Twenty-twenty may not have been what you wanted it to be. The new year may not be better, at least right away. Or it may be the same. There were many disruptions in our routines and for some it was very difficult. There were places I wanted to go and couldn’t but I was still safe at home. In March, a friend asked me if I had enough yarn to keep me occupied. I laughed. I did and much of that yarn carried me though the year. Some is earmarked for other projects or isn’t working stash. In the past few weeks I purchased some yarn to use for part of my 2021 goals. In the new year, I’m looking forward to crocheting and making things to give away, hopefully I can crochet in various locales like the park or other places, if not, I’m content to crochet safely in my house as I did for much of 2020.

This New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2020 there’s the opportunity to stay safely at home without making excuses for not wanting to go out. I’ve made a casserole and will do what I have been doing in the evenings for the past few months, sitting at home and crocheting, except tomorrow I don’t have to go to work and probably won’t go for a walk because it will likely be too cold. Nevertheless, the new yarn I’ve acquired gives me hope that more people will have something warm to wear in the future.

There is already a lot of pressure that 2021 has to be great, fantastic and “can’t be any worse than 2020.” Instead, remember that we can still be good, generous, kind and loving to ourselves and others. Regardless of what the calendar says: continue to care.

Happy Crocheting and Happy New Year!

Officially, I met my goals for 2020 on October 31. The 2020 goal was 15 afghans 40 scarves and 15 sets. I also made a few hats out of oddballs of yarn and then… I made some hats to accompany some of the scarves that I made. Then, I started reclaiming my craft room, as well as various nooks and crannies where I stash finished objects. So far, fifteen afghans, sixteen scarves and thirty eight hat and scarf sets have been donated. Several of those sets were new, though I just made hats to go with some of the scarves.

The beauty of working with yarn that doesn’t have a dye lot is that it’s easy to make a coordinating item or incorporate some of the original color into a hat to make something with stripes or a color block. There are a few unmatched hats and scarves that are going to be donated but I am thinking of working right up to the end of the year since it gets colder in January and many donations are made Christmas time and there’s a lull afterward though the need still remains.

The new goal is to make 10 additional hats by the end of the year so I’ll have 16 hats and 16 scarves to give. In my search, I found six hats that didn’t match any scarves just waiting to go somewhere and have already made 5 more so 16 hats is achievable.

These smaller goals make me think what should I do for next year? Fifty sets may be an ambitious goal and I may make a couple of afghans to donate for the future. That’s about one a week. Can it be done – will there be enough interest and variety in projects? It’s easy to try new techniques when I’m working on smaller projects or improve old ones. There are still a few weeks left in 2020 and maybe 50 sets and 20 scarves might be the stretch goal for 2021 or it might not be ambitious enough. Only time will tell, though I have been shopping for yarn lately and taking advantage of some of the holiday sales so new yarn, new projects. In the meantime, I’m still working away and making hats because we haven’t even begun winter in Chicago.

Happy crocheting!

Work, walk, crochet, read that’s about how my days go.  The safest option is to stay at home, crochet and watch movies.

The election is over now it seems like we can all breathe. There’s not much else to do – COVID-19 cases are increasing daily and we have a stay home advisory in Illinois, people are suggested not to go to any gatherings in large groups. Most activities are cancelled or postponed anyway.

On Halloween I met my 2020 goal of 40 scarves, 15 sets and 15 afghans. The other day I noticed that I have cleared out a small space near my favorite chair in the living room. Since I’ve finished the last of my goals – 15 afghans and it’s getting cold, I’ve been making more hats and scarves. A few weeks ago, I thought I had gotten to the creative portion of my stashbusting. I haven’t even gotten close to finishing all the working stash yarn that I have; closer than in March, but there’s a bit more still available. There is a brown fleck merino yarn that I have a lot of, and it’s been making the rounds in projects. I didn’t like it, set it aside but blended with other yarns it’s very nice.

Reviewing the collection

Now what? I’m making a few more sets to donate. Since Halloween I’ve made more sets and gone through the scarves to see if there are some oddballs that I can match up to make a coordinating hat.  I’ve found a few and made a couple of coordinating hats. For yarns that have no dye lot this works well, or I or use a similarly colored yarn. I’ve finished 21 planned sets and with the additional hats I’ve made; they bring up the total to 23 sets. I had enough left from a couple of previous projects to make similarly designed hats in the same yarn. The stitch pattern may not be the same so there’s enough yarn to complete the project. There are another couple of hats that will be inspired by scarves with closely matching colors. Then there’s the giant Caron Anniversary Cake that hasn’t been touched yet.

This gives me an idea for next year’s goals… Stay tuned.

Happy Thanksgiving and keep crocheting!

I’ve found a way to use up more yarn from my stash – using two strands at a time. I’ve mentioned before that I like using worsted weight yarn. What I hadn’t considered was using two DK or sock weight yarns to make something. I’ve used two or three strands or worsted weight yarn together. Even using a larger hook I got tired of it, my hand would cramp and the project would be too stiff or too loose when I used a larger hook.

This doesn’t happen when two lightweight strands are combined. I hadn’t thought about using DK or sock weight together – mainly because I don’t have a lot of those in my stash. I’ve used sock weight and worsted together for give a little hint of color in a wrap but why not for a project on its own? As I continue on my stash busting quest, I’ve found some lighter weight yarns that I won, was gifted or purchased [because I liked it and had little intention of using it]. Now those yarns have taken center stage since I want to use most of what I have before adding more.

Why hadn’t I done this before? It was easy to go to buy another skein or two of yarn to try or buy a color that caught my eye. Since January, the only yarn that I have bought was for a gift and the novelty of a Caron Anniversary Cake because it’s so gigantic. I’m purging as I go as well, there are yarns that I thought I’d like and don’t or that I find too difficult to crochet. Someone else may like it. I’ve happened upon some fun yarns at thrift stores, likely because people just didn’t like them. When it’s time to buy more yarn, I will consider purchasing some DK weight yarns to combine and make more colorful scarves.

I’ve always known that you could combine two strands or yarn. Combining two strands of worsted is like working with a bulky and that’s cumbersome after a while. A quick search on the internet will tell you that combining two lighter weight yarns will make an equivalent heavier one, though it may depend on the yarn manufacturer and your gauge.

Two strands of lace weight together equal a DK or Sport weight
Two strands of fingering or baby weight equal a DK / light worsted weight
Two strands of DK equal a worsted weight or Aran
Two strands of worsted equal a chunky/bulky

There is still the issue of dropping stitches by not pulling both loops through the hook. With two worsted weight yarns this seems to be a greater issue but not as much with the finer yarns. The thought of using such fine yarn on its own never appealed to me, just as I don’t like using super bulky. Two lighter yarns together, now I’m onto something. When I’m adding more yarn to my stash in a few months, I will consider acquiring some sock and sport weight yarns to the fold not just to look at but to actually use and add more color to my work.

Why stop with combining two of the same weight to equal a heavier weight? Why not use a lace weight with a solid worsted to add color? With yarns ranging from cobweb to jumbo, the only limitations will be SABLE (Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy) getting in the way and the limit of your funds.

Happy crocheting!

Though football season has resumed, those are not calls but the number of completed projects. The goal for the year was 15 hat and scarf sets, 40 scarves and 15 afghans. Six and one could also be added to 15, 37 and 14 – six adult hats and one baby hat. One goal down and two to go. The hats were just bonus items because I didn’t have enough of the same yarn to make anything larger than a hat.

Fifteen hat and scarf sets are ready to be donated.

Some yarn I’m reserving for hats and scarves, mainly because there’s more yarn than needed for just a scarf – even in a pattern that uses a lot of yarn. For now, I have met the goal… though I may make more. There are still three months left in the year and time to make more scarves and finish the 15th afghan. The scarf goal is on it’s way to completion – only three scarves to make and as the days are getting shorter there’s more time to crochet.

I’ve even started working on a project for myself after a lot of researching, planning, gauge swatch, more planning and math. The only thing that was constant with that project which I’ve had the yarn for since last Christmas was the yarn itself!

I’m heading toward the finish line and may add more finished items in overtime!

Stay tuned…

Happy crocheting!

Time flies when you are crocheting…

The mini goal of 10 scarves was completed with a few bonus items. I used up more yarn from the stash, dyed some yarn and made another set.  Eleven scarves completed in August as well as a set that started as a scarf and two scarves in progress as of August 31.

August’s mini goal also gave me a chance to take a break from working on afghans. The almost immediacy of completing a project is fun especially now when most of the things that I like to do in the warmer months like movies and concerts in the park have been cancelled. Many previous posts from the summer show me posting what I worked on during the outdoor events. Sheltering in place will definitely boost the number of items that are added to the donation bags. Some yarns, I combine such as a dk and sock weight to make a colorful combination or if I don’t like them at all I will just add those yarns to the donation bag. Someone might like them and it’s contributing to the stashdown.

September makes me think of school starting and whether it’s remote, hybrid or in person regardless of the venue some things never change. In the Midwest, September means that fall is not far behind. I saw a Facebook promotion for Foster Care to Success with a student promoting the organization’s Red Scarf Project. I keep this organization in mind during the year and will just take out a few of the red/burgundy scarves to send to them. This is something that is constant – or at least has been for the past few years.

The only thing that appeared to be normal during the sheltering in place has been crocheting. I’ve gotten into a routine with reading which was automatically built into my day when I commuted to work. Now I will read a bit after work while listening to music or for a few minutes before falling asleep. When I worked closer to home I was able to walk, now I devote a portion of my day to getting some activity in – either walking or some other exercise so I’m not just sitting at the computer all day.

Crocheting always fit into my day – a few minutes before bed or during lunch or during an intermission or pre-concert talk. That was in the before time. Now it’s crocheting while watching a movie or the baseball game. There’s more time to crochet since there’s more time at home. More time to crochet, means more time to make things to donate, and more opportunities to help those in need.

Happy crocheting!

My new routine includes going for a walk which is a way to be more mobile, since I work on the computer for hours each day and then read for a bit. There’s no walking to from public transportation to the office. My route varies and I enjoy seeing the flowers and little free libraries that are decorated in different designs. I also check out the offerings in the boxes to see if there is anything I’d like to read. My walks have also become inspirational, not just in the spiritual sense of taking a break and movement as a way of relieving stress, but inspirational as in seeing the different colors in nature or art installations that give me ideas on how to combine different colors in scarves and afghans from my stash.

Hibiscus, lilies, peonies, impatiens, the lake, bushes, mosaics and murals are some of the things I notice when I go walking; not just the wonderful fragrance of the flowers and greenery but the vibrant colors. Then when I come home and look at what colors I have and can combine. Even if I don’t have the same colors to replicate what I’ve seen, ideas come to me. Until recently, since the beginning of the pandemic, the only yarn that I purchased was for a friend’s gift. A few days ago, I ordered some natural wool because I didn’t have any and needed some for a dyeing project and didn’t want to pay shipping on my order. This means that colors I would not have normally put together have been combined.

For August, I set the mini-goal of 10 scarves. I’m getting to the interesting color combination phase of my crafting. there are some yarns that I was given and can incorporate those colors with what I have. Even looking at some of the multicolored yarns with abrupt color changes gives me ideas of color combinations.

Planning isn’t really that involved especially for a scarf. This is how the conversation in my head goes: “Not enough of this and not enough of that? Well, let’s put them together and see how it looks!” This happened when I combined two green multis to make a scarf. In the photo, the light section in the dark ombre looks white but it’s a light mint. The yarn was leftover from another project and it was too much to add to a black/multi ball and not enough for a scarf or hat on its own. In one of the bags of assorted yarn that I was gifted, there was a two strand mint/light green yarn that I decided to experiment with. The mint was too heavy for a baby project, it was a heavier worsted yarn than dk but still soft enough for an adult scarf… what the heck. I’m pleased with the final product, though the pictures don’t do it justice.

Combining colors helps me use up what I have in creative innovative ways to make truly unique items. Also, it helps me put off winding yarn.

Happy crocheting!

The collection of black and mystery balls that I have been amassing – I have four complete and one I’m still adding to – are waiting for the right pattern. I want something that isn’t a granny square, maybe another open shell type pattern but a pattern that will make the colors stand out. It may be as simple as two or three rows of alternating front and back post or rows or a few rows to make it seem like blocks of color.

Any remaining yarn from a project that is medium/#4 yarn non-wool yarn gets added to a mystery ball. The amount of yarn varies in both the color and the black. No measuring, no fussing just adding yarn to the ball as I go. When the ball was about the size of a kickball or bowling ball, then I started another. The length of the color or the black is not the same either. As long as the color is a ball at least the size of a ping pong or golf ball and no larger than a medium sized plum, it’s incorporated. Larger remainder balls could be used for rounds of a hat or the centerpiece of a Granny Square afghan. Then I wind. Each ball starts with color and ends with black.  There aren’t really any rules other than no navy is included, as it would be too difficult to differentiate between it and the black. Since I don’t use white or cream too much, there’s not a lot of those included either.

After I finish two or three more afghans, I should be ready to start. I’ve used two full 16-ounce skeins of black and lots and lots of color segments. How will this crazy afghan look? There’s some of the same black in reserve to make two rows of a border on either end, it will be done in rows. Other than that, I’ve still been thinking of how to make this colorful afghan and show off the colors with something more than rows of double crochet.

There are a few ideas that I have considered, but I need to make sure I have enough yarn, especially if I choose a stitch pattern that creates a more solid fabric. I want the color to make a statement in a unique way other than joining colors that aren’t in the same color family. The black breaks up the flow and this will definitely make a statement.

The main idea or theme of this afghan is another way to incorporate scraps with something that is more artistic and somewhat freeform. I’ve been paying more attention to color the swatches of color across the sky as the sun is setting or colorful bands on insects and birds.

Other scrapghans that I have made in the past were different clues, or coordinating yarns that were used double stranded in large Granny Square afghans. I’m stepping out on crochet faith, emptied my bowl of all the scraps and I’m ready to try something different. It may be something that I replicate, in theory, another time when I have lots of odd balls of yarn. The scrapghan makes the rounds every couple of years or so when I have enough yarn left over from afghans projects. When I make scarves, I try to use as much as possible and sometimes the amount left is woven in.

Still winding, thinking, and planning until it’s time to start chaining.

Happy crocheting!