welcome to 2012

Another year, another blog project.

We've noticed that we have trouble, toward the last third of the year, sticking to the same category every month. So this year we're making it easier -- our blog knitting will fall into two categories: scarf knitting and charity knitting. We've laid out a schedule that has us knitting 6 scarf projects and 6 charity projects, while also giving us 2 wild card months. Yes, you've done the math, and I can see that you're confused. . . there are two projects that are scarves for worthy causes!

Last year we diverged from our original plans because the weather in the U.S. brought so many disasters that we felt compelled to respond. The tornado that leveled a large portion of Joplin, Missouri last spring inspired us to knit (with Debbie, Ruth, and Ann, and RTDD's gift of yarn) a rainbow blanket. And the terrible flooding caused by Hurricanes Irene and Lee in Pennsylvania, New York, and Vermont also called for a response; my sister and I sent a box to Vermont, and Pat made several hats to be distributed in Pennsylvania.

Because we have learned that things often change as the year goes on, we're building in some flexibility by not announcing the whole year's schedule in advance. We'll do it month by month, or sometimes one month in advance. (And if there's one of those hurry-up quick A4A campaigns, that will be inserted into the schedule whenever it comes up.) Sometimes we'll use the same pattern, sometimes not.  For January -- a scarf. Any pattern, any design, any target. More news in the next couple of days when we've both decided on specifics!

I'm also going to try to continue what I did last year, and knit a hat each month from stash, to go somewhere in December. . .