I did it! I set out to finish 52 projects in a year, I actually surpassed my own goal! In one year, I knit up 15,888.66 yards of yarn into 57 projects. Wow, that’s pretty amazing! If it weren’t for some miscalculations in my stash, gifts and some necessary purchases, my stash amount would look like it went down over the year. But because I miscalculated and missed several skeins of lace weight, it’s hard to guess really how much I had at the beginning of the year. In any event, I completed 57 projects this year! I still can’t believe. When I undertook this project, I was a little weary of how I would accomplish my goal. But thankfully, I kept up with finishing a project a week, and in most cases, stayed on track.

I knit up quite a few random skeins I had on hand, went through a large chunk of my cotton collection and made a number of baby items. I am very proud of my collection of items. I look forward to my 2010 goal, of which I will discuss later. For now, here’s a review of all of the projects I made in 2009 and a final rundown of yardage totals.

• Nutkin Socks
• Midnight Magic Double the Fun Dishcloths
• Snow Muff
• Dad’s Ribbed Hat
• Catnip Mice
• Mom’s Cable Hat * 52 Project
• Random Double the Fun Dishcloths
• Country Double the Fun Dishcloth Set
• Short-Row Hat
• Star Crossed Slouchy Beret #2
• Owl Hat
• Star Crossed Slouchy Beret
• Mermaid Gloves
• Seaside Double the Fun Dishcloth Set
• Mosey Legwarmers
• Pink Jaywalkers
• American Dream Dishcloths
• Snowmen Sets
• Owl Baby Vest #2
• Popsicle Dishcloth Set
• Red Jumper
• Purple Neck Cuff
• Limey Green Crops
• Pomatomus Hat
• Pink & Green Scarf
• Tiny Shoes
• Baby Mobile #2
• Baby Bib O’ Love
• Woven Washcloth
• Teal & Purple Hat
• Teal & Purple Soaker
• Ribbed Baby Jacket
• Green/Multi Crops
• Baby Mobile #1
• Leyburn Socks
• Blue/Gray Crops
• Saartje’s Booties #2
• Blue/Sage Crops
• Sage/Blue Pom Pom Peds
• L’s Wedding Garter
• Sunshine “Double the Fun” Dishcloth Set
• Alhambra Scarf
• Stripey Jacket
• Owl Baby Vest
• L’illo Hat
• Saartje’s Bootees (Bigger Size)
• Scrapy Socky Stripey Cardi
• Little Knitted Mice
• Magic Slippers
• Purple & Teal Jaywalkers
• Saartje’s Bootees (Newborn Size)
• Green L’illo Sweater
• Mom’s Double the Fun Dishcloth Set
• Entrelac Neckwarmer
• Vintage Gloves
• Simple Purple Socks
• Chevron Scarf

Starting yardage in 2009: 38,099
Yards used in December: 850.7
Total yards used in 2009: 15,888.66
Total remaining yardage: 32,402.8
FOs this month: 6
Total FOs in 2009: 57

In preparing for my NYE party this year, I draped two strands of mirrored garland around my fan like a chandelier. It’s now my new favorite decoration and I’m toying with the idea of leaving it up for awhile—at least until I have to turn the fan on!

The rest of the “loot” has finally made it’s way under my tree along with the first load. It looks even more amazing all piled up like this.

Here’s a bird’s eye shot. You can see the pile of Senseo items. I got the machine and a bag full of coffee. I have been sampling the Colombian variety, which is really quite tasty.

Next up are some clothes. My mom got me this jacket through the organization she volunteers for. It isn’t really a Christmas gift but it’s a really nice corduroy jacket from the Gap.

My mom also got me this button down shirt, which was a gift. It’s very retro and fits really well. It’s never been worn and had its Talbots tags still on it. In this shot, you also see the two-tier Crate & Barrel serving platter I got from my aunt and uncle. I have been in search of serving platters like this for some time, since I do like to host a lot of parties. I will be using it on NYE this year!

These two bags came home with me for the holidays too. They’re pretty nice fashion purses.

Another gift is this pair of Kenzie heels. I think they’re so cute and remind me of a pair of Mexican shoes. These and the purses came from my mom’s organization.

I have been coveting these teal Hawaiian print boots for awhile and I actually got them for Christmas. There are little roomy, but with knitted socks, they fit fine.

Here’s a collection of items on a pasta plate, which I forgot to get a picture of that didn’t have me in it sporting bedhead. It has a little Italian chef design and reads pasta along the side. It’s black and red.

A collection of things in an awesome bowl from HomeGoods. I actually pointed this bowl out a few weeks before but didn’t end up getting it. It’s a little heavy but has two handles. It’s perfect for popcorn or pasta.

Mom got me these blocking boards from Knit Picks. These frosted petal looking plates I got myself from Crate & Barrel after the holidays. They were originally supposed to go with the following item, but the plates didn’t really fit.

However, these two clear Crate & Barrel dinner plates look great in this two-tier piece with some foliage pieces from JoAnn’s. The top plate was really hard to get in and almost didn’t happen, so the plate will never be removed.

This three-shelf item fits in the oven and allows you to bake a total of four cookie sheets at one time. I can’t wait to try it out!

A lovely selection of items: How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Snow White, Miracle on 34th Street, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Thin Man collection, SonicCare toothbrushes, some yarn and some spreaders. The little fish ornament in the top right corner was a gift too! (Not pictured: The Sims 3 World Adventures and DVD-Rs.)

Little juice glasses. Actually I got five but found them at the Crate & Barrel outlet, so I got three more to have a complete set of eight.

They match my water glasses! How perfect. My aunt didn’t even know I had these!

My cousin in Japan sent me this cute little bear figurine. I will add it to my collection of figurines.

Another big ticket item is the Garmin Nuvi. I am so excited about this because in some of the areas I’m unfamiliar with, I can get lost. Now I can avoid such occasions.

I also got a few nice deals after the holidays, including this toilet paper holder. It’s made from bamboo and nicely matches my existing set of bamboo pieces. I have long wanted to store toilet paper in the bathroom but I don’t really have any space and I didn’t want the TP to be exposed to the elements, if you know what I mean. Voila!

I also found this runner and tablecloth. I have been looking for a nice tablecloth for the dining table and this one was only $8 from HomeGoods. The runner is also from HomeGoods.

This cute frame is from Target. It was in the holiday section but I liked the sentiment for all year round. I plan to put this in my kitchen, since the color matches that room.

This pouch I bought to store my Garmin in. I didn’t really want to spend more than $20 on a pouch, and most of the ones they sell for Garmin’s are at least that much. This one is cute and compact. It also can be used as a clutch, which is great because it’s one of my favorite colors!

And the piece de resistance is this beautiful red leather chair from HomeGoods (I’ve been spending a lot of time at that store, eh?). I actually used some birthday money and Christmas gifts to buy it. With all of that combined, I only had to spend about $50 to get the chair. I think it looks really cute. I haven’t decided if it will stay where it is in the living room or if I’ll move it. I still have the tree up and need to finish cleaning before I can really decide.

Well that’s it for 2009. Quite a spectacle of items, if I do say so myself.

Back to the homestead and I have unloaded about half of my “loot” from this year (the rest is still back at my mom’s house). I really am shocked at how much I have received this year. It was most unexpected and so nice. I will post a gift rundown once I get everything to my place. I just wanted to post this picture with gifts under my tree.

Imagine these blocked. No, really. Imagine it. OK, now I feel better. Right now, these socks look like a big old mess. I really need to block them but I have never invested in sock blockers because there has never been a real need. Well, today is the day, my friend. I need me some sock blockers like snow needs water. It just has to happen. I need to take care of this pretty soon though, since this is a gift for a New Year’s baby.

stash knit down 2009 total: 57 FOs

Another set of dishcloths, this one named after the colorway: Midnight Magic Double the Fun Dishcloths. I gave these to my mom because she seems to like them!

stash knit down 2009 total: 56 FOs

My mom was jealous of the wreath I made in 2007 out of pine cones from the tree in the front yard, and requested that I make her one too. So she collected all the cones before the snow hit and as a Christmas bonding activity, we put it together. I say we, but my mom was really there for moral support. We laid out the pine cones and I really like the look of the layered cones. I then had to attach each cone to the metal ring frame. This took forever and resulted in sap covered hands. We then added these berries to give it a punch of color. I really like how it came out. Oh, and just a tip: If you have sap covered hands, use canola oil. It will break through the sap right away. Don’t try to scrub your hands to death because it just won’t work.