thoughts on the 52 Knits project

I'm delighted to say that I've finished this project. Let me be honest, I didn't think I'd accomplish any of my 2012 goals. But turns out I'm more likely to stick to goals when there's some pressure from blog readers.

I've knitted a bunch of stuff, from cat toys to shawls to dish clothes to sweaters. I'm delighted at the mountain of projects I knitted this year (minus a bunch of stuff I gave away!). That's a mountain of over nine pounds of knitted items!

It's a great feeling to finish a year-long project and call it a success. I couldn't be happier about how it turned out. I learned a lot from knitting 52 projects. New knitting techniques, what kind of yarn works well for me, how to read different 'chart languages' and how important good tools are.

I rarely left the house without a project bag. Turns out those short knitting moments (knitting on the bus, in-between classes, in class, while waiting in line, ...) add up to several pairs of socks over a year.

I conquered my fear of knitting in public during my year in Vancouver. Knitting in public helped me make lots of friends and I had many great conversations with strangers on the busses. Turns out Canadians are really fascinated by knitters and have a bunch of questions, whereas most Germans either look at me in a funny way or just ignore my obsession.

I also learned a lot about photography. Taking pictures without a tripod can be challenging but it's definitely fun. I used to get anxious when other people touch/use my camera, but over the past year I had to pass my camera to so many people to take pictures for me(and none of them broke it) that I'm fine with other people handling my camera. I probably explained the basics of shutter speed and aperture about a hundred times this past year and how to change the focal point.

Handing over my camera to other people resulted in a bunch of different styles of photography and composition ideas I wouldn't have come up with on my own.

All of the 52Knits photos were taken with my Nikon D7000 + 50mm 1.4G lens. I couldn't be happier with my camera! Some shots were taken using my iPhone 4 which makes decent pictures. I also loved being able to share the projects right away on instagram('froggeddesigns') and getting to know some awesome knitters.

Probably the most important thing I learned is that not every pattern works with every yarn. I frogged several projects simply because they wouldn't go together. Also, some patterns just weren't for me. Take for example the buttercup sweater. I casted it on three times using two different yarns but it simply wouldn't work out, although all other people who knitted it said the pattern is wonderful. I guess I'm not meant to knit it.

Investing in good tools is really worth it. I started of with a bunch of knitting needles my mom gave me and lots of flea markets. My first investment was a set of knitpicks interchangeable circular needles. There are always people out there who complain about needles but I couldn't be happier with them. I added a bunch of DPNs over the past year and a beautiful custom-made yarn bowl. The latest addition to my knitting gadgets is a daylight lamp my mom got me for Christmas and a wooden yarn holder.

My favorite projects were:

• juneberry triangle shawl
• mr fox
• vancouver fog fingerless mittens
• dryad scarf
• habitat hat
• burberry inspired cowl