looking back on 2016!

December 31, 2016 by 5 Comments

I can’t say that 2016 was my best year but there were some great times too, and the not-so-good times ended up making me a stronger person so I can’t really complain.  The New Year’s resolution I made last year to make a certain number of projects in 2016 was blown out of the water; I made WAY more stuff than in 2015, and put out some patterns too!  Below is a gallery of my finished objects (there are some that are complete for the most part but haven’t been blocked or still have ends that are unwoven, so I don’t count them as finished although they certainly took up a bunch of time!), followed by a gallery of life moments as well:

Ribbed Waffle Hat #2 – 153 yds of Lion Brand Wool Ease in Cranberry
Ribbed Waffle Hat #3 – 153 yds of Lion Brand Wool Ease in Avocado (will make a yellow pom-pom so it’s John Deere colors, for my husband’s younger brother)
Lace Rib Hat – 105 yds of Lion Brand Wool Ease in Gold, will probably add a furry pompom
Ribbed Waffle Hat #4 – 153 yds of Lion Brand Wool Ease in Ranch Red
Ribbed Waffle Hat #5 – 154 yds of Berroco Vintage in 5176

I think I forgot to take photos of a hat that I didn’t end up liking, but other than that I think that’s everything that’s fully complete! On to the moments that I posted about here:

photos from http://www.knitpicks.com
The steel hook & regular Clover Amour crochet hook sets
With Sifu Fong at the first seminar
Doing the butterfly sword vs dragon staff demo at the Moon Festival with my friend (staff was knocked down at this point)
With my very talented training partner and friend at the 2nd seminar (cropped short to hide her name on her certificate)

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, really!  I just realized how much less I posted about my personal life in 2016 in relation to projects.  I’ll try and post more life events next year.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I wish you all a happy New Year!  Let’s do our best to make 2017 amazing!

Filed Under: crochet, knitting, other hobbies Tagged With: , , , ,

first FO of 2016 & some yarny resolutions!

January 4, 2016 by 14 Comments

Happy happy new year!  I hope you all had a great holiday season and are off to a great start in 2016!

The FO:

It took less than a month to complete this (but still longer than I thought).  It’s Purl Soho’s No-Purl Ribbed Scarf, which was really fun to make, and as you can guess by the title there are no purl stitches!  I used 3 whole skeins of Malabrigo Rios (worsted, 100% merino) in the 850 Archangel colorway:

IMG_5047

The scarf is over 6″ long and SUPER cushy, thanks to the luxurious yarn in combination with the textured stitch.

Question though.  This looks like brioche knitting, which I haven’t tried before.  I know it’s not, but how can you tell the difference just by looking?

The yarny resolutions:

  • I will try REALLY really hard not to buy more yarn until I basically run out (or unless someone asks me to make something specific for them that I don’t already have yarn for); my stash is ridiculously huge and there’s more yarn on the way from online post-Christmas sales.  Chris is concerned that I’ll need another piece of furniture to hold it all, and I’m already taking up a small desk and the bottom of a small hutch.  Maybe I should resolve to find a cheap large secondhand dresser or armoire…  Anyone know of a good place to look?  Maybe Ikea…
  • I’m going to create & write up some crochet patterns (ideas include a convertible hat, more zippered clutches, 3 different kinds of cowls, a pillow in the shape of a beloved anime character, and one idea that nobody’s ever made before as far as I know; I can’t wait to share with you)!
  • I want to make more FOs this year than my 24 of 2015, even if it’s just by 1!
  • This year I’ll make Christmas projects GALORE.  For realizes, all my family & friends will be getting some cool crocheted items, and I’m gonna start as early as seems reasonable… maybe August?  Ugh, that already seems to early…

Did you make any crafty resolutions?  What are yours?

Thanks for stopping by, see you soon!

Filed Under: knitting Tagged With: , , , , ,
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