year

Alas, none, I've been at home and not doing much. I did go to library knitting group most weeks! 

 

9. Your favorite music/podcast/tv show for listening to/watching while knitting this year

I listened to a loooooot of Adventure Zone and Sawbones while knitting. 
 

10. Your favorite yarn of the year

The black Malabrigo wool/silk blend I used for the Pembroke Street cowl, which I .. hm. Did not write what that was on the project. I'm sure I've got it written down somewhere. I believe it's the recommended yarn for the project on Ravelry? 

-- Actually I also want to mention the aran weight City Tweed yarn from Knitpicks I used for my dad's cowl. Soft ... alpaca-y... 

 

11. Your least favorite yarn of the year

The scrubby dish yarn I used for the fuzzy parlor cat DX it hurt my hands!!

12. A new-to-you technique you tried and liked this year

Brioche!!!
 

13. A new-to-you technique you tried and hated this year

I theoretically learned how to pick up stitches Properly, and yet I am still very bad at it. 

 

14. Your favorite yarn store/source of yarn this year

Still KnitPicks, lol. I got some stuff from LoveKnitting too. I don't drive, so I haven't done much in-person yarn shopping. 

 

15. The first knitting project you plan to start in the new year

Well, we're six days into the new year, BUT, I haven't started anything, so I can still answer this question. I think I'm going to use that red-orange Malabrigo to make a long ribbed scarf. >:3

Comments

[hopelesse]

omg special knitted cats for rescues!!!!!!! like a fool, i've just been repping our fosters on instagram when i could have been crafting them new friends ;_:

[ceruleancorvid]

I was briefly entrusted with the rescue’s instagram, but I am Not instagram savvy so I gave it back, and now do my own, adorable if almost certainly less effective thing :P

[hopelesse]

Do you actually use a pattern for these or do you kinda free-hand it? I fussed around with doing some 3-D crocheted stuff, like, four or five years ago, but I haven't really picked up a hook since then.

[ceruleancorvid]

It’s this knitting pattern— it’s basically two tubes grafted together at a right angle and shaped/closed differently. I mostly followed it, but I did make the long cats longer and the fat cats rounder and so on, and then the embroidery is just freehand.

The impression I’ve gotten is that 3d shaped stuff is a lot easier with crochet because you have more freedom in shaping? Hence the amigurumi boom I guess. But I’m picky about texture, so I still haven’t learned to crochet despite planning to for some time.

[hopelesse]

Oh, duh, of course it's knitted! I have a pair of knitting needles....somewhere. Haven't picked those up in even longer. Ironically, knitting for cats is much harder with cats....actually around. I had to give up on embroidery after I couldn't shoo a foster out of my hoop :P But I'm gonna bookmark this on the off-chance that I run into a foster who isn't string-obsessed, ty!!

[cheshirecodeless]

The parlor cats are adorable!!

[ceruleancorvid]

thanks! i loved making them because they were so tiny i could make Lots >:3

[pensnest]

(here via knitting)

The Parlor Cats are such a lovely idea! And I love the colours in the Reyna shawl. I admire you for having a go at Brioche, it's something I've been eyeing furtively from a distance.

[ceruleancorvid]

Thanks!! :D I hear two-color brioche is easier to pick up — the pattern I used is two-color brioche ribbing. It’s *weird*, it’s like .. knitting two very loose fabrics at once that are intertwined with each other to make a single fluffy fabric .. but it’s fun!