Year NINE: Self-Imposed Year of Projects - THAT'S A WRAP (End of Year)

Happy End of 2020....the year that lasted a decade. Don't let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya! 

Let's take a look at my Year of Projects for 2020. This year started out with so much potential....and just look where we ended up. Regardless, this is going to be a photo-heavy post. Just a warning before we get started. Also, all project links go to Ravelry. If Ravelry is not a safe place for you, do not click the links. 

Okay, that's out of the way. Let's see what happened this year!

FOs (Finished Objects)

1. Ewetopia Stripey Socks: started 15 November 2018; finished 29 January 2020
2. Tiny Turtle: started 7 November 2019; finished 30 January 2020
3. Mirkwood: started 9 February 2020; finished 17 February 2020
4. Campfire Socks: started 17 October 2018; frogged 9 April 2020
5. Sockhead: started 8 January 2020; finished 25 May 2020
6. Baby Yoda: started 14 March 2020; finished 13 June 2020
7. Abracadabra Socks: started 7 August 2018; finished 18 June 2020
8. Multi-Colored Merino Top (Viktor): started 16 January 2019; finished 30 June 2020
9. Oread Hat (test knit): started 2 July 2020; finished 11 July 2020
10. Prototype Something Something Raindrops: started 11 April 2019; finished 18 July 2020
11. Rose City Rollers: started 18 June 2020; finished 4 August 2020
12. Prototype Something Something (worsted): started 5 September 2020; finished 6 September 2020
13. Prototype Something Something cowl: started 11 September 2020; finished 17 October 2020
14. Basic Fingerless Mitts: started 6 September 2020; finished 19 November 2020
15. Come Sail Away: started 17 October 2020; finished 22 December 2020
16. Milo: started 22 December 2020; finished

 

Sixteen projects finished. That's it. Sixteen. There have been years where I've finished over forty projects (not last year - last year was just eleven projects). This year was not that year. And given everything that's gone on over this year that lasted a decade, I'm going to just have to be okay with what I finished. And really, I'm not that fussed about it. I made things, I made progress on things, and I did other things. It's fine. 

 

My first FO of the year was my Ewetopia Stripey Socks. I actually wear them quite often and they are showing their wear. The halo and color loss is pretty amazing to see, actually. They are well-loved socks in my arsenal. I bought the yarn ages ago, when we lived in Wisconsin. I can actually remember buying it at Wisconsin Sheep & Wool. The stall was in the back of one of the barns, near the door and the light hit it just right and it yelled at me to take it home. So, that definitely happened. I thought about destashing the yarn for awhile but decided not to. I do remember working on them when we flew to Washington (state) for a wedding and I remember deciding to put in contrast heels/toes. Regardless, they are well-loved socks that have faded with use.

My second FO for 2020 was a tiny turtle. It honestly should not have taken me as long as it did to complete this little thing. The problem was that I dropped a stitch during decreases and couldn't find it so I wound up frogging the whole thing and then I didn't start over for quite awhile. That's the only reason why it took me from November until January to finish. It's cute. I still need to make the second one. Maybe in 2021...

After that, I finished the Mirkwood Hat. I had started this hat at least once before and got frustrated with it. I wound up frogging it and using the yarn for something else. It's the same stitch pattern as her Smaug Hat but this is supposed to be done for the length of the hat, which is fine (or maybe it's the other way around)...but how she has everything written just didn't make sense, even the second time around. So, I kind of made a mix of Smaug & Mirkwood. It wound up being Stormageddon's hat. It was supposed to fit an adult.....but no, that didn't happen. He doesn't seem too upset, though, does he? Once I figured out what I was doing, it was a super quick knit. I think it took me maybe a week...maybe.

In April, I frogged my Campfire Socks. They were lovely and squishy socks but the yarn decided it wanted to be something else. They were going to be lovely socks...but alas, it was not to be. I was also worried about running out of yarn (but when am I not worried about that?).

I feel like maybe frogging the socks was some sort of palette cleanser type thing. In May, I finished another hat that fit Stormageddon...and it was supposed to fit an adult. ::sigh:: I just had a lot of trouble with hats this year. I set out to make hats for friends and wound up giving them to my kids. Oh well. He still wasn't upset. This one is a Sockhead. My CO was for 120 sts, which should have fit an adult. Maybe. Clearly that didn't happen. Oh well.

In June, I shipped off a Baby Yoda Sweater to my brother and sister-in-law. My sister-in-law confessed that she's never watched Star Wars. I may have to disown her. At least my brother has seen it. Mr. T came along not long after I shipped this sweater. He should be able to fit in it at this point, which is good because it's cold in Wisconsin in the winter. I tried to use the yarn called for in the pattern and while I could find the green, I couldn't find the brown. I did find the brown in the worsted weight version, instead of the bulky that the pattern called for....so I bought it and held it double. It worked fine.

My Abracadabra Socks took a ridiculously long time to finish. They took almost two years from CO to BO and that's ridiculous for a pair of socks that aren't even all that long. I think part of it was that it turns out I didn't like the yarn I used for the contrast cuffs/heels. It makes my feet sweat. I've since gotten rid of that yarn. I was well into the first sock by the time I figured out I didn't like the contrast yarn. Oops. I'm stubborn so they were eventually finished. And I do wear them, though usually just around the house because they make my feet too hot. They're great when my feet are really cold, though.

Once I finished up the Abracadabra Socks, I thought it was time my wheel had a little fun. I brought out Viktor to clear some bobbins for Tour de Fleece. Honestly, I did not do well during TdF this year. The only thing I managed to finish was this spinning project, which I started in January 2019, which means it should have run through TdF 2019 as well...and I still didn't finish. Soooo, I'm not quite sure what that says about me or my spinning. Regardless, I finished up this spinning project. I wound up with about 380 yds of what is probably an Aran weight yarn, though I do have some that is going to need Andean-plying at some point. I've not done it yet. It was a merino top ball of roving I bought from Mielke Fibers during Wisconsin Sheep & Wool many moons ago. It's probably been hanging out in my stash since.....2011ish. I bought it after I bought Viktor but before we moved to California so it would have to be 2011. Viktor came home in February 2011 and we moved in June 2012 (before Wisconsin Sheep & Wool 2012). 

In July, the frogged yarn from the Campfire Socks told me what it wanted to be, just in time to catch a testing call for a hat. The Oread Hat is a little short for me. I was not making row gauge, which this pattern does rely on to a point. I have two kids that will wear it though, so, again, I'm not terribly fussed about my third hat fail of the year...because it's not really a fail if someone can use it, right? The yarn was still delightful to work with. I think I have some leftover, too, which is hanging out in my bag(s) of partials for baby hats and colorwork and all that.

Underneath the hat in the above photo, you catch a glimpse of my next FO, which I've not really given a name to so it's just been called the Prototype Something Something Rainbows cowl. I made this using a mostly intact skein of Shalimar Yarns Breathless that I had left after making a stuffed hippo for Husband's oldest niece in 2012...I maybe used 40 yds from the skein for that project so I had almost the full skein to work with, which was perfect. I think I still have some left, honestly. Regardless, this is a delightful cowl. It's not too tight, not too long, squishy...but since we're in a pandemic and I never get to go very far for very long, I've not really worn it much. Oh well. There's time. I do intend to write the pattern for this at some point but I'm still working out some kinks. ::sigh::

 

My Rose City Rollers were....unexpected. I had heard of them, they weren't really in my wheelhouse...but then I saw a bunch of people had been knitting them and I thought that maybe I could use a pair of these shorty socks. I love them and I think I'm going to have to make many more pairs. I used some leftover yarn from my Smooth Operator Socks (which Little Man confiscated and has since already outgrown!). I still have some of that yarn leftover, too. I got two pairs of socks out of that yarn! And it's a workhorse yarn, which is delightful. I've gotten a lot of wear out of these socks. Because they're short, I can wear them in the summer and not be overwhelmed with foot heat. But, they're still wool so they've been delightful as the weather has gotten cooler, as well. I think I'm going to have to make a few more pairs of these. Also, they only took me a couple of months to make, which is unusual for socks...but they're short so they're faster!

After I finished up the short socks, I started on a couple of cowls. Remember that pink cowl above? Yeah, I decided I needed to make a worsted weight version, followed by a (different) sock yarn version. The worsted weight version is just a regular cowl, rather than an infinity one that can be wrapped multiple times. It's delightfully squishy but I don't know if it's something I will truly wear or not. A pandemic is not the time to make long-term wardrobe choices, apparently. So, I have it and it's finished and we'll see how it fits into my wardrobe later. The bonus is that it's a fairly quick knit because it's using worsted weight yarn. 

After that, I finished up another sock yarn version...but this one didn't go as planned. It's not as tall as the original one, which means my row gauge was a bit off. I also intended it to be wrapped twice and I'm not quite sure it does that. Maybe on a kid but not so well on me, and I made it for me because I'm selfish that way sometimes. So, this may wind up going to one of my nieces as a present in the future. I really did enjoy working with the yarn, however, and I'm glad there's some leftover for other things. 

I picked up the kit for these fingerless mitts awhile ago (Vogue Knitting Live in San Francisco in 2018, I believe). I wasn't sure about the colors but I really like how they turned out. Buuuuut, they were gifted the day I finished weaving in the ends and I had to steal a photo from the recipient, which is fine. I wasn't sure about the single-ply either, but it worked out well. I think if I make these again, I'll use regular sock yarn instead of a single-ply. But the recipient was delighted with them, which was the point! They also fit her better than they fit me.

My almost-last FO for the year was, of course, the Come Sail Away baby blanket. I finished it just a week or so ago...okay, maybe it was closer to 10 days. Whatever. I just finished it. I did it as written and prayed that it would grow a bit when I washed/blocked (which it did). It turned out really cute although I'm frustrated with my edging. Part of it carried yarn up the side when I was switching between skeins and I forgot to slip the first stitch of each row so the edging is a little wonky. That's my own fault but it still turned out really well. This is a closeup of the boat pattern. My FO photo has a bunch of ends sticking out (because I hadn't clipped them at that point). Oh well. But this shows the detail, at least.

I managed to sneak in one last FO for the year! I was kind of surprised but it went really quickly (it helps that it was the 3-6 month size). I started it on 22 December and it took just a week to knit, which is delightful. I also used up that one final skein of madelinetosh Tosh DK that was left after I finished the blanket. It was all just kind of perfect. Unfortunately, it's still drying and I haven't woven in the ends yet so the best photo you'll get is the one I took right after it was finished. It's a little wonky because I had literally just finished it...

After all that, we're left with my Works-In-Progress.....and maybe we shouldn't talk about those but we're going to anyway because that's how I roll. Also, it's an excuse to take photos of everything for once. I somehow manage to not do that sometimes. 

This is how my WIP list looks at the end of 2020:

WIPs (Works-in-Progress) (These are carried over year to year if needed):

1. Wink: started 5 January 2015
2. Shetland Neck Wool (support spindle): started 8 September 2017
3. Returning: started 14 January 2018
4. Faerie Mountain Fibers Crazy Batt (EEW Mini): started 13 April 2018
5. Granny Square Blanket: started 28 April 2018
6. UW Ski Hat: started 11 July 2018
7. Purl & Loop Weaving Project: started 28 August 2018
8. Herbivore: started 15 November 2018
9. Linen Stitch Scarf: started 2 June 2020
10. Greenwood Fiberworks Dark BFL (Viktor): started 28 June 2020
11. Vanilla Socks: started 9 August 2020
12. Minecraft Socks: started 12 August 2020

To be honest, this is pretty good for me, even though some have been going for awhile. There have been times when I've had almost twenty WIPs going. The fact that I only have twelve going right now is pretty good. 

My oldest WIP is, of course, my Wink Sweater. My weight has fluctuated over the course of this project, as it is wont to do. I chose the largest size on purpose, knowing that my weight would fluctuate. I wanted a cardigan that will still be a little big on me when I finish, hopefully. When I started this project, Stormageddon was just a wee thing. It was a project that I couldn't sit and work on with small children running around. Now that the boys are older, I can pull this out and work on it, except that I really haven't done that very often. Maybe 2021 is the year I finish this cardigan? Only time will tell, I suppose.

 

 

My second-oldest project is a spinning project. To be fair, spinning on a spindle is not my jam, even if I'm using a supported spindle (which I like better than drop spindles). It's not a bad project, but it's a spindle project, and that's just not the kind of spinning I do. I'm too stubborn to call it, though. 

My Returning Shawl has been hanging out for awhile. I'm dithering on it right now because part of me just wants to keep it one color, part of me wants to do two instead of three colors, and part of me just wants to frog it and call it good. So, I'm stuck. I haven't worked on this in awhile. I'm not even sure if I have the right number of stitches at this point to begin the lace edging. ::sigh:: Maybe I should start at that point? 

 

 The Faerie Mountain Fibers Crazy Batt is another spinning project, but this one is on my Electric Eel Wheel Mini. I like the idea of an electric wheel and this one is tiny and the price was right (I think I paid $80 into the Kicstarter and got the wheel, seven bobbins, and some "extra" accessories in case it decided to go kaput at some point). I just need to find a space to work with this wheel as it's small and needs a flat surface so it doesn't try to bounce away (as it is, I still need to affix it to a book so it doesn't walk while I'm using it). There's nothing wrong with this project, other than taking the wheel out to work...and I'm lazy about that so I've not worked on it in awhile. 

The Granny Square Blanket is an on-going project. I think I bought a total of 7 or 8 cakes of the yarn, which should yield at least 48 squares, maybe more. I'm just kind of working through it here and there. I have no idea how many finished squares I actually have right now. I know the project page photo shows fourteen squares but I'm pretty sure I have at least double that. Maybe. I honestly don't know. Regardless, it's chugging along in the background. The majority of the finished squares are in a space saver bag in my yarn closet somewhere and I'll have to dig them out eventually so I can figure out how many I have and how big the blanket will actually be. 

The UW Ski Hat is also an ongoing project. I have to spend time deciphering the chart row-by-row before I can actually knit so I usually spend time just with the chart, and then I'll knit a few rounds. The chart is super tiny, which is why I can't just knit and read the chart. It's already on 11x17 paper (which is roughly A4) but it's still really tiny. I have to be in the right mood to work on this project. 

 

My next WIP is a weaving project - the only one I have. I bought the little sample loom at Stitches West a few years ago because I've been toying with getting an inkle loom or otherwise learning to do some weaving (backstrap, tablet, and inkle looms are my best current best bet)...I thought this would be a good way to use up some stash as well as get a feel for weaving. I'm not sure this is something for me. I don't like that everything is flat and it's hard to wiggle the yarn through but I do like the process of weaving, which is good, I suppose. We'll see how things go with this one.

 

Then we get back to some knitting. I started Herbivore when I went home two years ago for my bestie's dad's funeral. I had to restart it at some point because I couldn't figure out where I was. But now I'm just going along fine. The rows are getting longer but it's a pretty easy project to work on. I have no idea how big I'm going to make it. I hope to make it as large as I can with the skein of yarn I have. I could also add a contrasting color and make it even bigger. We'll see how it progresses. It's a fun project but I do have to pay attention. 

 

I started a scarf in linen stitch over the summer. I had a skein of Red Heart that I won at the Stitches West PJ Party earlier this year (it was like the last large group event I was at in 2020). I knew it was going to become some sort of infinity scarf and I've been pondering doing some sort of linen stitch scarf for awhile. So, those ideas met and here we are. It's a relatively mindless project, which is nice when I'm watching TV with the boys. 

 

At the end of Tour de Fleece, I started a new braid of delightful BFL from Greenwood Fiberworks. I have two bobbins spun and all I need to do is ply them. The bobbin has been sitting on my wheel for a hot minute but I just haven't sat down to do the plying. The bobbin in question was made by Husband on the 3D printer. One of these days I'll get around to plying......I think. 

I started another pair of vanillaish socks in August. I had this Zauberball for awhile and even though it's single spun, I think it will work for socks. Or, at least, that's the plan. I've just recently done the heel flap on the first sock. The only problem I have with these socks is that I have to work in natural or extra bright light. Apparently my eyes are getting old and they don't like dark yarn in the dark. Who knew?

 

My last WIP is the Minecraft socks.I started them for Little Man with the intention of getting them back after he outgrew them...but his feet are already bigger than mine! I should make this my prime knitting because his feet are only going to get bigger. Regardless, he tends to like my handknit socks, even if they take forever to make. He keeps trying to wear the Smooth Operator Socks that he stole. They were too small for me and, at the time, they fit him...but now he's outgrown them and he keeps trying to wear them anyway. Now that the baby knitting is done, I might be able to make these my main project for the beginning of the year. We'll see how things go.

Thus ends the important part of my Self-Imposed Year of Projects. All that were left were my lists of things I kind of maybe wanted to do or accomplish or even work on....

OMFGLSGWTFBBQ Lists

Design WIPs:
1. Messed Up Moss: started March 2009 - write pattern as PDF (iterations: first, second)
2. Susan's Hat: started 31 August 2010 - need new prototypes & write the pattern (iterations: first, second, third, mini, fifth, sixth)
3. Little Man's Baby Blanket: started July 2010 - need new prototype & write pattern (iteration: here)
4. Chunky Scarf: started 6 October 2012 - need new prototype & write pattern (iteration: here)
5. Pacific Waves Hat: started 9 March 2016 - need new prototype & write the pattern (iterations: first, second, third)
6. Fall in San Francisco: started 18 September 2016 - need new prototype & write pattern (iterations: first, second)
7. Stomping Grounds Collection: started 26 February 2017 - need prototypes & write patterns
8. Unnamed Hat Design: started 14 August 2017 - need various weight yarn prototypes & write pattern (iterations: first, second)
9. Paradiddle Socks: started 19 October 2017 - write pattern (iteration: here)

Children's Items:
1. Oliver for Stormageddon (worsted weight - Stunning String Studio from Stitches West 2018) - I may change this to a different sweater using the same yarn
2. Honey Badger: (worsted weight - black & white acrylic I have banging around the stash)*
3. Mittens for Stormageddon (worsted weight probably)
4. I Love Stockinette Baby Bibs (worsted - cotton, acrylic, something)

Items for ME (Selfish Knitting FTW!):

1. Autopilot (worsted weight - Sincere Sheep Cormo Worsted or htNEVELE Worsted in Reveire)

2. Rose's Wrist Warmers (DK weight - using Aran instead; hand-dyed Malabrigo Twist?)

3. Perianth (fingering weight - Knitcircus Trampoline in The Whole Enchilada)

4. Pembroke Scarf (fingering weight - Fresh From the Cauldron Schoodic Sock in Sookie)

5. Flax (worsted weight - Misty Alpaca in the Harry Potter colors)

6. Park Slope (fingering weight - Mountain Fibers Crazyfoot in Shamrock)

7. Socks (fingering weight - I have tons...pick something!)

8. Washcloths/chewcloths (worsted weight - cotton)

9. Sockhead (fingering - I have tons...pick something!)

10. Age of Brass & Steam (Handspun purple/white barber pole)

Designs:

1. Christmas Stocking for Husband

2. Christmas Stocking for Little Man

3. Christmas Stocking for Stormageddon

4. Baby Blanket

Spinning:

1. Wonderland Dyeworks BFL

2. Mixed BFL

3. Allons-Y Fiber Arts Merino, Trilobal Nylon, Silk

4. Alpaca (from Lambtown 2014)

5. Fiberlady.com 100% Bamboo 

Dyeing:

1. Sock Blanks
2. Skeins of sock yarn

3. Anything else I find along the way

Other Fibery Endeavors:

1. Create project bag inventory

2. Update library inventory (on Ravelry) *in progress*

3. Update stash inventory (on Ravelry) *needs to be redone*

4. Stitch marker kits

5. Destash as necessary

6. Stash Fit

 

 

Sooooo.....these were the lists of "things I should/want to do" and, as you can see, I didn't get very far, which is perfectly fine. I discovered over the last nine years that I need to have choices or I wind up paralyzed with indecision. And, let's be honest, this year was kind of a mess all around so the fact that I have this much left isn't all that surprising. 

 

Clearly I've not found my balance yet. I don't know that 2021 will be my year for that or not. Time will tell, I suppose.

 

 

 

Thus ends my ninth Self-Imposed Year of Projects. I'll be back on Sunday, pending I can get myself together by then, for a shiny new Self-Imposed Year of Projects. My TENTH year. Sounds a little crazy, if you ask me. 

 

I hope you've enjoyed the ride!