2012 blacklog, in a glance

Wow, I think 2012 might be my worst year yet for keeping up with FO/WIP photographing and posting on any site whatsoever. Most things made it here, but my 2012 crafts photoset on flickr was pretty piss poor, and let's not even talk about my rav posting. Nevertheless, I have a few projects to post about, which I'm going to do quickie-style in this post here, and then there will be a quick retrospective post--something I also love doing, and reading from others.

First up, I am so completely embarrassed to admit that I finished these two items about a YEAR ago. They were my first FOs of 2012. I sent them off to family in Norway (no I'm not Norwegian) and I think I wasn't totally happy with the pictures, and bla bla bla. Next thing you know a year had gone by. These are both designs by the fabulous Mandy Powers, whose work I absolutely love. Both of these are from her Red Collection. I've tons of designs from that book in my queue--all so cute!

Ziggity:

knit in assorted alpacas, these were super fast and super fun. The picot row is a nice touch, but could easily be left out if you're not a picot person.

and Holly Jean:

knit in assorted colors of cascade 220. Holly Jean is a reversible hat--totally clever and super warm. As I recall from, uh, a year ago, I wasn't able to match both stitch and row gauge for this one. No big deal, I think I ended up adjusting by eliminating one of the chart repeats, stitch-wise/horizontally.

For Allison, a birthday present and a Christmas present (although I can't recall which thing was for which holiday!):

This is the cable-braided necklace by Olga Buraya-Kefelian. It totally blew my mind when I looked at the pattern and realized that there was no actual cabling involved here. You make two strips with holes in the middle and weave them through one another, basically. I went with a nice luxurious laceweight yarn so the necklace would have a delicate profile.

And this is the Saturday Beret from the new book, Clever Crocheted Accessories. This hat pattern is super fun, and adorable! So much so, I made another one for my mom for Christmas:

Allison's version I made exactly as written (except for changing colors, obvs). My mom's has an extra ribbon "round" to add a bit more depth for her curly hair. About this pattern--super cute, really satisfying, worked in a really interesting way. Watch out that you don't miss the note before the actual pattern starts that states that every stitch is worked through the back loop only!! This note is placed in a way that makes it incredibly easy to miss. Also, I wish the pattern specified more clearly how to join and direct new rounds so you could get all your ridges facing the same way. This was a bit of a mind-bender.

Last gift, for my husband's cousin's girlfriend (easy to remember, right? ha), a Kabuto:

This actually has to go out in the mail ASAP... So here's hoping she doesn't read this. Ha. This pattern is AWESOME. It's worked back and forth, and yet also kind of in the round, in order to get that little flap on one side. If you're like me and you insist on knitting everything on super long circs, this will involve some periodic rearranging of your yarn and the circ cord, but it's no big deal. The only modifications I made were to add a softer yarn in a contrast color for the inside of the hem (the gray yarn is wool of the andes-scratchy stuff for a hat) and to eliminate the last ridge section of the hat to make it a bit less slouchy.

And at long last, my last long-lost FOs (ha), both for me:

Manolos! I love love love this pattern. Long-time readers may recall that I have All the Opinions about gussets on mitten thumbs (i.e. they are completely necessary and I simply cannot abide a flap thumb); similarly, I have All the Opinions about gussets in socks. I realize short-row heels fit many people's feet better (unlike flap thumbs, which simply do not fit a human hand that I have ever seen), but they do not fit MY feet better. I need a big huge gusset, which is why I love Yarnissima's designs.

A howlcat. A what? It's a cowl / it's a hat / it's a super clever design by Alex Tinsley. It's a cute hat, but I think the cowl form might be one of my new go-to winter accessories. The ribbed part really hugs my neck, and with double-thick fabric it's super warm.

...and I think that's it! Or at least most of it. I'll be back soon with a wrap-up post, and probably some thoughts about what I might want to make in 2013. Happy New Year to you, dear readers!