Hello all and Happy 2013!

I am fighting a cold, hence my late arrival in the ranks of bloggers summarizing the year past. No two ways about it, 2012 has a whopper.

I adopted Melba.

I bought a car.

I got hearing aids.

I got a new job.

I moved into an apartment.

Three friends moved away, and one moved back.

The one constant through all this was Querido, who was wonderfully there throughout all this upheaval. He listened to rants like I was being perfectly rational and soothed meltdowns like I was not being a total crazy person. He took care of Melba before I had my place, and hauled all my worldly belongings up 10 floors when I moved. For everything he’s done, he should have the world, and yet he he didn’t dump me or lock me up in the loony bin when I gave him cat-hair yarn instead. Te amo, Querido.

All right, I’m done submitting everyone to ooey gooey mushiness.

I measure each year in reading and knitting (why I’m not sure, but I always have), and in 2012, both took a hit. I only read 19 books, compared with what I thought a lamentably small 22 books in 2011. In spite of that, I am pleased that of the six classics I read, five were written in the 20th century. My all-time favorite era is Victorian England (Bleak House was classic number six), so dipping into this era was quite out-of-the-ordinary for me. Rebecca was my absolute favorite of the bunch, the kind of book that makes everything you read after seem bland and lacking, but I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked The Great Gatsby and The Hobbit, too.

By rights, I shouldn’t have gotten any knitting done this past year. Somehow, though, I managed to turn out a half-dozen little stuffies, a handful of hats, and a few assorted gifts for friends, plus the Melvie dress and a romper. Knitting for other people is always very rewarding, but the most rewarding projects I completed this year were my two most selfish knits: the dress and the romper. I do not knit many garments, so taking one on seems like a huge mountain of a challenge. Finishing both those projects was a challenge, and to have them come out as cute pieces that I love wearing will be rewarding for as long as I own them.

What do I want from 2013? Less kerfuffle, for sure. More time with friends and family, more time for quiet. And of course, all the best for you, dear readers.