New year, new beginnings

Happy new 2008!
May this year bring you woolly warmth and lots of happy knitting!

I love New Year's Day! It holds so much hope, promise and expectation. So rather than wrap up my 2007 knitting, I like to look ahead to the many new possibilities of 2008. The closest thing to a new year's resolution will be this:

May 2008 be the year when I finally finish a sweater!

I have a long history of sweater failures, but I'm feeling pretty confident things may be about to change. I'm hoping my recent purchase of Stefanie Japel's Fitted Knits will also help me on my path to The Finished Sweater.

Additional sources for fibery inspiration for the new year are the batch of books I got from The Book Depository just in time for Christmas. They include Clara Parkes' The Knitter's Book of Yarn and Nancy Bush's Knitting Vintage Socks, plus the aforementioned Fitted Knits and a few others. Lots of yummy patterns and delightful reading there.

To celebrate the beginning year I hope to cast on for the Spring Shawl Surprise tonight. It's a lace stole knitalong labelled challenging. Sounds like just my kinda thing. :)

Here's a little sneak preview of what else is on the needles as the year commences.

_______________________________

And in case anyone was wondering ... No, I didn't finish the 9 to 5 socks by Friday night (see previous post) but Birthday Girl did get her socks well in time for Christmas and was happy as a lark anyway. I enjoyed this project very much and was rather proud of the results of my Koolaid dyeing (sadly the variegation doesn't show in the picture). The pattern had some nice little details that were new to me, such as picking up the heel flap selvedges from the "wrong side" to make a really neat and decorative edge.

9 to 5 socks
Pattern: 9 to 5 by Nicole at All Buttoned Up
Yarn: Novita Nalle, grey yarn dyed with Koolaid
Needles: 2,5 mm dpns

And finally, although I feel a little bad to say it, the rest is on Ravelry. Stuff I never found the time to blog about, yarn details, WIPs and whatnot. There will be an open house sometime in January so if you're not already a member, here's your chance to come and see what it's all about. Catch you there!