It’s the end of Year 11’s first quarter! How fast these 13 weeks have flown! It doesn’t feel like I have been as productive as other quarters, perhaps because I have done almost no spinning, wet felting or weaving. Knitting is the slowest hobby for getting finished objects. Also my vegetable garden occupied more of my time plus getting out on my stand-up paddleboard (SUP). Before I get to my quarterly snapshot, here’s this week’s update.

Acquisitions

We were away for a week, so obviously I was on the lookout for some souvenir skeins! I bought 2 skeins of West Yorkshire Spinners Exquisite lace weight (80% Falkland merino/20% mulberry silk). When I bought the first skein in Dunoon I hadn’t realised it was lace weight. I bought the contrast colour from another shop on our way home. My plan is to weave them together in a twill pattern.

I also bought some fabrics, I really would like to practice more sewing.

Knitting

I am making good progress on my Winding Down jumper. There were very odd short rows after the yoke that I struggled with and don’t fully understand their purpose but having had 3 attempts at doing them I have left them in, but it looks very baggy at the back, so will do some waist decreases. I already did a couple of decreases under each arm on the row after I’d cast on the underarm stitches. I am thinking of decreasing them on the cable cross rows, but will see how it goes. I may need to do them every 4 or 6 rows, not 8. Any tips?

(I cut an inch off my hair a couple of weeks ago…can you tell 🤣😂…hopefully its lying like that because I had just taken my ponytail out.)

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Other News

Yesterday I published a separate post about our week away, staying in a holiday cottage on Loch Fyne (a sea loch on the west coast, in Argyll & Bute region of Scotland).

I have booked myself on a SUP skills weekend at the end of October!!! Because the winter wetsuit I had bought was too long and loose at the hips and thighs, I have bought a better fitting one. It is also a bit thicker on the torso area than my last one. I have neoprene gloves and boots so I just need to decide which of my woolly hats I’m going to wear…given if I accidentally fall in it will get wet! (I will sell my other wetsuit.)

We finished the audio of the Beastie Boys Book just as we were getting close to home after our holiday. I mentioned it last week and my recommendation still stands.

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At the end of each quarter I like to take a snapshot of my main YOP 11 list page, showing the completed items or works in progress. So far my finished objects are:

• 21 x fairies
• 1 x cardigan
• 1 x cowl
• 2 x pairs of socks
• 2 x hats
• 1 x spinning project.

Link to YOP 10 Q1 Review.

Key:
↪ carried over from a previous YOP year
✳️ started
✅ finished
🆕 added to list after week 1.

NB. There are links to the Ravelry pattern, yarn or project page.

Acquisitions/Stash Management

• No new superwash sock yarns (My stash has enough to make socks for many years.) I added the word ‘sock’, partly to make myself feel better about buying some superwash aran weight yarn, partly because that is a good proportion of my stash I don’t need more of.
• Contain my stash! (Limit stash to only what will fit in existing containers (Kallax unit, fibre divider boxes and weaving shelves) and have no overflow containers or bags, only exception to be hand processed Shetland X fleece.). As yarn is being used up it is making some room, but I’m a long way from achieving this goal at the moment.
• Buy yarn for a larger Havana only once I have made space for it! This is hopefully going to keep me motivated to use existing stash for everything else.

Crochet

• Toy pattern (2nd Minion or Eeyore)
• Reusable cotton face pads

Dyeing

• Dye more of my existing fibre and fleece for lampshades.
• Dye more locks for fairies’ hair
• Dye another self striped sock yarn (I have one undyed skein left).

Felting

• ↪ Needle felted Ylva ✳️ Started YOP9!
• ↪ Needle felted Highland Cow ✳️ Started YOP9!
• Pictures and products to sell/gift/keep. ✳️ 21 fairies in July,
• Make a handbag using the felting ball
• Make plant pot covers

Fibre Prep

• Finish washing BFL/Shetland X (from Katharine) ✳️ started washing and using it YOP 9.
• Finish washing Shetland X (from Serena) ✳️ started washing week 1
• Practice combing and carding ✳️ started combing week 10 and carding week 11. I’m happy with the batts I have made but need more combing practice.

Knitting

Jumpers/cardigans

• Knit 3 garments using:
  • hand dyed BFL/silk Aran – 2nd Quick Sand by Heidi Kirrmaier with added short rows at back of neck ✅ started swatching week 5, started knitting week 7, finished week 8. Hurry up sweater weather, I’m excited to wear this.
  • New Lanark Aran – still undecided, bought it for a 2nd Such a Winter’s Day
  • a DK or Aran yarn from stash.
  • 🆕 Winding Down jumper by Heidi Kirrmaier in new (superwash 🤦🏼‍♀️ Malabrigo Rios) ✳️ started week 11

Shawls

• ↪ Finish or frog Cabriolet brioche scarf by Carolyn Bloom (yarn Cookston Crafts in Crathie (alpaca/merino/nylon) & Emerald (merino/silk/yak)) ✳️ Started YOP9 week 34! I got this out to frog it, but do love the squishiness of the scarf…so I will try to pick this up again when my brain has time to concentrate.

Socks

• Knit more pairs of these socks with stashed yarn (# indicates order they were started):
  • Hermione’s Everyday Socks (HES) by Erica Lueder
  • Rose City Rollers (RCR) by Mara Catherine Bryner. ✅ #2 Thistly Brae colour started week 1 finished week 11,
• ↪️ Knit at least one pair of socks with homespun BFL/seacell yarn.
• Try a new sock pattern
• Knit a pair of DK socks, Deb’s Super Simple DK socks ✅ #1 finished week 2

Accessories

• Knit a variety of accessories, such as mittens, cowls, hats (using existing stashed yarn or handspun only) Oops, I did buy 2 new yarns
• Mostly Warmness (cowl) by Martina Behm in merino/silk yarn ✅ started week 1 finished week 5.
• Mostly Warmness (fingerless mittens) ✳️ started week 12.
• Feather and Fan Short Scarf by Kelly Faller in tencel yarn from Flora Fibres ✳️ started week 1 🐸 week 5. I don’t like knitting tencel on such large needles.
• Lake Reed hat by Asita Krebs #1 in Ripples Crafts Burras DK ✅ started week 1 finished week 6, #2 in Ripples Crafts Oldany DK ✅ started week 8 finished week 9
• 🆕 Point Edward Mitts by Fairlight Fibers in Ripples Crafts Culkein DK ✅ finished week 11.

Other/household

• Dish cloths as required.
• Habitation Throw by Helen Stewart using scrap 4 ply. ✳️ started YOP 10 week 45

Painting & Drawing

• Do a new pastel drawing
• Do a new watercolour painting

Sewing

• ↪️ Make a project using denim from old jeans
• Make a project bag with internal and/or external pockets
• Make a garment.

Spinning

• Host a Guild Team for Tour de Fleece 2021 ✅ week 1. I dropped out of spinning but still led the team.
• ↪ Finish spinning John Arbon Harvest Hues fibre (Started YOP9!) ✳ week 1
• ↪ Finish spinning 25g breed project (Started YOP10)
• ↪ Finish spinning BFL/seacell (YOP9) ✅ week 1
• Baby camel and silk colour #4.

Weaving

• Make fabric to sew at least one garment.
• Make a selection of wide hand/dish towels (e.g. Fibonacci pattern ✳️ started week 4 and Diamond stripe towels)
• Make a woven project using handspun yarns

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This is a Year of Projects post. Officially the Group is in its 11th year, but this is my 4th year participating. If you would like to find more about the Year of Projects Group on Ravelry.