I think this is the first year ever (well since I was old enough to write) that I haven’t written a list of new year’s resolutions! On the 3rd I packed away all our Christmas decorations, a bit early but the tree was drooping and dropping needles and I was ready for a tidy house.
It is interesting to be just over half way through the ‘Year of Projects’ and at the same time thinking about 2019 ambitions and plans. I obviously want to finish my list by the end of June, but also have been thinking of some other ideas for this year. As I haven’t really felt well enough to be knitting or doing other crafts I have been doing some catching up on other crafters blogs and vlogs, looking at Ravelry pattern searches and getting some inspiration for the year ahead.
I have decided to join in the Grocery Girls 2019 Sock Bash KAL, which in January has the theme of ‘local to me’, so I am going to use some of the locally dyed yarn I bought at Loch Ness Knit Fest. I still need to pick one of the skeins and a pattern but they’ll be short socks for my small feet. Under their KAL rules if you knit shorties then you need to knit 2 pair to qualify, I don’t wear long socks so better I make short socks I will wear. I can’t see me knitting 24 pairs of socks this year though, so suspect I will only lightly participate in the KAL.
In 2017 I knit a short sleeve chunky jumper that I wore on a walk on January 1st 2018 and haven’t worn since. I re-blocked it but realise I just don’t like how it sits on me. It’s too short, neck is too tight, it is still pretty stiff and scratchy wool and so at some point I am going to frog it. I will probably make a hat, cowl and mittens set with the yarn.
I have updated my YOP list to include the sock KAL, but still thinking and planning what else I may add to it, without endangering completion of everything already on it!
I had a go at making some rolags on my blending board on Boxing Day (before I was ill) and I seemed to wind them around the wooden poles so tightly it was very difficult to slide one of the poles out. It looks so easy on the clips on YouTube. I haven’t spun them yet.
On Saturday afternoon I found some clamps in the garage and had my first go with my hackle using some black suri alpaca, merino silk blend and mohair! You may think me nuts using expensive fibres for first attempts, but when it is spun I will knit it into a keepsake as my first attempt. It isn’t like I am short on fibre, I have 3 boxes like the one bottom left + tubs + cardboard boxes + bags!! I have more fibre than yarn at the moment, but given I wet felt, needle felt and spin it, that makes sense.
On Thursday, I made a start on the Northeasterly blanket by Melissa Alexander-Loomis aka Skeinanigans. The short rows are quite appealing, but I don’t have many sock yarn scraps at the moment, so will treat this as a very long term on-going project.
I know I have said it before, but I am so glad I joined this YOP group, it keeps me motivated, the other makers inspire me and I love seeing their weekly posts. If you would like to see what the other YOP members are up to check out our Ravelry group for the links to their posts.
HighlandHeffalump 
I love all your efforts and I believe it is good to use good fibre as we learn to spin – good materials = good results. I hope this year you are feeling better enough to knit a little more, or to do whatever crafts make your heart sing.
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Thanks Mary-Anne, that’s the same as my thinking. I may as well learn using the fibre I want to wear, rather than cheap scratchy stuff.
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You’ve got some great projects going…thanks for the info on the KAL, I’ll look into it…but I never do well with KALs. Thanks for joining us at YOP….
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This is my first KAL so I am not sure how I will do, I found spin alongs helpful though.
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You are quite the busy bee, aren’t you? I love your projects and your determination, and I so envy your spinning, it looks so neat and effordless … I know it comes with practise but I have yet to spin a yarn that doesn’t break when I try to knit with it. *sigh*
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Thanks, I will ply it, I haven’t attempted spinning a single and always make 2 or 3 ply. I only bought my wheel in May and spindle in September. I found I massively improved during Tour de Fleece, so maybe give that a go this year.
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If you haven’t worn it, then it would be a great idea to repurpose the yarn. I trigger a couple of tops over Christmas that I don’t wear and am already planning to use the yarn.
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It’s my project from this evening. Do you normally just ball the yarn or loop it and soak it? Thought I may try popping it on my niddy noddy if my arms don’t drop off, then I could soak it and get wrinkles out hopefully.
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So glad you are going to repurpose the jumper yarn. It is a very pretty yarn and deserves to worn, Wow, you do have quite a bit of fiber. How exciting it will be for me to watch you use it in your various ways. You are the second person I have seen making the Northeasterly blanket. I find it a very interesting way to use up sock yarn scraps. I may need to look into it myself. Hopefully you will be feeling better soon.
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Thanks Marsha. Yes I have seen quite a lot of people who also downloaded northeasterly and are well progressed and some are gorgeous checkerboard patterns using scraps and an alternating standard colour that looks great, so if I did that I could make faster progress. I like the shortness of the road as a break from my shawls with long rows.
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I find it hilarious that you’ve got the Northeasterly blanket going, It’s in my list for this year (because I’m on the January-December schedule) and because I write my last couple of posts of a year and my first post of the year kind of all at once (I started at the beginning of December on the post that went up today), it was just added on maybe…Thursday. So, I’ve had that mental list going for awhile and the Northeasterly blanket was a late addition. I don’t know that I’ll get to it but we’ll see. I’ve got that granny square blanket going and I’d like to get that done before I go starting another one…but who ever said I was sane?
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It will probably be hanging around a while, as I have used other left over wool for making dog poop bag holders, or glasses cases or ipad covers etc etc etc….I’ve put on Ravelry a finish by date of 31st December 2020….but I’d be amazed if I even finish it in 2 years.
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Curious, I had to look up what a hackle is in the fiber world. You have some beautiful fibers pictured there, Liz. And three boxes full?!? What fun!
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One of the boxes is earthy tones, one bright colours (that was pictured) and the other is silks, curly locks, linen, etc….but then there’s the overflow boxes and bags too lol
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I think if a garment is not working in your wardrobe frog it and reuse the yarn for something that will be used, it always seems a shame to me for items to lie about unused and unworn. I love the blue in the Northeasterly and think as you gather yarn scraps it’s a project you will enjoy! You know it’s at this stage each year I begin to gather projects for the next YOP year, simply because I’m thinking of the other projects I’d like to do.
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Thanks Ruth 🙂
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You have so much going on! Looking forward to reading and seeing more about your spinning – that craft is a mystery to me 🙂 Your sweater looks great on you – but if you are not comfortable in it that doesn’t help 🙂 It’s lovely yarn, and will make a great accessory set too!
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I hope you feel better soon! I have made little ‘lists’ that will hopefully get done this year. It’s so nice to be able to re-use yarn if you don’t care for the end product…very ecological. The KAL sounds like fun but I have too many other things on my plate plus I’m not much of a ‘joiner’. Good luck to you as it sounds like fun.
Your loom is huge and all that fiber…..glad you know what to do with it! I would be lost but how fascinating. I am definitely in love with the blanket but like you I don’ t have a lot of sock yarn leftovers. We could order some mini’s though! LOL! Any excuse to buy fiber! Have a great week!
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That’s funny, I did for a second think about ordering some minis…then remembered I have sock yarn I need to be making socks with and not concentrating on the blanket…next advent may be a good excuse for minis advent though. Lol
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