(Before I start, if you usually get my full post delivered to your mailbox, please click on the title to open the webpage version, as this post is very picture heavy and on the webpage you will get a much better size/clearer view of the images. Thank you.)

Well that’s the end of my 2nd Year of Projects! For the group it was their 9th year, and some of the members have been here from the start and others have joined along the way.

What an extraordinary 12 months it has been! The Covid-19 situation encouraged us to have some Zoom calls, which some of our YOP Group members went to and that was lovely to actually see and speak to people whose blogs I’ve enjoyed reading for so long.

It is safe to say my list for this year was way too long and I deviated a lot during the year.  I added in quite a lot of new items along the way, mostly accessories.  I’m amazed how easily I am distracted from my knitting list especially.

The first half of the YOP year I had an outlet for selling some felted goods, so that did take up a lot of my time, but also gave me a small income I have tucked away in a separate account.

So here’s my final wrap up post for the year.

Key

✳️Started
✅Finished
🆕Added during year
🐸Frogged
❗️ Removed from my list and not likely to be done on next year’s either
➡️Carried forward to next YOP Year

Where there are two hyperlinks in a line they are a link to my Ravelry project page and the week number links to the relevant blog post. My comments are in bold italics, to make it easier for you to scan down and see what I have said about particular items or crafts.

Dyeing

• Dye items from last year’s YOP list I didn’t get to ✅ week 21 Okay this shouldn’t be a full sized tick, here’s why. I have been doing far less felting in the last 6 months, so I haven’t really needed as much extra fibre dyeing. However, I bought a raw fleece and dyed some of it, and some North Ronaldsay from my stash, for using in landscape pictures and lampshades
• Dye commercial sock yarn in:
  • Christmas Colour-way ✅ week 15
  • Self Striping ➡️
  • Speckled ➡️
• Dye fibres in my ‘to dye’ box:
  • Rambouillet ✅ week 15
  • Perendale ✅ week 15
  • Cheviot ✅ week 15
  • Dye homespun sock weight yarn for Papillon shawl I have gone off this pattern, so no longer required
• 🆕 Dye 100g challenge bag for Guild competition ✅ week 32

I’m surprised how little dyeing I have done this year, perhaps because my coloured stash has been healthy. I definitely want to do some more dyeing next year.

Felting

• Make sister’s 4 lampshades ✅ finished week 4. She was really happy with them, but for me I prefer creating the landscape and seascape ones.
• 🆕 Make a scarf for my dad’s 80th. ✅ week 10.
• Autumn wreath ✅ week 11. This was in the shop last autumn, but as it didn’t sell, this year I will be hanging it as part of my autumn decorations.
• 🆕 New pair of Slippers ✅ week 22. These are lasting really well and are nice and warm.
• Felt the knitted bag made with Lanark wool ✅ week 28. The Lanark Wool is great felted and the colours are gorgeous.
• Needle felted Ylva ✳️➡️
• 🆕 Needle felted Highland Cow ✳️➡️
• Pictures and products to sell (Update – The gift shop I was selling from closed Week 25)
  • Scarves ✅ multiple weeks
  • Lampshade(s) ✅ weeks 6, 15, 34
  • 🆕 Fairies ✅ week 12
  • Soaps ✅ I decided these will just be made for family, my husband and I both use them instead for shower gel, so less plastic usage.
  • Landscapes ✳️ None specific highland landscapes done, still to try an area like- Ben Wyvis, Glen Affric, Loch Morlich, Rosemarkie ➡️
  • Christmas stocking ➡️
  • Wreaths – Christmas etc. ➡️
• 2nd nuno felted Jacket! ➡️
• 3rd Hat ➡️
• Picture of Boo and Dice ❗️
• Picture of Ylva ➡️
• Finish making lampshades for all remaining pendant lights and lamps
  • downstairs loo ✅ week 24
  • spare room ✅ (an unsold sheep one from the shop)
  • study ➡️
  • large lamp ➡️

I will finish off Ylva and carry over most of my list that I didn’t get to. I also made some dryer balls with the trimmed edges of the lampshades, scrunched up, popped into a pair of tights (pantyhose) and tied, then hot washed and tumble dried. They work really well, reduce static and quicken drying time. You can also add essential oil drops for fragrance, but I haven’t tried that.

Many of the items shown below were sold.

Knitting

Jumpers/cardigans

• Such a Winter’s Day by Heidi Kirrmaier (yarn New Lanark Wool) ✅ (Started previous YOP year finished week 21) ❤️❤️❤️
• 🆕 Turtle Dove by Espace Tricot (yarn West Yorkshire Spinners Re:treat). ✅ Started week 30 finished week 32) ❤️❤️
• Tailfeather by Heidi Kirrmaier (yarn Third Vault Yarns Bamboo/Linen) ✅ Started week 44, finished week 52…it just needs blocking. Once I’ve blocked it, it will have it’s own summary post with photo gallery.
• Fine Sand by Heidi Kirrmaier (yarn BaaRamEwe Goathland) ➡️
• Inside Story by Heidi Kirrmaier (yarn WYS The Croft) ➡️
• Jumper using North Ronaldsay (pattern TBC, possibly Traveller’s End) ❗️
• Nordsee Jacket by Ailbíona Mclochlainn (yarn West Yorkshire Spinners Re:treat).❗️ Pattern not published yet so used yarn for Turtle Dove.

Well I really seem to have some battles when I am knitting garments, but in the end I love them. This is true for both jumpers I finished this year.

Turtle Dove is such a great jumper to just throw on like a baggy sweatshirt, so comfy and I’ve worn it a huge amount. I recommend the pattern if you are looking for your first go at knitting a jumper/sweater. It is an easy pattern to follow and it uses bulky weight yarn, so it is quick.

Such a Winter’s Day I love too. For sure, at some point, I will knit both of these patterns again and I already have bought the yarn for my next Such a Winter’s Day! Next time I won’t accidentally switch needle sizes part way through!!

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 ❤️❤️
• 🆕Void by Melanie Berg (yarn Rowan Lima) ✅ Started previous YOP year (Dec-2018)/finished week 41 ❤️❤️❤️
• Cabriolet brioche scarf by Carolyn Bloom (yarn Cookston Crafts in Crathie (alpaca/merino/nylon) & Emerald (merino/silk/yak)) ✳️ Started week 34 ➡️
• 🆕 Reyna by Noora Backlund (yarn handspun baby camel and silk) ➡️
• All About That Brioche by Lucy Hannes (yarn Cookston Crafts yarn in Granite (merino/nylon) and Inverewe (merino/silk/yak) colours ❗️I think one brioche shawl project per year is going to be my limit and as I’m carrying over one, this gets bumped from next year’s list to.
• Butterfly / Papillon shawl (yarn homespun…which also means achieving fingering weight homespun yarn!

Well Void took over a year to finish but oh my it is soft and snuggly and I love it. I haven’t worn Nurmilintu much as that is for when I go out somewhere nice…and I don’t get out much (especially given lock down!). Easy Goes It I love and lived in for months until Void was finished.

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. ➡️
• 3 pairs of HES using my own hand dyed yarn 1️⃣✅Christmas socks Started week 16/finished week 26 ➡️
• 🆕 2 more pairs of socks. ✅ HES in Regia City Lights week 44
• Pair of socks with homespun yarn ➡️

I keep thinking this doesn’t seem like many socks, but next YOP year I plan to make more shortie pairs with left over sock yarn, so perhaps I’ll finish more than just 4 pairs. I would definitely like to have some homespun yarn socks one day, but I’m just not consistent enough at spinning yet.

Accessories

• Go diagonal scarf (yarn Christmas 2018 advent) ✅ Started & finished week 7
• 🆕 Interlude hat (homespun/home-dyed Shetland yarn) ✅ week 13 🐸 frogged week 34
• 🆕 Perky little hat (yarn Mothy & the Squid) ✅ week 17 although I forgot to post about it until week 33 ❤️❤️
• 🆕 Rasta Ready fingerless mittens ✅ week 17 although I forgot to post about it until week 33
• 🆕 Antler Toque (WYS Croft Aran) ✅ week 25
• 🆕 Super Simple Bulky Brioche (cowl not cross over as yarn shortage) ✅ Made in 1 day week 32 ❤️❤️
• 🆕 2×2 hat for Allistar using WYS Croft Aran ✅ week 29 but forgot to post about it until week 33
• 🆕 2×2 hat for me using gifted purple yarn from Alissa at Headknits blog ✅ week 35
• 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)
• Colour-work mittens (yarn Jamieson’s Shetland leftovers)
• 🆕 Evil genius gloves (yarn Mothy & the Squid) ➡️

Look at all these items added during the year!!! I basically only knit one of the items on my original list!!! Ah well I love them all except Interlude which I frogged as it was too loose.

Other/household

• 🆕 Make variety of dishcloths and wash cloths (yarn cotton) ✅ week 12, week 39, week 42
• Make 24 Smitten Mittens with homespun to make either decorations or advent ✅ (Started previous YOP year/finished week 23) ❤️❤️❤️
• Knit a bag (yarn Lanark Aran wool) ✅ week 28 ❤️
• Weightless shopping bag ✅ week 29
• Autumn leaves for an autumn wreath❗️

Well I love my Smitten Mitten Advent Garland and have been thinking about another project like this with other handspun yarns. It would be up there as one of my favourite projects from this YOP year, as many were home dyed and all were home spun and hand knit by me…so that makes them even more special than commercial yarn projects I’ve done.

Techniques to learn/master

• Portuguese knitting (class Sept 7th) ✅
• Learn/Master Brioche ✅ Single colour brioche cowl made week 32, ✅ two colour Cabriolet started week 34
• Learn Double Knitting ➡️
• Learn Intarsia ➡️
• Master Fair Isle/Colour-work ➡️
• Improve continental knitting ➡️
• Learn Matrix knitting (hopefully easier than understanding the movie trilogy!) ➡️

I think my weaving online lessons became my learning focus this year, but I will carry over the remaining knitting skills to next year. Whilst knitting Tailfeather I practiced my Portuguese knitting on the purl rows. Cabriolet will definitely be carried forward to finish next YOP year and that has brioche, including cables.

Sewing

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

Very little sewing done, mostly me hemming my hand/tea towels, but next year I’d like to do more. My sewing machine did get its first service in its 15+ year life, so hopefully will get more use next YOP year.

Spinning

• Take part in Tour de Fleece, team ‘Corner of Knit & Tea’ ✅ (missed some days during 2019)
• Take part in BritSpin, team ‘More enthusiasm than skill’ ✅ week 15
• Spin some sock yarn (BFL & Sea Cell) ✳️ (Started previous YOP year)
• 🆕 Spin John Arbon Harvest Hues fibre to make a sweater (Welford Purls MAL) ✳️ ➡️
• Spin some chunky yarn for thrummed mittens
• Spin sufficient homespun fingering weight yarn in various colours to make a papillon shawl
• Spin some Christmas themed yarns for smitten mittens. I went with the blue, purple and green colours
• Spin some chunky yarn for Nordsee jacket

Overall it seems like I didn’t spin very much. I think spinning had become a thing to do on nice days in the sunroom, but this YOP year on nice days I have been gardening. I’d like to establish a routine to spin more regularly so that my consistency improves. This year I learned how to do long draw spinning from rolags and also learned how to use my Russian Supported Spindle, but I’ve still got a lot to learn when spinning with that.

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
• 🆕Krokbragd ✅ week 38
• 🆕Weave a double width tea towel ✅ Week 46
• Make a scarf with homespun yarns ➡️
• Make a set of placemats ➡️
• Make a scarf with home-dyed yarn in interesting pattern (tbc) ➡️
• 🆕 Make a gradient patterned scarf/shawl for myself ➡️

Well this year seems to been dominated by trying to weave tea towels and kitchen hand towels. I’ve said it before and will probably keep saying it but I wish I had a bought a wider loom! The scarf I made for my husband in July 2019 has still not been worn by him!! I’m sorry to say but he’s definitely at the cliff edge of the craft worthy list! Except hats…he does wear those.

Wood

• Make more bowls ➡️
• Make a platter ➡️

Covid-19 prevented me having another 1-2-1 wood turning class for my birthday, but hopefully next year I’ll get a chance.

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So that’s it, last year I’d tried to pick a favourite item and ended up choosing two, this year my favourite items made are my Such a Winter’s Day jumper and my Smitten Garland, and Easy Goes It shawl….and Void! Goodness I’m useless at picking favourites. Interesting that they are all knitted items and all made for myself! I’ve dotted some ❤️ against some particular stand out items, but pretty much I’m happy with everything I made.

I hope you’ve enjoyed tuning in each Sunday to see what I’ve been up to and if you’d like to join us for our new year, please follow the link to the Ravelry Group for more information. There are members who cross-stitch, quilt, crochet, knit, sew, so anything fibre crafty goes really. It’s a great way to find friends and get inspiration.

So a BIG THANK YOU to my fellow YOPpers for another great year.

I normally do an ‘Other News’ update at the end of my weekly posts, but very little happened other than trying to finish Tailfeather!

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