Ring Out the Old

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson

On the first day of this year, I posted those lines, which always bring a lump to my throat for some reason. I thought it might be nice to finish out the year in the same way.

On January 1, 2008 I had 138 full skeins of yarn in my stash (and countless leftovers). On December 31, 2008 I have 119. Of course, that number has gone down and then up and then down again over the past 12 months. Maybe a year from today I'll have gone below 100. That's one of my goals - to use more of the yarn (and other things) I already have.

In 2008 I did not knit as much as I had done the previous year. Still, I am proud of the knitting I did accomplish. Here's the list:

Community Knitting:
4 pairs of slippers
1 pair of socks
6 pairs of mittens
2 pairs of wristwarmers
3 hats
2 toys
1 scarf

Family:
A total of 27 items (my largest category, for some strange reason...), including washcloths, toys, baby clothes, hats and sweaters.

Friends:
Only three items here, one for a friend of Liat's, one for a friend of mine, and one for the sister of a friend.

Self:
A vest and the lace trim I used on my recycled jeans bag.

Socks:
This one is the shocker: only 11 pairs of socks this year! That's probably because I didn't make any baby or toddler sized socks. But still, less than a pair a month? Surely next year I will do better.

Even though I feel I should have done more this year, I know I am very lucky to be able to create things and give them to people in need, or to people I love. Lately, I have come to appreciate more than ever just how full and lovely my life is. Having caring friends is a large part of that, and for that I want to tell you all: thank you. May 2009 bring you all good health and much happiness.