Looking Back

Feeling reflective on New Year's Day is probably considered a massive cliche, but really, who can help it? It's practically a cultural obligation.

Not much of the information from my college Classical history classes has really stuck with me, but one fascinating tidbit I remember is this: that the Ancient Greeks' concept of time was remarkably different from the way we think of time these days. We modern folks tend to imagine that we're moving forward through time, facing the future, with the past retreating behind us. Contrarily, in the Greek mind, the future comes from behind us while we stand facing the past. If you can manage to separate yourself from the way you're used to thinking of such things, the Greek idea actually makes a lot of sense. History is visible, the future is unseen.

Either way, time is a human fabrication, subjective and pretty much meaningless on a grand scale. But the Greek view works really well with the reflective mood of the New Year - who can say what '07 is going to bring? All I can do with certainty is to look back over what I've accomplished this year. With that in mind, and Dove's New Year's post as further inspiration, I bring you My 2006 Knitting Sum-Up.

Yarn-wise, well, it's been a pretty good year. Like Dove, and probably a lot of you out there, the year was full of firsts. I started knitting around the late summer of '05 after a couple years of being an occasional crocheter - so there was LOTS to learn in '06. First socks, first sweater, first cables, first intarsia, first trip to a LYS, first discovery of people like Debbie Stoller, Yarn Harlot, and the massive network of KnitBlogLand. Et cetera. Basically, 2006 was a journey from a beginner knitting rectangles back and forth, to an intermediate one not afraid of shaping or pattern jargon or intricate cables or anything else you might throw my way. Also, this year marked the birth of my blog. I'm having kind of a hard time reaching all the way back to my projects last winter, or really before I started tracking them on the blog, but as best I recall here's my big list of the year's completed projects (in no particular order):

• a couple of novelty yarn scarves, because that's how they suck you into learning to knit in the first place
• a handful of slightly more respectable scarves: 2 crocheted lacy ones, a knitted tubular one, and then the Ferrari scarf
• 2 knitted helmet liners for the Marines in Afghanistan
• 2 bags - a felted green monster for my mom and a little crocheted wristlet purse
  
• 5 hats
  
• 3 pairs of Fetching Convertible Mittens
• one amigurumi kitty baby toy
• one squid cat toy
• 3 completed sweaters - Kimono, Jolly Roger, and one beast of a thing that I wore once and likely never again
• one dog sweater
• 3 pairs of socks
• one headband

And I've seamed together the front and back of B's Leo. There are a few other UFO's that I may or may not pick up again. Out of everything, I am proudest of the Kimono Sweater, though each FO is an accomplishment. Looking back on my intended knitting, the list I posted in October, I feel pretty good about what I've done, even if not everything was finished on schedule. I'm a little disappointed not to have Leo finished yet, but... soon. Anything else on that list that remains undone was a conscious decision.

2007... Dare I attempt to predict the knitting future?

My project list is pretty short at the moment. After Leo's done, I have a handful of socks I've already bought/ordered yarn for, and I still really want to make myself a Central Park hoodie, and then my sari silk and felted wool project bag... That alone should get me pretty close to the spring. After that I foresee a lot of sleeveless tops and cotton yarn in my Floridian future. Next winter, possibly a couple more sweaters. All in all, the upcoming year's project plans are still pretty nebulous, for now.

Goals for '07 include more experimentation in colorwork and fancy cables, perhaps some more involved original pattern-composing, and hopefully delving into lace knitting.

That's it for reflections. Happy New Year to everyone, and good luck in your own knitting goals this year!