Top 5 of 2012: The Favorites

This has been a really tough assignment for me:  I've been trying to write this post for a week!  Why is it so hard?  Well, it turns out I really love most of what I made this year, and I've had a very hard time narrowing it down to five!  I'd say that's a pretty good thing!

Last week I spent some time going through the entire last year of blog posts and making a list of my favorites.  Even though I thought I was weeding things out, my list was still about thirty items long!  So then I thought I'd break it into a few different posts:  favorite sewn objects, favorite knit objects, and favorite nails.  But even those lists were too long!

So, as I usually do in this kind of situation, I decided to let all that information sit on the back burner of my brain for a few days, and hope that eventually a few true favorites would filter up to the forefront.  And here's what I've come up with:

#1:  My absolute most favorite thing I made this year:

My D9P quilt.  Actually, this was the one item I knew from the get-go would be number one on the list.  Even though it doesn't "go" with our bedroom, it's been on my bed since the day I finished it, and every day I enjoy looking at all the different fabrics, and the different patterns made by the quilting.  When it's cold enough that I need an extra blanket (or sometimes even if it isn't), just spreading this thin quilt on top of me makes feel warm and snuggly and cozy.  And quite smug:  hey, I made a quilt!


#2:  Hubby's Guitar Shirt:

I love this shirt for a couple of reasons.  First of all, I really took my time and did a good job on it.  But mostly, I love it because he loves it.  He often chooses it (unbidden by me) when we go out, especially for music events, and that makes me feel really proud!  He's got quite a collection now:  four guitar shirts in all, and I've got fabric to make another.  This was the first (and only) long-sleeved shirt I made him, and although this pattern probably isn't the best for his "figure," he really liked it that I was able to shorten the sleeves - it's probably the only shirt he owns that has the right length sleeves!


#3:  Coral silk Pattern Runway Kimono-Sleeved Dress:

I only got to wear this dress once over the summer - I was afraid to wear it too much because I didn't want to ruin it!  (I have this problem a lot.)  I wore it to a cocktail party for Hubby's work, and I have to say, I felt amazing in it and received several compliments.  This is probably my favorite color at the moment, and I think it's a very flattering color on me as well.  And the silk!  It feels incredible on the skin!  One of these days, I intend to make another one in silk. 


#4:  Sparkle and Swish Skirt:

It's sparkly and swishy.  I think those are all the reasons I need to love this skirt!


#5:  the Exeter Cardigan:

It felt like it took forever to make this sweater, and because I didn't like the yarn all that much, I complained a lot while I was knitting it.  But I do think it's really beautiful, and I've already worn it quite a bit in the month since I've finished it.  It has turned out to be just what I thought it would be:  my go-to, grab-it-and-pull-it-on sweater.  Since it hasn't been too cold yet this winter, I've been able to wear it instead of a coat quite a bit.  I also realized that one of the reasons I love it is that it reminds me of a favorite sweater my mom knit me when I was about 12.  Somewhere I have a picture of that one . . . I wore it constantly!

So there you have it!  Are any of you also joining in on Gillian's Top Five posts?  Are you planning year-end round-ups?  I do think it's fun to look back at the year and make some assessments.  And who doesn't love making lists?!