The last five years I have done an end of year summary, not just crafting items, but holidays and events. This is mostly for my own records. As New Year’s Eve has fallen on a Sunday I’ve swapped out my usual YOP post with my end of year summary.

The year in numbers

• 92 creative projects:
  • 31 felted
    • 14 fairies
    • 6 Tomte/gnomes
    • 6 baubles
    • 4 lampshades
    • 1 sewing bin
  • 21 finished knitted projects
    • 8 sock pairs
    • 3 jumpers
    • 2 cowls
    • 2 hats
    • 2 gnomes
    • 1 shawl
    • 1 pair of gloves
    • 1 dishcloth
    • 1 blanket
    • 1 sheep doll and outfit
    • 1 jumper ornament
  • 25 fibres (or blends) spun (1.6 miles of finished yarns)
  • 6 dyed fabrics
  • 2 crocheted baskets
  • 4 weaving projects
    • 2 woven scarves
    • 1 Dorset button
    • 1 Inkle woven monks belt sampler
  • 1 sewn top practice
• 43 books:
  • 5 read (paper or kindle)
  • 38 audiobooks
• 7 cinema visits
• 3 days out on Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP)
• 2 mini break with friends (Anglesey and London)
• 2 cottage breaks with husband
• 2 hair cuts
• 2 afternoon teas
• 1 music concerts/festivals
• 1 part time job!

Having a part time job since July has definitely affected my productivity, last year there were 123 projects!

Edit: Now the December sales have been received I can now record total sales during the year: Lampshades 12 (8 x 20cm, 4 x 25cm), Fairies 12 (4 normal, 8 sparkly), 2 Tomte and 7 baubles. Like 2022, sales are lower because I made even less to begin with. At the end of 2023 the gallery only had 1 lampshade (25cm), 1 fairy and 3 Tomte left in stock.

Like the last couple of years, I have included at the bottom a yarn incoming -v- outgoing summary. You may wish to skip down to that section and see that and my final thoughts on the year and hopes for next year, as the monthly summary is really for my own records. I share it on here because it’s lovely (for me) to have to look back on, it helps remind me which year things happened and I may inspire others to do the same . (I draft this post during the year and add the totals at the end of the year.)

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Bullet Keys

📚 Reading (📖 book 🎧 audiobook), 🧶 knitting (unless crochet specified), 🕸 weaving, 🌀 spinning, 🗡 needle felting, 🧼 wet felting,🧵 sewing, 👩‍🔬dyeing, 🎨 drawing/painting, 🧹 decluttering, 👩‍🏫 course or workshop, 👩‍⚕️ medical related, 🦷 dentist, 💇🏼‍♀️ hair cut, 🏠 house related, 🏄‍♀️ SUP/kayak, 🎟 cinema, 🎫 concert, ✈️ mini-trip via plane, 🏡 holiday rental, 🗺 holiday, 👩🏻‍🍳 baking, 🌱 gardening, 👩‍💻 job, 🐕 dog related

January

📚🎧 Fiction:  (1) The Memory Box by Kathryn Hughes, (2) The Maid by Nita Prose, (3) The Patient Man by Joy Ellis, (4) They Disappeared  by Joy Ellis, (5) Her Last Promise by Kathryn Hughes. Non-Fiction: (6) Sapiens: A brief history of humankind by Yuval Noah Harari

🧶 Dolores Van Hoofen kit, Dolores #3 Transatlantic Travel Ensemble

🌀 I bought an Electric Eel Wheel (Eew Nano 2).  Guild’s January Spin Challenge.  Baby camel and silk advent (2 pinks), 100g superfine merino (autumn colours I’d dyed last year), some random fibre spun on my Russian supported spindle and some other random fibre used to test my Nano 2, sheep fibre 25g samples of Beltex, Soay, Masham, Manx Loaghtan, Herdwick, Norwegian, Texel, Cheviot and Corriedale.  Coated my Ashford Traditional and bobbins with walnut oil.

🦷 dentist appointment (first one since pre-Covid!)

👩‍⚕️ 2 Ultrasounds

👩🏻‍🍳 Swiss Three Kings cake x 2

🏠 cleaned out and relocated bird box, started Spring Cleaning list

February

📚🎧 Fiction: (7) The Night Thief by Joy Ellis, (8) The Villa in Italy by Elizabeth Edmondson, (9) Honeymoon for One by Portia Macintosh, (10) Solace House by Joy Ellis, (11) Tell No One by Harlan Coben

🧶 Turtle Dove jumper #3

🌀 Breed Study samples of Suffolk, Southdown, Hill Radnor, Gotland (top)

🗡 4 x fairies (Valentines colours)

👩‍⚕️ Blood test and smear results

🏠 hung a broom holder in understairs cupboard, started to remove bathroom tiles, repotted some houseplants.

🧹 decluttered lots of clothes and coats, DVDs, a broken TV, CD boxes, wicker drawer set, some unused craft supplies, decluttered craftroom surfaces and cupboard

👩🏻‍🍳 Rhubarb and cardamom Semlor

🐕 Ylva at groomers

March

📚🎧 Fiction: (12) Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë, (13) Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes, (14) The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, Biographies: (15) Strong Female Character by Fern Brady

🧶 finished adapted Hastings Mitts (green/blue) and socks using sock blank

🌀 BFL/Alpaca/Seacell, Merino/silk/flax

🐑 fibre prep for lampshades

🧼 Sewing Bin and 3 x 20cm lampshades

🗡️ 4 baubles (3 to sell and 1 to keep)

🧹 started clearing garage of kitchen renovation leftovers

🏡 Smiddy Cottage, Isle of South Uist (visited Berneray, North Uist, Benbecula, Grimsay, South Uist, Eriskay, Barra and Vatersay)

🐕 Ylva unwell…enormous bill for blood and lab tests

🌱 planted potatoes, cucumber and courgette seeds

April

📚📖 Fiction: (1) No Place to Run by Mark Edwards

📚🎧 Fiction: (16) Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

🧶 finished Easy Does It DK shawl in baby camel and silk #4

🌀 green Shetland (plied on new jumbo bobbin)

🕸 merino, alpaca and flax handspun scarf with brooks bouquet detail.

🕸️ 👩‍🏫 tapestry weaving workshop

🌱 planted brussel sprouts, pak choi, kale, lettuce. Potatoes damaged by frost

May

📚🎧 Fiction: (17) The Family Remains by Lisa Jewell, (18) The Long Call by Ann Cleeves

🧶 finished Deb’s Super Simple DK socks x 2 pairs, 2nd pair of socks using sock blank

🧵 Get Weaving GW T001 top in cotton fabric

👩‍🔬 dye day with Guild light reactive, fibre reactive and acid dyes.

🎟️  Book Club : The Next Chapter and Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret

🌱 planted old seeds, beetroot, spinach, more lettuce leaves and lollo rosso, peas, spring onions, radish, squash, cucumber, tomato, rocket. Put membrane and decorative bark on fruit border. Bought new pots, 3 hydrangeas and 3 heuchera

👩🏻‍🍳 Jostaberry jam and blackcurrant jam

🧹 started using Fly Lady system

👩‍⚕️ lower back pain and nasty cold

June

📚📖 Fiction: (2) The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams, (3) Tell Me How It Ends by Jo Leevers

📚🎧 Fiction: (19) The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, Non-Fiction: (20) Atomic Habits by James Clear. Biographies: (21) Making It: How Love, Kindness and Community Helped Me Repair My Life by Jade Blades

🧶 Rose City Rollers socks in gothic rainbow and dusky pink leftovers x 2 pairs

🌀 Swaledale breed

🧼 2 x 25cm lampshades

🗡️ 2 x baubles

🌱 Royal Horticultural Society annual membership started

🌱 Visited Dunvegan gardens (and castle) with Norah

🌱 Planted more pak choi and lettuce

👩‍💻 job interview

🏄‍♀️ brief go on SUP on my birthday, after Afternoon Tea

💇🏼‍♀️ Hair cut at Anne’s

July

📚📖 Non-Fiction: (4) The Five Minute Garden by Laetitia Maklouf

📚🎧 Fiction: (22) Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

🧶 Selfish Pullover

🌀 White Welsh Mountain, Black Cheviot, pink fibre on spindle, baby camel and silk

✈️ visited sister and RHS Hampton Court Flower Show

👩‍💻 started part-time job

🎫⛺️ Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival

🎟 Mission Impossible

August

📚🎧 Fiction:  (23) None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell. (24) Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Non-Fiction: (25) Menopausing by Davina McCall

🧶 Crocheted 2 x bowls

🧶 RCR socks in mauve self striping, dish cloth and Alaska hat

🌀 Baby camel and silk beige, kingfisher and blue

🌱 planted more pak choi and lettuce

👩‍⚕️ DNA test results

🎟️ Oppenheimer, Barbie

September

📚🎧 Fiction: (26) The Satsuma Complex by Bob Mortimer, (27) Guard her with your life by Joy Ellis. Biographies: (28) Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry, (29) A Pocketful of Happiness by Richard E. Grant

🧶 Mostly Warmness cowl (teal), Habitation Throw

🚂 train journey to Cheshire stayed at Sue’s, lunch with parents in Chester, visited Tatton Park, long weekend with 6 girlfriends in Anglesey and a night at Elaine’s. (Dad had a pacemaker fitted.)

🏄‍♀️ Stand Up Paddleboarding x 2

🦷 Dentist check-up

💇🏼‍♀️ Hair cut at Scizzor Sisters

October

📚🎧 Fiction: (30) The Mother by T. M. Logan, Biographies: (31) Surviving to Drive by Guenther Steiner

🪀 Fisherman’s Rib cowl. Mostly Warmness mitt (but then ripped it out as too small)

🕸️ finished Inkle band monk sample and sewed a key ring tab with it.

🕸️ scarf using handspun Rambouillet and yak/silk on 10” RH loom

🗡 2 Tomte and a fairy for mum

✈️ day trip to London to meet up with Marilee (brunch, Loop, Liberty London, small Afternoon Tea, Beautiful Knitters and then back home).

🌧️ many days of heavy rain and flooding in the vegetable garden

🏡 Islay Seashore Cottage, Isle of Islay. Day trip to Isle of Jura

November

📚🎧 Fiction: (32) The Holiday by T.M. Logan, (33) Autumn Chills by Agatha Christie, (34) Trust Me by T.M. Logan. (35) Lies by T.M. Logan Non-Fiction: (36) Unruly by David Mitchell. Biographies: (37) Don’t Laugh It’ll Only Encourage Her by Daisy May Cooper

🧶 Fern and Feather jumper, Bisbis Beret and altered Selfish Pullover neck

🌀started merino alpaca blend

🗡 9 fairies

👩🏻‍🍳 Apple cake

December

📚📖 Fiction: (5) A Village Affair by Julie Houston:

📚🎧 Biographies: (38) My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand.

🧶 jumper ornament, DK super simple socks, 2 gnomes (Sgnome-man and Mr Gnightly)

🌀 merino alpaca blend finished

🗡️ 4 gnomes/tomte

🕸 Dorset button x 1

👩🏻‍🍳 Apple cake, snickerdoodles, gingerbread

🎟️ Wonka (twice)

🏠 new flooring in en suite

🌧️ no snow but more flooding in garden from the rain

🐕 Ylva being sick and emergency vet appointment Christmas Eve.

🎄 Christmas at home with mother in law

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Yarn Usage Summary

My aim for 2023 was to buy less than one mile of new yarn, so less than 1,609 metres. This was a total fail, mostly due to my colour choices shifting from purple to red this year. I think red suits me better and brings out the rosie parts of my cheeks, whereas purple highlights the dark circles under my eyes! Then it wasn’t helped by me needing lots of coloured minis for more gnomes, but that will last a few years I think!

I added 4.44 miles of knitting yarn(!!), 7.38 miles of weaving yarn (!!!) and created 1.6 miles of handspun. Total added was 13.42 miles, now that would be fine if I was using up that much in a year, but I only used 4.25 miles, so that’s over 9 mile net incoming!! Doh!!

Goodness, shall I tell myself in 2024 I will buy less? Will I weave more and get through a lot of this yarn? I don’t know but I’ve got ~53 miles of yarn in my stash!!!!  😲

Knitting  19.91
Weaving 30.59
Homespun 3.01
Total 53.51 miles

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Final thoughts on 2023 and hopes for 2024

My 2023 word of the year was “Less“.

Unintentionally, I’ve got less crafting time, done less felting (in fact no wet felting in the last 6 months) and I’ve a lot more yarn. So did having a word of the year help? I’m not sure, maybe I’d have even more yarn!

In June I wrote an update on how “Less” was going and I will say that since then I am spending less time on Instagram and Facebook. Occasionally I’ll slip, but overall I would say I’m cured of the hours of watching videos every night. Once I started the part-time job decluttering went out the window, but I’ll get back on track. Less beating myself up about things…well that needs more work. 😂

I’ve not had a word of the year before and I’m not sure I will for 2024, nothing is springing to mind yet…unless I just keep the word Less for another year and work harder at it!

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Of the 43 books I read in 2023 (7 Biographies (B), 5 Non-Fiction (N), 31 Fiction (F)), my 3 favourites were The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (F), Strong Female Character by Fern Brady (B) and My Name is Barbra by Barbra Streisand (B).

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In 2024 I know I want to get out on my SUP more often, I’d like to visit Geneva with my friend Helen and pick up a Swiss Christmas decoration and have more fun weekends in Anglesey with other friends. My husband and I have a trip planned back to Pier Cottage in Kingairloch and we will hopefully add another Scottish Isle to our list later in the year.

Lastly a big thank you for following my weekly posts, I wish you a very Happy & Healthy 2024 and hope to hear what your plans for 2024 include.