Knitting – This week I made an Interlude hat, it wasn’t even one of the hats on my YOP list (although I have just added it to keep track)!  I used some homespun Shetland that I’d dyed last YOP year.  I didn’t even know the length of the skein and had balled it before measuring it so it was all a bit of Russian Roulette as to whether I had enough yarn and it would work.  The yarn in the centre of the beret is much thinner spun.  I blocked it but it took days to dry (in the greenhouse and then airing cupboard!).  It grew a lot so I stuck it in the tumble dryer for 30 mins and it was still damp!  Hmmm! 🤔  The colours are so vibrant.

I frogged my small length of the Northeasterly blanket.  Given I can get 2 pairs of socks from one 100g skein, it seems pointless trying to make a blanket with scraps.

I made more dishcloths, I can’t help myself!  They are the crack cocaine of the knitting world!

On Finishing Friday I did indeed pick up Void and do a bit.  Basically 3 rows took over 3 hours!  Better than nothing and I will continue to work on it on Fridays.

Fibre – I did more combing of the BFL/Shetland sheep fibre.  I used my hackle to pull off big lengths of the wool ready to dye or spin.  So far I have about 100g (~4oz) of good quality fibre, which is a drop in the ocean to how much is left to process.  The bits that were a bit short or bobbly I used to make some balls to decorate for Christmas.  Basically putting in a pop-sock (or you can use tights/pantyhose), with knots in, on a hot wash and tumble dry.

Felting –  I used some long trimmings (from making lampshades) to wrap around a number of wire wreaths I’d bought online.  These are just base layers.  The bits too small to wrap were made into balls as well.

At the felting group today I made 3 neck warmers.  One for me (to go with my new hat) and 2 for the Fuzzy Thistle shop.  The lady who sold me the fleece came along to the group to have a go.  She’s going to send me a photo of Roxy the sheep!

My husband went to IKEA on his way back from dropping his brother in Edinburgh. He bought me a Kallax shelving unit and some soft drawers for it and it’s now built and stuffed with yarn, fibre, etc.  This is inside a built in wardrobe.  I feel good that there’s no need to deal with stacks of boxes on top of each other.  My dyeing stuff is in a plastic box that fits in front of 2 bottom drawers with fibre/yarn to be dyed.  I admit there’s still overflow in other sets of drawers and a book case, but with as many crafting hobbies as I have it’s impossible to be minimalist.  Everything is accessible though. 😀

Sewing – on Friday I spent about 2 hours trying to get my ancient sewing machine working and made myself a huge (massive/giant) project bag.  It is lined, it has some temporary cord, as I didn’t have enough of the white.  It has some issues but who cares, it’s for me and not to sell.  It is so big I put all 6 skeins of the wool for Such a Winter’s Day in it and it is not quite half full lol!  It was made from 4 x fat quarters which I guess are a quarter of a metre???  Anyhoo it’s giant and I love it.

I gave up on trying to hem the tea towels, there’s only so much sewing machine fighting you can do in one week.

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At this point I’d like to make mention that as many things as I seem to get done in a week, I am still prone to beating myself up that I seem to have wasted too much time on Instagram, or pottering about aimlessly and think of a million other things I should have been doing.  So as hard as it is for some, please don’t compare outputs.  Everyone is doing their own thing for their own reasons and this is very much not a competition.  😀

So it’s already the end of the first quarter and time for a look back at my list and see where I’ve got to.  At the end of each section of my list are my end of the 1st quarter notes in italics.

Dyeing

• Dye commercial sock yarn in:
  • Self Striping
  • Christmas Colour-way
  • Speckled
• Dye fibres in my ‘to dye’ box
• Dye homespun sock weight yarn for Papillon shawl
• Dye items from last year’s YOP list I didn’t get to.

Felting

• Make sister’s 4 lampshades ✅ finished week 4
• Make a scarf for my dad’s 80th. ✅ week 10
• 2nd nuno felted Jacket!
• 3rd Hat
• Picture of Boo and Dice
• Picture of Ylva
• Finish making lampshades for all pendant lights and lamps
• Autumn wreath (if shop one from week 11 doesn’t sell I’ll keep that one) 🍁
• Felt the knitted bag I will make with Lanark wool
• Needle felted Ylva ✳️
• Pictures and products to sell
  • Scarves ✅ multiple weeks
  • Lampshade(s) ✅ week 6
  • Autumn wreath ✅ finished week 11
  • Fairies ✅ week 12
  • Soaps
  • Landscapes – Ben Wyvis, Glen Affric, Loch Morlich, Rosemarkie
  • Christmas stocking
  • Wreaths – Christmas etc.

Knitting

Jumpers/cardigans

• Such a Winter’s Day by Heidi Kirrmaier (yarn New Lanark Wool) ✳️ (Started previous YOP year)
• Inside Story by Heidi Kirrmaier (yarn BaaRamEwe Goathland) (if I can get gauge)
• Tailfeather by Heidi Kirrmaier (yarn Third Vault Yarns Bamboo/Linen)
• Fine Sand by Heidi Kirrmaier (yarn TBC)
• Jumper using North Ronaldsay (pattern TBC, possibly Traveller’s End)
• Nordsee Jacket by Ailbíona Mclochlainn (yarn West Yorkshire Spinners Re:treat)

Shawls

• Easy Goes It by Finicky Creations (yarn hand-spun camel & silk) ✅ Started previous YOP year, finished week 1.
• Nurmilintu by Heidi Alander (yarn Coastal Colours silk & yak 4ply) ✅ Started week 7, finished week 10 – detailed post
• Cabriolet brioche scarf by Carolyn Bloom (yarn Cookston Crafts in Crathie (alpaca/merino/nylon) & Emerald (merino/silk/yak))
• Butterfly / Papillon shawl (yarn homespun…which also means achieving fingering weight homespun yarn!)
• All About That Brioche by Lucy Hannes (yarn Cookston Crafts yarn in Granite (merino/nylon) and Inverewe (merino/silk/yak) colours.

Socks

• Hermione’s Everyday Socks (HES) by Erica Lueder (yarn Regia Design Myth) ✅ week 5 (then made longer week 8!)
• Shortie pairs of socks using left over sock yarns.  ✅ Started week 6/finished week 8.
• Pair of socks with homespun yarn
• 3 pairs of HES using my own hand dyed yarn

Accessories

• Go diagonal scarf (yarn Christmas 2018 advent) ✅ started & finished week 7
• Interlude hat (homespun/home-dyed Shetland yarn) ✅ week 13
• Brioche Knots by Katrin Schubert (yarn New Lanark DK blueberry and clematis colour)
• Easy Mittens with Thrums  (yarn homespun)
• Feather and Fan scarf (yarn home dyed merino/tussah silk lace weight)
• Colourwork mittens (yarn Jamieson’s Shetland leftovers

I’m adding a new hat to the list that I’ve made this week!  I’m also thinking I need to add a pair of gloves to the list, but no pattern selected yet.

Other/household

• Make 24 Smitten Mittens with homespun to make either decorations or advent ✳️ (Started previous YOP year)
• Autumn leaves for an autumn wreath
• Weightless shopping bag
• Knit a bag (yarn Lanark Aran wool)
• Make variety of dishcloths and wash cloths (yarn cotton) ✅ week 12

Techniques to learn

• Portuguese knitting (class booked Sept 7th) ✅
• Learn Double Knitting
• Learn Intarsia
• Learn/Master Brioche
• Master Fair Isle/Colourwork
• Improve continental knitting
• Learn Matrix knitting (hopefully easier than understanding the movie trilogy!)

Sewing

• Sew proper hanger to silk banner
• Make a huge project bag for jumpers. ✅ week 13
• Make a costume for Belladrum and Jocktoberfest festivals

Spinning

• Take part in Tour de Fleece, team ‘Corner of Knit & Tea’ ✅ (missed some days)
• Spin some sock yarn (BFL & Sea Cell) ✳️ (Started previous YOP year)
• Spin some Christmas themed yarns for smitten mittens
• Spin some chunky yarn for thrummed mittens
• Spin some chunky yarn for Nordsee jacket
• Spin sufficient homespun fingering weight yarn in various colours to make a papillon shawl!
• Take part in BritSpin, team ‘More enthusiasm than skill’

Weaving

• Make a scarf for Allistar’s birthday ✅ week 3
• Make some dishcloths and wash cloths ✅ 1st attempt week 1, 2nd attempt week 7, 3rd attempt week 8, 4th attempt week 10, 5th attempt week 12
• Make a scarf with homespun yarns
• Make a set of placemats
• Make a scarf with home-dyed yarn in interesting pattern (tbc)

Wood

• Make more bowls
• Make a platter