The last 7 years I have done an end of year summary, not just crafting items, but holidays and events. This is mostly for my own records.

Anyhoo…let’s talk numbers.

The year in numbers

• 48 creative projects (30 less than last year!):
  • 11 finished knitted projects
    • 3 emotional support chickens
    • 2 jumpers
    • 2 cowls
    • 1 poncho
    • 1 shawl
    • 1 fingerless mitten pair
    • 1 sock pair
  • 25 advent blends, plus 7 other fibres/blends spun (over 1.6 miles of finished yarns)
  • 10 weaving projects producing
    • 5 Dorset buttons
    • 2 shoelace pairs
    • 1 lanyard
    • 1 belt
    • 1 band
  • crocheted project
    • 1 dishcloth
  • sewn project
    • belt fasteners
• 39 books:
  • 24 audiobooks
  • 11 kindle
  • 4 paper
  • 20 fiction
  • 19 non-fiction, including 12 biography/memoir
• 9 cinema visits
• 3 afternoon teas
• 2 music concerts/festivals
• 2 hair cuts
• 2 cottage breaks
• 2 countries visited

Absolutely no felting done this year due to my frozen shoulder, but I am hopeful to restart in 2026.

My aim was to read as many non-fiction books as fiction this year and read a biography per month, which I achieved. Because I got lazy and stopped walking to work, which used to be prime book listening time, I read a lot less than I’d hoped to.

September 2016 was the last time we went abroad together, so it was nice to get away for Christmas week to Lanzarote.

I have not included a yarn in-v- yarn out breakdown this year, partly because one of the projects I forgot to measure the yarn used, but also it is depressing to see that I am still bringing in more than using, so I am no longer recording it here.

The rest I share 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.)

I thought I would play around with the AI function to create the summary for this post, this was its suggestion for a humorous excerpt. “After a whirlwind of crafts, books, and emotional support chickens, our intrepid yarn warrior finished 48 projects but still gained yarn weight! Who knew knitting could lead to more wool than wearables?” 🤣

After playing around I went with a different AI option and have used an AI generated image for the post! (If you receive this by email you will need to click on the title or Read More and that will open it in a browser and you will see the image.). For those who use WordPress this AI option is available on my desktop, not ipad or phone in case you want to have a play yourself.

Please feel no obligation to read the rest of this post.  Have a very happy 2026.

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Bullet Keys

Reading: 📚 Reading (📖 book 🎧 audiobook)
Crafts: 🧶 knitting (unless crochet specified), 🕸 weaving, 🌀 spinning, 🧵 sewing
Home: 🧹 decluttering, 👩🏻‍🍳 baking, 🌱 gardening, 🛠 DIY, 🦜 parrot
Social: 🎭 theatre, 🎟️ cinema, 🎫 concert, 🏡 holiday rental, 🗺 holiday, 🍽️ meal out, 🚗/🍹 day trip/night out, 🐅 zoo/wildlife park, 🐶dog sitting
Self Care: 👩‍⚕️ medical related, 💇🏼‍♀️ haircut, 👩‍💻job, 🦷 dentist, 📱phone, ⌚watch

January

📚📖 Fiction: (1) A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand, (2) Murder at the Ashmolean by Jim Eldridge.
📚🎧 Fiction:(1) The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose. Biography: (2) I Haven’t Been Entirely Honest with You by Miranda Hart

🧶 DK socks (3×1 rib), Emotional Support Chicken #1 (orange), Emotional Support Chicken #2 (superfine merino), Emotional Support Chicken #3 (Rambouillet and Shetland)
🌀World of Wool 2024 Advent Days 1, 4, 10, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, Polwarth & Bamboo candycane, red merino
🧵 belt from 1st tablet woven project

👩🏻‍🍳 Sourdough crumpets, sourdough poppy seed rolls, trifle

🎟️ Wicked
🗺 3 nights Malmaison in Leith, Edinburgh

• 🐅 Edinburgh Zoo
• Edinburgh Christmas markets and National Gallery
• IKEA
• 🍽️ Malmaison, Society, The Granary, Mimi’s, Pizza Geeks

👩‍⚕️ MIL hospitalised (BIL over from Australia)
👩‍💻 went from 2x6hr days to 3x5hr days

February

📚🎧 Fiction: (3) Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt, (4) Anxious People by Fredrik Blackman, (5) Big Panda & Tiny Dragon by James Norbury, (6) The Journey by James Norbury. Biography: (7) Beserker! An Autobiography by Adrian Edmundson.

🧶 Singing Stones fingerless mittens, Winding Down jumper #2
🕸️ Single shoelace/lanyard holder
🌀 WoW 2024 Advent Day 14, plied Candytuft that was spun in 2024.

👩🏻‍🍳 sourdough crumpets, sourdough granola, world’s heaviest hot cross buns

🎟️ Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
🍽️ Dinner with BIL at Kimberly Inn, Lunch at Highland Farm Cafe, Lunch at Culloden with Guild, Valentine’s Day Afternoon tea at Coull House.

👩‍⚕️ Blood test. MIL still hospitalised
💇🏼‍♀️ Haircut
📱 finally replaced my ancient phone
⌚️ stopped using Fitbit and went back to wrist watch

March

📚📖 Fiction: (3) The Psychopath Next Door by Mark Edwards, (4) Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding (re-read).
📚🎧 Biographies: (8) A Likely Lad by Peter Doherty. Fiction: (9) We Solve Murders by Richard Osman.

🧶 Fisker Cowl in handspun
🕸️ Pink & Plum tablet woven belt, Dorset buttons x 2
🌀 WoW 2024 Advent Days 6, 9 and 18.

👩🏻‍🍳 sourdough crumpets
🌱 Planted rhubarb x 2 and tayberry

🐅 Highland Wildlife Park
🏡 Week at Pier Cottage, Kingairloch Estate
🍽️ Bothy Bar at Strontian Hotel, Ariundle Centre, The Hub, Afternoon tea at Kilcamb Lodge Hotel

👩‍⚕️ MIL discharged from hospital.  I had a cold & cough.
🦷 dentist check-up
👩‍💻 went from 3x5hr days to 3x6hr days

April

📚📖 Fiction: (5) Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (re-read), Non-Fiction: (6) The Mountain Cafe Cookbook: A Kiwi in the Cairngorms
📚🎧 Biography: (10) Never by Rick Astley, (11) A Private Spy: The Letters of John le Carré by David Cornwell/John le Carré and Tim Cornwell, (12) Oh Miriam by Miriam Margolyes

🌀 WoW 2024 Advent Days 2, 7, 21 and 22.

🌱 vegetable seed sowing

🍽️ Nando’s, Mustard Seed

May

📚🎧 Non-Fiction: (13) Good Sugar, Bad Sugar by Allen Carr. Biography: (14) Let’s Do It: The Authorised Biography of Victoria Wood by Jasper Rees

🌀 WoW 2024 Advent Days 3, 8, 11, 13, 23 and 25.
🕸 Red and silver laces

🧹 garage empty boxes and random junk
👩🏻‍🍳 olive oil & herb sourdough, Jostaberry jam, trifle, sourdough granola, sourdough crumpets
🌱 lots of vegetable gardening, pruning conifers, No Mow May

🎟️ Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning
🍽️ Nando’s
🚗 Poolewe Daytrip with Guild

👩‍⚕️ Cold and sinus infection.

June

📚📖 Fiction: (7) Beware the Past by Joy Ellis
📚🎧 Non-Fiction: (15) Atomic Habits by James Clear (re-read), (16) The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins. Biography:  (17) My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner, (18) Ootlin by Jenni Fagan.

🕸️ Orange and blue band
🌀 WoW 2024 Advent days 5 and 24, WoW Taurus blend and WoW Folklore Legacy
🧶 Little Gemstones Shawl

🎫 Paul Young
🎟️ The Salt Path, F1 movie
🍽️ Jammy Piece, Zizzis and Coul House

🦜 Frankie driving me crazy

July

📚📖 Fiction: (8) The Secret Collector by Abigail Johnson
📚🎧 Fiction: (19) Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz, (20) The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz. Biography: (21) Jokes, Jokes, Jokes: My very funny memoir by Jenny Eclair

🌀 Tour de Fleece, including day out to Ullapool with team. Norah’s pink fibres spun
🧶 Dishcloth (crochet)

🚗 Wendy’s Hen Do (Escape Room, Cocktail Course, lunch and drinks.) BBQ at Maxine’s
🐅 Highland Wildlife Park
🍽️ Route 7 Cafe, Afternoon tea at Royal Dornoch Golf Hotel
🎫⛺️ Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival with husband

August

📚📖 Fiction: (9) Cut and Thirst by Margaret Atwood Non-Fiction: (10) Breath by James Nestor Biography: (11) The Long Way Round by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman.
📚🎧 Fiction: (22) Don’t Let Him In by Lisa Jewell

🧶 Coorie in Poncho
🕸️ Large Dorset button kit
🌀 Charollais

🎟️ The Naked Gun
🍽️ Highland Farm Cafe
🐶 Dog sitting Honey for weekend and separate day
🍹 Wendy’s wedding

🛵 Compulsory Basic Training to ride a scooter

September

📚📖 Fiction: (12) Eerie Basin by Ivy Pochoda, (13) Bad Date by Ellery Lloyd

🧶 Dorset button in cotton

🎫 Northern Star Country Music Festival
🍽️ Mustard Seed (and shuffleboard) to celebrate 20th anniversary together, The Ship, The Botanist, The Sound Cafe, Byron Pizza, Creek Inn
🗺 Hetland Hall in Cumbria suite, Parents’ (🐅 Chester Zoo, RHS Bridgewater Gardens, The Ship, breakfast with Susie & Mark, Albert Dock)

🦷 Dentist

October

📚🎧 Biography: (23) Sonny Boy by Al Pacino

🏡 Shee dy Vea in Port Erin, Isle of Man (27th Sept- 5th Oct) (Cregneash, Castle Rushen, Nautical Museum, Malew Churchyard, Rushen Abbey, Langness, Miltown House & Gardens, Grove Museum, Ramsey, Ayres Nature Reserve, Laxey Wheel, Manx Museum, Port St Mary, Old Grammar School, House of Keys, Castletown and Douglas)

Alissa and Bob visiting
🍽️ Cafe Red, Byron’s Pizza, The Sound Cafe, Smoky Sam’s, Derby House, The Tea Junction, Grant Castle Cafe (Saw Princess Anne), Mustard Seed, Tulloch Castle, Conon Bridge Inn
✈️Visiting Sister for nephew’s 21st

🎭 Mark Steel

🦷 Dentist x 2
👩‍⚕️MIL moved into nursing home

November

📚📖 Fiction: (14) Secret of Secrets by Dan Brown
📚🎧Fiction: (24) The Long Shoe by Bob Mortimer

🧶 Little Gemstones cowl
🕸️ Green and blue laces

🎟️ The Running Man, Wicked For Good
🐅 Highland Wildlife Park
🗺 3 nights in Malmaison Leith, Edinburgh

• Giant Lanterns at Edinburgh Zoo
• 🍽️ Domenicos, Mariachi, Clock Cafe, Pizza Al Teatro, Toast
• 🐅 Edinburgh Zoo
• Edinburgh Dungeons
• 🎭 Inside No. 9
• 🎟️ Wicked For Good

December

📚📖 Non-Fiction: (15) Royal Horticultural Society The Garden Almanac 2025
📚🎧 Fiction: Biography:

🧶 Selfish Pullover #2

🍽️ Mustard Seed
🎟️ National Theatre Live: Mrs Warren’s Profession

🎄 Christmas in Lanzarote
🗺 Week at H10 Timanfaya Lanzarote (Tours César Manrique’s cactus garden, home and LagOmar and Volcano tour. Peel massage.)

💇🏼‍♀️ haircut
👩‍⚕️ Physio for back and frozen shoulder

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