Week 44 of 52! I was having a look at my Year of Projects and Year of Personal Projects lists and feeling very disappointed. Although it seems like I am productive and every week I have something to blog about, I am still disappointed not to have achieved more and wonder where my time goes.
I’m sharing this so others, who may get their heads in the same sort of thought cycle, know they aren’t alone. The feelings will pass and soon I’ll be making my 2021-2022 list for year 11.
I have removed a timescale from the Personal Projects list. It’s more of a long term list and I don’t do regular shared updates.
Anyway, onto what I have done this week.
Felting
I’ve been laying out fibres to felt some lampshades next week. I have mostly been doing Highland seascapes and I will show those once they are finished, so I will just show one laid out for now. This one has on the horizon a hint of the islands off the west coast of Scotland.
Knitting
The finger(tip)less gloves started the week a disaster because I was making a 2nd left glove doh! But now I just have the weird shaped thumb to do.
This pattern is terrible, it has so many mistakes so I won’t be linking to it and it obviously hasn’t been tech edited, which I expect for a paid for pattern. The fingers are rib stitch and knitting rib on double pointed needles on such a small circumference is really testing my knitting mojo, so I will be sooo glad when they are done and think I may be deleting gloves for me off my YOP list!
My husband has been wearing the left one for a few days while working at home on his laptop.
The yarn is John Arbon Harvest Hues (65% Falkland Merino and 35% Zwartbles). Its an organic non-superwash 4 ply (fingering) and the colour is Sycamore. (For long term readers you may recognise that my big jumper quantity spinning I have had on the go the last couple of years is the same fibre).
I haven’t had a chance to block my Fine Sand cardigan yet.
Spinning
I ordered some small English combs that arrived this week. These will be for preparing fleece I have washed myself but it’s also been ideal for pulling apart some of the home dyed tops that was a little condensed and hard to draft by hand.
Weaving
I finished weaving my bag fabric and soaked and laid it out and did the same with my Garden Path scarf.
The interfacing has arrived, I’m just waiting on the lining fabric to arrive and then I can sew my bag. I also started to do a twisted fringe on my scarf, I still have the opposite side to do. I don’t have a tool so I’m twisting them by hand!
Other News
The weather has been rainy and cold this week. We even had hail one of the days. Last Sunday we did manage to get the 6th raised bed changed over before the weather changed. It is a bank holiday tomorrow but cold wet weather is forecast so no exciting plans.
This is a Year of Projects post. Officially the Group is in its 10th year, but this is my 3rd year participating. If you would like to find more about the Year of Projects Group on Ravelry.
HighlandHeffalump 
So many beautiful projects! Your DH’s gloves really do look nice – I’m sorry they have been such a pain for you! Your lampshade felt and weaving area all just lovely too 🙂 Don’t feel disheartened! You do a lot of lovely work. I do know how you feel, the same thing happens to me every time I make long range crafting goals or plans 🙂
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That is so disappointing in a paid for pattern, but don’t let it put you off gloves. I have knit mitts by Kate Atherley which is brilliant, but obviously a whole book of them so is a bit more of an investment! And I know that you are thinking this anyway, but it is a personal projects list, and this is our hobby, if these projects take a while, or indeed don’t work out it is not the end of the world.
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I can’t wait to see your handwoven bag come together. I’m really impressed with your weaving. The gloves look nice. Sorry they’ve been so frustrating.
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I too love your gloves. Totally understand being disappointed in a purchased pattern not being correct. That would really fry me. Your lampshades are so cute!!! So if you hand twist how do you get the twist to stay? How neat will that be to have a project bag out of your own woven material!!
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You twist the 2 strands separately in the direction the yarn is already twisting, then you bring them together and twist them the opposite way to put the twist in and tie a knot in the end. Magic!
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How upsetting to pay for a pattern and find out it is written poorly or incorrectly. I like your woven fabrics. Twisted fringe is one of my faves. Itndoes take time but really adds that little extra something.
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Thanks Marsha, I think its worth it too.
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As I was writing my post today I was also thinking how many of us will soon be pulling together our end-of-year YOP post. I know I’ve been less productive than in years past, but I have a feeling I’ll also be surprised at what I did finish. The mitts look so nice; I’m sorry for all the frustration they’ve been. And those combs are awesome and so pretty in that holder. (Sometimes I’m way too much about the aesthetics of nice tools – but they really do look pretty. 🙂 And that twisted fringe is a great finish for your scarf. Beautiful yarn!
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Your hand twisted fringe looks perfect! I hear you about looking at lists, but you are probably like me and have done lots that wasn’t on the list. Really for next YOP year I am thinking of just leaving it wide open for possibilities! I wish I lived closer to you so I could purchase those lamp shades – they are true works of art!
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I’ve had projects (knitting) that I couldn’t wait to get finished and never want to see again too. Can’t stand patterns with mistakes. I’m working on a color work baby sweater at the moment that I will have to duplicate stitch much of the color since it’s so small. But Spring keeps beconking me outside so I’m not really into it and all that fiddling yarn. I have to finish it though and quick as babies grow fast. I can’t wait to see that lovely scarf on you!
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You are amazing for sticking with the gloves! They look extremely fiddly and on top of it to not have good instructions especially for a paid-for pattern! I would have thrown in the towel! They look great and you have the patience of a saint!
Your scarf and bag material is beautiful!
It has been chilly and wet here too. It is cloudy today so I am hoping to get gardening! HAe a great week!
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We are our own worst critics; I think you are incredibly prolific in your creativity.
The gloves look great, a poorly written pattern is disappointing. You could send errata to the designer. They might be happy to revise the pattern for the future.
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Perhaps once the frustration has died down I will send them. It would be too ranting at the moment 😉
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That’s a good point!
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Well, I have said it time and time again, you are one of the most productive fibery people I know. And, your work is gorgeous!
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Thanks x
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Those gloves are a thing of beauty, and the colors in your felting and woven pieces are wonderful.
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