Wow, its already 3/4 of the way through my year of projects! This year seems to be going even quicker than the last 3 I took part in. At the bottom of this post is my snapshot of how I’m doing against my list. I need to have a think about what I am going to concentrate on achieving in the next 13 weeks and what I’m happy to just roll on to next years list.

No-one is judging ‘who did everything on their lists’ in this group and it’s just for fun, but still I’d like to have some more things ticked off as complete.

Knitting

This week I have just been working on my Midtown Magic shawl that has been the only thing on my needles for a few weeks now. Its still not finished but hopefully by next Sunday it will be. I would be further on except some stitches jumped off my needle and fixing the ladder on a lace section was beyond me, so I had to tink back quite a few rows.

I am enjoying knitting the lace section much more than the plain rows, so it’s nice that the final rows are all the lace sections. Am I right in calling this lace? Its yarn over holes basically.

Other News

Last Saturday we finally made it over to the Isle of Lewis for our holiday. In April 2019 we made a booking for us to stay in March 2020. It then had to move to 2021, then to 2022, then moved weeks twice more. Covid! What a pain you’ve been!

A separate post with details of our trip will follow. The beaches are like the Caribbean…just with Scottish wind and temperatures. Here’s a sneak peak of what to expect on my post about it.

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Ok now to snapshot my progress at the end of the 3rd quarter of YOP11.

Key:
↪ carried over from a previous YOP year
✳️ started
✅ finished
🆕 added to list after week 1
⁉️ fell at a hurdle but back on track
🐸 frogged/abandoned

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.) ⁉️ Originally this was no new superwash and I amended it to sock yarn after buying a jumper quantity of malabrigo yarn! But I realise superwash just isn’t as warm as non-superwash so I’m going back to it being no new superwash! I was (surprise) gifted some superwash 4 ply and bought some by mistake (not labelled as superwash) for gloves.
• 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.). ⁉️ This is not going well incoming fibre has exceeded outgoing the last 6 months. I need to get felting! Okay total failure really, I’ve bought a 2nd Kallax unit, this will be more achievable for me in YOP12, so I’ll concentrate on trimming down stash to fit in the two Kallax units (plus Shetland X)
• 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. I’m thinking I should use handspun and not buy yarn but we shall see.

Crochet

• Toy pattern (2nd Minion or Eeyore) ✅ 2nd Minion week 22
• Reusable cotton face pads

Dyeing

• Dye more of my existing fibre and fleece for lampshades. ✅ week 22
• Dye another self striped sock yarn. ✅ Christmas green & red; mauve & pink and an attempt at blue week 22
• 🆕 Dye silk scarves in stash ✅ finished 1 in week 22,
• 🆕 Dye as much fibre as I can before new kitchen goes in. ✅ week 29
• Dye more locks for fairies’ hair

Felting

• ↪ Needle felted Ylva ✳️ (Started YOP9!)
• ↪ Needle felted Highland Cow ✳️ (Started YOP9!)
• Pictures and products to sell/gift/keep. ✳️ Fairies – July x 19, October x 3, November x 12, February x 5; Lampshades 20cm – September x 3, October x 2; Lampshades 25cm – 1 x October; Tomte – 4 x October, 2 x November, 5 x December; Baubles – October x 5, December x 3; Wreath – 1 x October autumn felt fabric then made an autumnal wreath (keep).
• Make a handbag using the felting ball ✳️ started week 24 fibres weighed and test felt
• 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.

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
  • 🆕 Winding Down jumper by Heidi Kirrmaier in new (superwash 🤦🏼‍♀️ Malabrigo Rios) ✅ week 11, finished week 18
  • New Lanark Aran – Warriston by Kate Davies. 🐸 started week 19 frogged week 30
  • a DK or Aran yarn from stash.

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! 🐸 YOP11 week 34
• Midtown Magic shawl in yarn above. ✳ started week 35

Socks

• Knit a pair of DK socks, Deb’s Super Simple DK socks in Ryeland yarn ✅ #1 week 2
• Knit more pairs of these socks with stashed yarn (# indicates order they were started):
  • Rose City Rollers (RCR) by Mara Catherine Bryner. ✅ #2 Cookston Crafts 4 ply in Thistly Brae colour started week 1, finished week 11,
  • How I Make My Socks by Susan B Anderson ✅ #3 Ripples Crafts 4 ply started week 23, finished week 31
  • Hermione’s Everyday Socks (HES) by Erica Lueder RCR with ribbed cuff socks ✅ #4 gothic rainbow started week 31, finished week 32
• ↪️ Knit at least one pair of socks with homespun BFL/seacell yarn.
• Try a new sock pattern

Accessories

• Knit a variety of accessories, such as mittens, cowls, hats (using existing stashed yarn or handspun only):
  • Mostly Warmness (cowl) by Martina Behm in merino/silk yarn ✅ started week 1, finished week 5.
  • 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 I enjoyed this pattern so much I made it twice!
  • 🆕 Point Edward Mitts by Fairlight Fibers in Ripples Crafts Culkein DK ✅ finished week 11 These aren’t as warm as I’d hoped and discovered the yarn was superwash, although not labelled as such
  • Mostly Warmness (fingerless mittens) by Martina Behm in merino/silk ✅ started week 12, finished week 19.
  • 🆕 Versa Cowl by Aimee Pelletier ✅ using Malabrigo Rios scraps started week 20, finished week 21
  • 🆕 Hastings Mitts by Tracie Millar in New Lanark DK ✅ started week 24, finished week 25
  • 🆕️ Cowl based on Fisker Cowl in my handdyed chunky BFL ✅ started week 31, finished week 33

Other/household

• Habitation Throw by Helen Stewart using scrap 4 ply. ✳️ started YOP 10 week 45
• 🆕 use up scraps on project(s). ✅ week 21 made a cup cosy and a ribbed headband.
• Dish cloths as required.

Painting & Drawing

• Do a new pastel drawing ✅ week 38
• 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 BFL/seacell (Started YOP9) ✅ week 1
• ↪ Finish spinning John Arbon Harvest Hues fibre (✳ Started YOP9!)
• ↪ Finish spinning 25g breed project (✳️ Started YOP10)
• Baby camel and silk colour #4. ✳️ started week 14

Weaving

• Make a selection of wide hand/dish towels:
  • Fibonacci pattern ✅ started week 4, finished week 17
  • Diamond stripe towels ✳️ started week 28
• 🆕 Make Dorset Buttons ✅ week 21, 23 and 24. These are addictive to make and I’m sure I will make more!
• 🆕 Make a band on inkle loom ✅ started week 20, finished week 23. Who knew I’d buy an inklet loom!? Ideal for making bag straps though so I will be making more.
• Make a woven project using handspun yarns
• Make fabric to sew at least one garment.

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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.  Year 11 list.