In 2008 I didn’t get much knitting done. Over the course of 12 months I finished only eight projects. And so, when 2009 dawned, I was committed to doing better. I decided that this would be my craftiest year ever, and that I would renew my commitment to all things yarny.

2009 has now come and gone, and I decided to tally up the year’s knitting. And in the process, I discovered that I tied 2008′s completed project count exactly. Eight projects finished. Not exactly what I was hoping for. But they’re pretty all the same, right?

So now I’m pretty sure that my knitting goal for 2010 will be 6 projects. Aiming low might just be the way to go here, what do you think?

I made a resolution that I was going to do more crafting this year than last year. I had very good intentions. I started out strong, with a hat and a scarf. Things were going well. I chose a sweater – ‘Amused’ from the 2008 Winter Knitty – and splurged on some beautiful yarn. And then…not much happened.

Oh, I did some knitting. Now and then. Occasionally I even tried to squeeze a row in while my baby was awake. You can guess how well that turned out. It was very slow-going, in spite of the rather bulky yarn. When I started I planned to finish within 6-8 weeks. It took more like four months. I guess this is just life with two small kids, one of whom is a crawling daredevil.

So now I find myself, on the cusp of summer, with a lovely sweater. A lovely, very warm, very cozy sweater. I suppose the good news is that sweaters keep. Winter will come again whether I want it to or not, and now I will have a sweater to wear.

My vanity requires me to state that big sweaters are not at all slimming

I am now drunk with the giddiness that can only come from completing an interminable project. I am casting on for some baby knitting. Because babies are small, I feel certain I can finish in a reasonable time frame. Or very nearly certain. Hope springs eternal and all that jazz, and I have grand designs again. I am convinced I can overcome the malaise and the children and turn myself into an amazing knitting machine.

So if any of you think you might give birth in a year or so you can expect me to gift you a hand-knitted item I’ve just completed.

How about you? Do you have projects that in spite of your best efforts, just never get finished? Or do you have any motivational tips? Please share in the comments!

You have likely completely forgotten this, but one of my New Year’s resolutions was to get crafty. Last year I managed to complete 8 knitting projects. I was determined to do better this year.

So far things are going well. In the month of January I completed two projects. The Fern Glade hat, which I knit using some leftover Green Mountain Spinnery cotton comfort yarn. I enjoyed it, and I’m happy with the finished project, although I am forced to admit that given the size of my head I should have gone with the large.

I also used some very old yarn, made of recycled sari silk, to make a simple garter stitch scarf. I think it’s gorgeous, and so does Hannah. Even the cat loves it, she’s curled up on it sleeping right now.

My next project is the Amused sweater, and I’ve splurged on some rather lovely angora / merino blend to knit it in. So far I’m enjoying the project just because of the gorgeous yarn. I just went and checked, and it’s Aslan Trends Guanaco, in “Blue Jeans”.

You can keep up with all of my latest craft projects on flickr.

People have been very generous with our family since Jacob arrived. We have received some truly beautiful and thoughtful gifts. Everything from food, to baby clothes and toys, to gifts for Hannah to make the new big sister feel special.

One truly remarkable gift, though, is a hand-knitted blanket from my dear friend Kirsten.

When she discovered that I was pregnant, she planned out a baby blanket to knit. She decided on garter stitch, and a log cabin design. We didn’t know if the baby was a boy or girl, so she ordered the undyed yarn but didn’t start right away.

Once we got the news that a little boy was on the way she hand-dyed the yarn in 20 different shades of blue. Then she spent months working on the blanket, and even offered a reward for other knitters who helped.

The finished blanket is just so beautiful, it’s a true heirloom. At the risk of being an inexcusable cheeseball, I just feel that I’m wrapping Jacob in love when I use it. It is one of those baby blankets that I will tuck away carefully when he’s too old to use it, and save it against the hope that one day I will have a grandson who can share this treasure.

It has been 2 months since I finished a knitting project. Taking the summer off? No, not quite. Instead, I tackled my very first sweater. It took me forever and a day, but I’m happy with the finished result, which is really all that matters in knitting. It turns out that I’m just not all that fast yet.

I celebrated the sweater by knitting Hannah a truly ridiculous scarf. That took me all of 4 days, so maybe there’s hope for me yet. This will be the last of the knitting you’ll see before Christmas, I’d wager, since I’ll mostly be working on gifts from here on out. You too may be the proud owner of a pair of socks. Or maybe not, we’ll see how fast I go.

I could probably knit more quickly, but you have to understand that I spend a lot of time chasing a toddler all over creation. This, as it turns out, is not conducive to long stretches of uninterrupted handwork.