New Year's Eve Knitting Thoughts

 Last weekend's knitting frenzy left me with sore hands and wrists and strained forearms.  I know better...I do know better but I made the choice to push on through the knitting to finish the project.  While I feel personally responsible for averting a predicted blizzard (grandiose much?) by providing the cowl and hood that would make shoveling less gruesome, I am also having to put a pause on some projects.  That is okay.

Today I am saving my knitting time for my 4:00 PM knitting group ZOOM.  Are there projects I itch to work on...yes...but I am also taking some time to figure out a few plans for the time when those projects are done.   

In the quiet of the last day of the year, I am also thinking about what I have learned to do differently this year.

Magic loop!  I thought this was a technique I would never do.   Now, after using magic loop frequently, I am a convert.  I admit what sold me is not having to dig through more needles to adjust needle size for the project.  Less time hunting equals more time knitting.

Another technique I picked up on Instagram is similar to magic loop.   This involves pulling out the excess needle length and making a loop....and moving the loop as needed.     It is also handy in not forcing a hunt through all my needles for the right length or having to move the knitting from needle to needle.

Instagram knitters have taught me a lot besides that one technique this year.  Seeing what other knitters do opens up so many new ideas for me.   I won't try them all but have really loved the ones I have adopted.   What a world we live in now.

The old pre-social media and pre-internet knitting days were so different.   Books, magazines, and other knitters - groups at yarn stores and knitting buddies - provided a similar way to learn if a knitter, as I was, was lucky enough to have access.

While Ravelry has waned in popularity, I am still a frequent user.   So many times I have looked at the patterns, bought them, read them, to puzzle out how something was done...   One of my daily joys is seeing what projects have been posted and what other people are knitting.   Ravelry has been a source of inspiration as well as information.

What continues to excite me...and carries me into 2026...is knowing how much there is to learn.  I have been knitting steadily for 52 years.   I am still delighted with exposure to new ideas, using new yarns, and meeting other knitters.   

Don't get me started on what I learn on YouTube!