This is the Group’s 10th Year, but my 3rd Year.

I’ve decided to change my naming convention on the YOP updates I do each Sunday, so they’ll have a name relevant to their content and then end with the week number.

A lot of this list is actually carried forward from last year, so I have tried not to add too many new things…but there are so many things I’d like to try. So what I’ve done is create a separate page of future creative ideas.

NB. The first hyperlinks are to the Ravelry pattern or project page, the second hyperlinks are to the relevant blog post for the finished item. 

Crochet

• Minion by Tremendu (Reminder to myself – bought direct and not through Ravelry!) ✳️ Started week 1
• Have a go at an Octopal (octopus or jellyfish for premature babies)
• Some Winnie the Pooh character(s)

Dyeing

• Dye commercial sock yarn in:
  • Self Striping
  • Speckled
  • Colours for Sweet & Tartan socks
  • Another go at Christmas
• Dye fibres in my ‘to dye’ drawer
• Dye BFL/Tussah Silk yarn for 2nd Quick Sand
• Try natural dyes

Felting

• Needle felted Ylva ✳️ Started previous YOP year
• Needle felted Highland Cow ✳️ Started previous YOP year
• Pictures and products to sell
  • Lampshades
  • Landscapes  e.g. Loch Carron, Ben Wyvis, Glen Affric, Loch Morlich, Rosemarkie
  • Christmas stocking
  • Wreaths – Christmas etc.
• 2nd nuno felted garment
• 3rd Hat
• Picture of Ylva
• Plant pot covers
• Finish making lampshades for
  • study
  • large lamp

Knitting

Jumpers/cardigans

• Fine Sand by Heidi Kirrmaier (yarn BaaRamEwe Dovestone in Goathland)
• Inside Story by Heidi Kirrmaier (yarn WYS The Croft)
• Second Quick Sand by Heidi Kirrmaier (home dyed Aran BFL/Silk)
• Strathcona Sweater by Tara-Lynn Morrison (yarn Rowan Big Wool)

Shawls

• Cabriolet brioche scarf by Carolyn Bloom (yarn Cookston Crafts in Crathie (alpaca/merino/nylon) & Emerald (merino/silk/yak)) ✳️ Started week 34 (previous YOP year)
• Reyna by Noora Backlund (yarn handspun baby camel and silk) ✳️ Started week 1

Socks

• More Hermione’s Everyday Socks (HES) by Erica Lueder
• More shortie socks (a hybrid of Rose City Rollers with HES heel)
• Sweet & Tartan Socks by Tracie Millar
• Pair of socks with homespun yarn

Accessories

• Easy Mittens with Thrums (yarn tbc)
• Evil genius gloves (yarn Mothy & the Squid)
• Doublejay Gloves by Danielle (yarn some leftovers)
• Brick and Mortar Cowl by Kim McFall (homespun)
• Project with mini skeins from advent (link is for my list of possibilities)
• Snowdrop Lace Hat by Robin Lynn

Other/household

• Make a variety of dishcloths and wash cloths
• Make some Christmas gifts!!
• Start another Christmas stocking garland with homespun yarns, perhaps mini socks.

Techniques to learn/master

• Learn Double Knitting
• Learn Intarsia
• Master Fair Isle/Colourwork
• Improve continental knitting
• Learn Mosaic knitting (that should happen when I knit Bricks and Mortar cowl

Sewing

• Sew proper hanger to silk banner, I painted this in 2011 and it is still waiting!
• Make a selection of denim bags with old jeans
• Make a lining for felted bag
• Make a project bag with internal and external pockets
• Start making kitchen items from kitchen pattern pack
• Make some face masks

Spinning

• Spin some sock yarn (BFL & Sea Cell) ✳️ (Started previous YOP year)
• Spin John Arbon Harvest Hues fibre to make a sweater ✳️ (Started previous YOP year)
• Finish spinning baby camel and silk for Reyna ✅  (Started previous YOP year, finished Week 1 during TDF 2020!)
• Spin Samoyed dog hair
• Spin some yarn to make Christmas stocking garland.
• Spin some purple baby camel and silk
• Host a Guild Team for Tour de Fleece 2020 ✳️
• Host a Guild Team for BritSpin 2020

Weaving

• Double width dish towels
• Scarf with homespun yarns
• Set of placements
• Home-dyed yarn in interesting pattern (tbc)
• Gradient patterned scarf/shawl for myself
• Houndstooth scarf or shawl using Wensleydale Longwool
• Borrow a pin loom from Guild to make some squares

Wood

• New bowl
• Platter

✳️ Indicates I have started it ✅ Finished!

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Week 1 Progress – yes there is some already!!

So in case you missed it in the list above, I am off to a flying start this week! 

I have now spun enough of the baby camel and silk to go ahead and start knitting Reyna, which I did.

So rather than going to the next item on my TDF list to spin, I picked up a purple batch of the baby camel and silk and started to spin that!

I know I go on and on about this fibre, but the yarn it makes is so soft. Honestly, I’m thinking I need to start breeding some camels in my back garden, they’ll fit right?? The purple I’m going to use to make a hat, it’s Aran weight and should be cosy.

I finished Tailfeather and that has it’s own blog post in case you missed it. It took days to dry in the house, because we’ve had pretty cool temperatures and very rainy days all week. The photos ended up being taken inside because if I wait for a nice day it could be a while! Not great photos but they’ll do.

And most excitingly of all I have started crocheting my Minion! I have already learned quite a bit and my friend Jane helped me get started via video call. With these projects and Tour de Fleece that should keep me out of trouble the next couple of weeks.

Other News

Talking of Minions…Additional drawers for my yarn storage arrived this week and rather than the classic purple fronts I’ve gone for some cheery Minion pictures (from an old calendar). On the opposite side of the room are 4 shelves of Minion figures…so it already isn’t a classy elegant study/workroom…so the Minions will stay…at least during the continued lockdown.

Talking of lockdown, we reached day 100 of Scotland’s lockdown on Tuesday. It was my husband’s last day of his 7 days of holiday, so we went to the beach! For the first time since 14th March! That’s 108 days since we were last there!!! It was empty.

Ylva had been to the vets the day before for her annual booster shot and tablets and so wasn’t quite as excited to be at the beach as I’d hoped.

The corona virus cases in Scotland and specifically in the Highlands have shown a real decline and our First Minister’s plan of keeping us in lockdown longer than England really has helped keep our numbers on the decline. Self catering accommodation can start to open now, so we have booked a few days in the shepherd’s hut on the North Coast we stayed in last year.

If you normally only tune in on a Sunday, I have done a few additional blog posts this week, so if you are interested please click back through the previous blog posts – they include an update on my Personal Projects list for last year and a new one for this year; a catch up of photographic awards and of course my review of Tailfeather.  

That’s all folks!  We have quite a few new members joining our YOP Group this week so I’m excited to read their blogs and get to know them better.  If you are interested in joining it isn’t too late.  Click here for the Ravelry Group with the details.

To my American friends/readers, I hope you have had a good 4th July weekend celebrations whilst staying safe.