I know it is traditional for bloggers to do a retrospect of all they knit in the previous year but I am rather untraditional and frankly, I am not sure I can remember everything I knit this year, even with the help of my Ravelry notebook. I do want to share a couple of revelations from 2008. Some little tidbits that I learned during the year.

1. It is not possible for a knitter to pack lightly. As proof, let me show you the yarn I took with me for a three day trip to visit the in-laws. Grant it, the stress level of in-law visits does necessitate a higher than average yarn quota.
   
   Since we were driving and space was limited, unless I wanted to sell one of the kids, I told my hubby that I would limit it to one bag. And then he brought in this cute little plastic box that was the perfect lap size so I had no choice but to fill it with yarn for the trip.
   
   It made a great travel knitting tray.
   All in all, I transported one sweater, one skirt, two socks and a pair of fingerless gloves all in progress plus yarn for a shrug, a scarf, and two more pairs of socks across three states. In my defense, I did complete the fingerless gloves, the body of the sweater and most of the cuff of one of the socks (even though, I found a mistake and had to rip out all the sock progress). The other yarn just came along for the ride. But somehow, knowing that the yarn was there – in case of emergency – made the relatives a little easier to tolerate.
2. Sometimes, it is best not to ask questions.This is especially applicable to relatives dividing the estate items of other relatives. Asking questions, or speaking at all, can be downright dangerous in these situations. Just nod and smile and stay out of the way.This rule is also applicable to fast food advertising. For example,
   
   You probably do not want to know what this restaurant uses for cooking its valve fries. Needless to say, we ate elsewhere.
3. Don’t be afraid to try new things.In my effort to be a Fearless Knitter in 2008, I have spent a great deal of time learning from my mistakes (aka, frogging stuff I hopelessly ruined). But in these fearless moments, I have also accomplished some great things.I designed my first pair of socks
   
   Climbing Lace Socks

   I designed my first sweater
   
   Darth Sweater

   I managed to complete two designs -from concept to test knitting -in the 17 days of the Ravelympics.
   
   Emerald’s Lace Bath Set plus previously mentioned Darth Sweater.

   I sold my first pattern
   
   Raindrops on Roses
   add to cart

   All in all a pretty fearless year. Not bad for my second year of knitting.

So what do I have in store for 2009. I don’t like to make New Year’s Resolutions because I usually break them – before the end of January. I like to keep my list short and simple.

1. I intend to continue daily Bible reading and study. This has richly blessed me in the two years that I have consistently read the Bible daily.

• I intend to continue knitting. I have several new designs in my head and a number of techniques I would like to try. I plan to be fearless in 2009 just like in 2008.

• I intend to enjoy my family, my friends, and my life.

So there you have it. The obligatory New Year’s Day blog post.