Ravelry allows one to organize number of FOs (finished objects) per year. The data immediately exposes the truth, as data does. It said I completed one project this year. Now, it is true, I am not a speed demon when it comes to knitting, but this suggested relatively no knitting this year and upon further investigation I only two completed projects in 2021. So, what have I been doing ? I suppose, in a word, everything other than knitting . . .

Bowled my highest game ever with the ladies on a women’s league. Biked most Wednesdays and Saturdays with local groups through the Spring and Summer.

I followed Vocalis through their season, caught a few great concerts/movies at the Rivera Theater, and attended the series of recitals that took place in the MSR of Kleinhans through The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. How fun to attend Philip Sheridan Elementary School, my alma mater where a local theater group put on The Life and Adentures of Santa Claus. (This may actually have been in 2021, but such a cool adventure.)

Museum-ing is an actual thing and when you research all the possibilities of local, historic sites, it is an impressive list and we visited each of these: Jello Museum, National Comedy Center, Lucy Desi Museum, Kent State University pausing and reflecting and honoring those lost as well as the Fashion Museum in that campus, Prehistoric World, Akron zoo, Williamsville Museum, Letchworth Park/Museum, and the Steel Plant Museum/Train Museum. OH, yes . . . took in the Buffalo River Tour showcasing the grain silos along the Buffalo River as well as a Bison’s game.

There were important family happenings this year that I had to attend! My grandsons’ high school graduation as well as my bro defending his championship in Nickel City Wrestling! ok, some fun puzzle time with my grand-daughter as well. . .

He calls himself, The Thriller.

From January – May was the kitchen re-do followed by the sale of our beautiful Danbury home,

the move to a re-modeled, open floor plan ranch,

and then THIS! Install of new hardwood flooring 1 1/2″ red oak, the sanding and re-finishing of the rest meant I had to move out of my new home for about a month, meaning me AND my belongings. I thank R&R Hardwood of Buffalo for the magnificent job they did.

This technique is called feathering, blending the new flooring with the old.

Somehow, I sandwiched a trip in to see my daughter in Florida as well as took an extensive train trip (foreshadowing) traveling on Amtrak’s Southwest Chief. Travel this summer, alone took me to Texas, Florida, as well as a number of states in the Southwest.

Christmas 2022 may not be remembered for its Christmas cheer rather the ‘historic storm’ that hit that weekend. A before and after of the ‘Cyclone Bomb’. . . Keep in mind, it was not about amounts of snow rather the wind of hurricane forces. Forty lives were lost here in Erie County, alone. The National Guard was called in with their front loaders as even Buffalo snow plows had difficulty navigating the snow drifts that had formed. The first photo, below was taken when you could actually step out of the house 3 days after the blizzard. The driveway was buried at that point.

It was the train trip, referenced above, that provided a window of opportunity for a small knitting project. Knowing I would be on that train for hours on end . . .

I’ve always wanted to learn brioche. I packed yarn, needles, and the pattern, Liguria by Katrin Schubert in case I had time to teach myself this new skill while traveling. And, practice I did.

When we got home, I ripped out all the practice which was loaded with mistakes but felt confident to knit the hat. Modeled here and the last project to be modeled in the Danbury home, it is not perfect but I am quite happy with the result. I have learned that brioche in the flat is a 4 row repeat as opposed to brioche in the round which is a 2 row repeat. Another tip: very much unlike color work, you have to keep one color always in the back of your needles while keeping the second color always in the front. That may have been the most difficult part for me.

If I use my own data as a goal to knit more in the year to come, I hope to have no diffficulty at all accomplishing that in 2023.

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PS.

We were finally able to pick up the beautiful poinsettias from church ordered weeks, ago on New Year’s Day much to the happiness of some of us.

I extend a warm wish to Everyone for a happy, healthy new year.