Happy New Year!
This is going to be a colorful year. I have already decided that I want to get faster with working with color in my creations this year with multiple yarns, not just colored yarns themselves.
New Year’s Day, I made some attempts at interlocking. That’s where two pieces of mesh are worked together. Interlocking will be revisited when I have some lighter weight yarn. For the patterns that I have in a book, the yarn I have will be too bulky. The swatches did set the wheels in motion and gave me a few ideas of how I could do some similar creations without starting with two pieces of mesh, but one starting base and then adding a second or third color.
Then, the next day, I had an opportunity to go to a day crafting group gathering. While chatting with friends, I made a hat using two colors and figured I could do that more. It was a simple hat, but I want to experiment with more elaborate patterns and incorporate oddballs into my work.
There are a couple of sketches that I made that I will try – they may or may not work. If they do, great, otherwise, they may give me ideas about other things that I want to work on.
For 2025, I am committing to making 12 red scarves and 75 hat and scarf sets.
This will give me the opportunity to make a couple of things for myself. I have an idea what I’d like to make and the yarn, I just haven’t found the right pattern. Let’s not forget the mystery ball afghan that I started working on and the new blanket that I want to make for myself.
Have any of you set crafting goals for the new year? Let me know what you’re planning.
Happy crocheting!
There are a couple of scarves that I want to try again next year. My goal is to improve my craft and not have to rely on the pattern if I have yarn and hooks with me and the pattern isn’t around. No specific numeric goals for the New Year yet, except a dozen red scarves. I’ll see how I feel after getting through Christmas and more home improvement projects.
I’ve been happily crocheting along continuing on my year of free crocheting, deciding to do whatever I want with few goals and it’s been blissful. The most enjoyable part is just trying out or combining different yarns that I already have. The stash down is still on, and for the most part, I haven’t bought much new yarn. It’s been fun! That’s the most important part, I am enjoying what I do.
Pom poms are okay I have nothing against them it’s just whether or not I feel like making one or not. I don’t always feel like it. Generally, once I weave in the ends, it’s finished. If I decide to add a topper – there are a few more steps. Making the winding the yarn for the pom pom, cutting it, securing the strands then attaching it. Not much, but more than weaving in ends – especially if the project uses one yarn. I’ll add a pom pom to the top if I think the yarn that I use will make a good pom pom. Some yarns don’t do well or I don’t think they would they might come apart especially if they’re two a twisted yarn which might not work so well.
But I have been working on red scarves earlier than usual and so far I have five completed and a another is one of my current WIPs (work in progress).To date I’ve completed 25 sets, five red scarves, four hats and have rediscovered yarn that I had forgotten from my stash. This is giving me an opportunity to use up yarns that I like or didn’t dislike enough to purge or give away but dislike enough that I probably won’t purchase again. I’ve also been playing with color a bit more which is a way of stretching two smaller amounts of yarn that I have. Crochet liberation!
As I close out the third month of my free form maker year and using up yarn in my stash (well, mostly), I have been trying new things. I have this yarn that I purchased it is a bulky weight not too too bulky but still too bulky to use a 6 ½ mm hook. So, I tried using a 7 mm which was frustrating to use, then I choose a random wooden hook that I have with no size on it. I think I bought it at a thrift store because I don’t recall using it on a project before but it looks like it’s been used, but still in good shape. I started using that hook and since it’s the first time using it, my tension is okay but I like how it’s working out with the project.
I’ve made quite a few sets, only two red scarves so far this year but the goal is 12 which can be completed easily by the end of the year. I’m definitely making a big dent in the yarn that I have and using up my stash. To date, my sole purchase from Temu has been yarn. I purchased enough to make three or four scarves a few months ago. I made a scarf with it and liked the yarn. However, there were several knots in the small skein which put me off from using it. Generally, I’m not the type to rewind skeins of yarn but the knots irritated me enough to impede my flow and make me not want to use the yarn. I rewound two skeins, untying the knots when I came across them, then rejoined the ends using the Russian join. Ahhh! I was back in business and enjoyed the yarn once again.
When I have little bits left over, I have been adding to my mystery ball, soon I may have enough to make a set or at least an interesting, fun scarf. The plan is to combine the mystery ball with black or a dark gray for an interwoven look.
The final tally for 2023 was:
