Okay, I’ve shared my top 6 projects of the year (part I and part II), now we’re down to the final three…And my favorites of this year of knitting? It’s hard to narrow things down but these for my top three most favorite things I knit this year.
3. My Colorblocked Boyfriend Cardigan
If I could wear this sweater every day I would. I love it that much and it’s in heavy rotation and worn weekly. Knitting up the dk weight yarn on bigger needles gave it such a great drape. The shape isn’t too close fitting and I can use it as a top layer to any outfit. Oh and the colors. This pink/red/orange Madelinetosh DK is nothing short of stunning and the muted tones I wouldn’t normally gravitate towards for the rest of the cardigan make it a perfect neutral with this bold pop. I love it but it wasn’t my favorite…
2. A Christmas Sweater for Mom
Originally I was going to say that the blue vest I made for my Mom was coming in a close second place and then I finished this sweater right before Christmas. I know, you couldn’t guess this one because I haven’t done a Finished Object post on it but this was too good to not come in my top 3. I originally was going to make my Mom a two color cardigan for Christmas and then I randomly picked up a skein of bright blue sock yarn thinking I’d make her socks and then I found this pattern that combined dk weight yarn and sock yarn and I knew I had to make this sweater for my mother. When the pattern and the yarn speak to you, you have to listen. I loved this pattern because I got to try new techniques and it turned out beautifully. But the best part? How genuinely happy she was when she put it on. Her smile (and repeated wears already) was all the validation I needed. How can you not love making things for people you love? And don’t worry, full post and pics coming soon.
And my top pick of the year? I’m sure you can guess by now…
1. Morgan for Maddie
You want to talk about infusing love into something I’ve made, Morgan is full of love in every single stitch. To give a brown girl I adore a brown doll that looks like her makes my heart sing and Maddie is such a special little girl to me. I flew through this project because seeing her come to life was just a joyous thing. And seeing this face when I gave her the doll…
Well that pretty much sums up why I gift what I make. And my favorite part? The pictures I get of her playing with and feeding her doll. LOVE IT!
So that’s my top nine of the year but what I’ve also loved as much as I loved making these projects is sharing them with all of you. Your comments and input are awesome and make my day. I can’t thank you enough for being a part of my online world. Thank you, guys!
Yards of Happiness 
So many amazing projects you knit this year. I love the green Agnes sweater and the one you knit for your mom (it’s so much better than the original 😉 and I can see why you wear your #3 so often.
Your mum is gorgeous and Maddie is so cute; I love how she’s givin’ her doll big love.
I’ve been pondering for a few days now, thinking about beautiful Maddie and her sweet Morgan doll. Just as it’s important for little brown girls to have dolls that look like them, I think it’s important for my blond, blue -eyed grandson to have a doll to love that does NOT look like him. One of my projects this year is to make him a doll that looks like Peter, the little boy in Ezra Jack Keats’s wonderful “Snowy Day” which we gave him last year. Just one small step towards getting a better balance into his young life than I had in mine.
Oh that’s an awesome idea to make dolls that look like characters in books too!