Slipping into 2010

I went into this New Year looking for something new to do with my knitting. So many people on Ravelry were doing "10 for 2010" lists--you know, ten things they wanted to do this year, but as I read the lists, I realized that I had done a lot of that last year.

I made strides in my lace aversion and actually knit several lace projects. I learned entrelac. I've given up trying to learn new and faster and improved ways to knit. I find those classes don't improve my knitting or my speed, and I end up spending money to have a teacher sniff over my knitting and telling me how much better I could be if I did it their way. And since I am a good, even knitter there really is no need for changing. Took me a few classes, dollars and soul searching to figure that out, but I'm good with how I knit.

So this year I didn't need to go out and conquer the new, I needed to find something different--a different direction. And of course, when you go out and ask the universe to send you something, amazing how it finds you. So I answered a post on Ravelry to be a blogger over at Patons Blog, and I am now part of their team. They provide materials and projects and I get to knit them. So, I essentially get paid in yarn. So the right thing at the right time. Watch for my first posts over there sometime after Feb 15th. And my first project? To cute! But for now it is a secret.

Starting 2010 off right, just what have I been knitting since the beginning of the year? Well, baby, its been cold outside and so I've been knitting slippers. Three pairs of them. I discovered that all the felted slippers and booties I had were just plain worn out, so it was time for some new feet around here.

Felted Clogs for me. I've wanted to do this Bev Galeskas pattern for ages, and then got this wonderful reddish burgundy Cascade 220 yarn in a swap and knew it was the perfect yarn for my clogs.



I love how big they are before you felt them and then "Voila" out of the washer they come and they are just your size. Though I have to admit that they took longer to felt than I would have thought. It took three run thrus to get them down to size.



But apparently you can't knit just one pair of these. And since they are uber-fast to knit and fun, I knit a pair for the oldest child, because he wouldn't take mine off.



This turned out to be the best way to get mine back.



And now there is a second pair of happy feet in our house:



Then I came across this pattern, Bunny Hop, and went into a "Must. Knit. Now." knitting zombie mode. I made a pair of thrummed mittens years ago, so I was familiar with the technique, and had to imagine all that warm wool around be awesome.



Got all the materials and promptly sat down to knit them. I love how the thrummed stitches (which is a knit stitch with a piece of wool roving knit along with the yarn) make a cool pattern on the outside.)



Of course the inside is another matter. My DH looked over one night and asked if I was knitting a poodle.



Okay, so maybe they do look a little poodle-ish on the inside, but slide your toes into that thrummed roving and you will want poodle jammies to go with them.



Case in point: I let him slip his toes in and he decided they were heaven, but complained that I shouldn't have made them pink. The boys loved them as well, but the pink is like kryptonite to the three fellows around here--they really avoid it, so these little bunnies are all mine.