no resolutions for me

I don't do well with New Year's resolutions. I also don't feel like I've done enough this last year to warrant one of those "year-end wrap-up" posts. I changed a lot of diapers, knit a few gifts, failed to potty-train my son, did a lot of breastfeeding (with no end in sight!), and managed to stay just on this side of sane. So I'm not making any knitting resolutions this year. No diets, yarn or otherwise (though I ought to stick to the "no buying" thing in case the economy improves and we can move where we'd like), no crazy ideas of churning out a pair of socks every month or finishing all the lingering WIPs. I'm going to knit what I want, hopefully some more things for me than I managed this last year. Because it's been a hard year, truth be told, and I deserve it.

I finally figured out what it is I love so much about knitting: the yarn. It's not the process or the product so much as the tactile sensation of yarn. I love to feel it, to pet it in the skein, to feel it slipping through my fingers as I make every stitch. That might explain why I am much more attracted to patterns with interesting textures and stitch patterns than colorwork. When I think about projects I've truly enjoyed, it's always the yarn that has made the difference. Maybe I should sell my stash and buy a couple skeins of exquisite lace-weight cashmere to make something totally and completely impractical, because it doesn't matter so much what I'm making or what it will look like when it's finished as long as it feels good in the process!

Really, I'm more practical than that, so I won't be making any cashmere lace tablecloths in the future. After the Christmas knits, though, I started a simple shell for myself (!!!) and even though it's practically brainless, I'm enjoying every stitch. The yarn is Cascade Arcadia, a DK cotton yarn with a bit of angora, and aside from being a tad splitty (as cotton yarns tend to be), it feels wonderfully light and silky and has a lot of drape.



Until it's done, however, this is the best picture you're going to get. At least I'm 60% done, though, so you might get an FO shot within the next week or so.

Happy New Year, everyone!