New Year’s Eve and I’ve finished all my crocheting goals: 75 baby hats, 15 hat and scarf sets, and 75 scarves. The original goals had to be adjusted from 60 baby hats and 50 scarves. I work faster than I thought.

I restarted a few of the items, because I didn’t like them. In 2019, I intended to do less post work, but I discovered that I really like it. Using different colors makes the basket weave stitch and other variations of it really stand out.

The new year begins soon. I haven’t set goals for 2020 other than I want to make a couple of things for myself. I got yarn for Christmas for items for projects for me. Tomorrow, January 1, 2020, I’ll start making afghans again and some small portable projects.

This past year was a sabbatical and I didn’t make any afghans. I miss working on them and have already planned the first couple that I want to make. I’ll still make hats and scarves but likely only 50 scarves and 50 baby hats. They are portable, unlike afghans, so I’ll need some small projects to carry along with me. In this past year, I learned a lot about technique and personal preferences. I also learned that I prefer to only make things to give away, not to sell. If I don’t finish an item or choose to work on six things at a time, it’s my choice. There are many deadlines in other areas of my life. I don’t need a deadline in my pastime.

There’s a lot of yarn that I plan to use up in 2020 or just donate. Superbly yarn isn’t my favorite. I thought I wasn’t a fan of light worsted (#3 weight) yarn. It’s not bad. Doubling it, or using it two strands together isn’t difficult to use. For the last scarf of 2019, I planned to use some random balls of super bulky for a quick and simple scarf. Even on an S hook, I didn’t like working with it, so I put it in the donate bag. Another lesson learned this sabbatical year: not all yarns are what you want to use. Work with what you like, there’s enough yarn to go around.

A new year is upon us, may crocheting, knitting and other crafts keep you sane, and give you joy and peace.

Not everyone is worthy of your gifts.

I ran into a neighbor as I was getting some packages that I’d ordered for Christmas. She commented – presents for Christmas? Yeah. “I’m making mine this year she said” I’m a senior at [a local university] and college is expensive. She shook her bag and said I’m just making everyone hats this year, they’re easy and quick.

“Wow! That’s great, this is the first year that I haven’t made anything for anyone, “ I said. She was saying she wanted to pay her tuition and we got to her floor.

As the elevator door opened, I said “Hats – that’s a great gift, you’ve bought the yarn, but you also have your time that you spend making each gift, that’s not cheap. Think about how much your time costs. That’s so cool!” Then she offered a big smile and said good evening.

Don’t let anyone belittle your gift or effort. Crafting is not cheap, few people consider the time that it takes to make something and only think of the cost of the materials. Value your effort. Whether you are just starting out or are a seasoned crafter your time is valuable.

We all have those projects that we made when we were first starting out. My mother still has a project I made as an 8 year old. My family members still have the first scarves and hats that I made. I have held on to things that students made me when I taught for a short while and my mother has dozens of keepsakes that her students made/gave her.

Your time and talent are valuable. I am guilty of the line of thinking that I can just buy the materials and make something that won’t cost a lot [for the materials]. Since I like making things so if I decide to crochet a scarf, or hat or make a piece of jewelry, I don’t think of the time that it takes to make something. The thought and the effort count! Two days until the Christmas deadline – forza, friends – you can do it! And remember, your gifts are not cheap!

My 2019 crochet goals have changed a few times. I met the baby hat goal, original scarf goal, then added a hat and scarf set goal, then met and exceeded that goal. Now everything that I’ve made has been donated. This leaves only 8 scarves to finish for the modified scarf goal. Four are in progress and no holiday gifts are on the horizon, so I’m ready to keep plugging away!

The holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day can be stressful. Since my counting of completed projects is inaccurate until I’m ready to send them, I chose to make more hat and scarf sets to donate. Ambitiously, I was going to make a nice round number of five, but decided to not impose added stress on myself and donate the four completed ones.

Pressure to create is real for many people especially those making Christmas gifts. I’m not making anything for anyone – yet. But, I’ve been in that position before, so I chose not to put any additional pressure on myself and concentrate on meeting my revised goals. The four scarves in progress means that I and a few stitches closer to the goal of 75 scarves. How do you meet your crafting goals – one stitch at a time.

Crocheting or any crafting should be fun. The holiday gift making pressure can take the joy out of the season. Don’t let self-imposed goals steal your joy this season (or any other time). If you can’t make everything you would like before Christmas, so be it. If it happens, it happens.

Happy crocheting!

I definitely cheer myself on when I get the math right or plan the correct number of stitches for a new project. [Thanks to the practical use of algebra.] When it comes to finished projects counting is where the difficulty comes in. I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets excited when the math works out for a pattern repeat. I get more than a little excited especially when I have decided to combine a couple of different things and don’t have to restart a project after the first try. I know I can count and in other aspects of my life, other than my own personal budget, I have to make sure I can count.

When it comes to finished crochet projects though, my counting is off. I finished 75 baby hats and have them in three bags of 20 and a bag of 15. A few weeks ago I sent 20 scarves to an organization and was planning out how many I am sending to other organizations. The finished adult scarves were also in larger containers of 20 (each individual scarf in a plastic zipper bag).

While working on my original goal of 10 hat and scarf sets, I lost track of what was finished and greatly underestimated what was done, because I hadn’t counted in a while. The temperature dropped in Chicago and was been below freezing just after Halloween, so I figured out a time to take some things to a local organization. I thought I had only completed eight sets and I like to give away round numbers when I make donations – weird quirk, but whatever. Thinking I had 8 sets I was going to drop off five. Well, I had eight completed in one part of the house, another two in my work room; plus four partial sets (hat or scarf complete, but not both). Including the partial sets, that’s 14 sets.

I can do many things, but obviously I can’t take a good account of what I’ve made. As I finish items, I stash them away. I thought I still needed to complete more to meet my goal. On a recent road trip, I finished a set and hat for another. Eight plus two equals ten; plus four sets in progress is more than ten. I have gotten better in determining how much yarn to take on a trip, it is the speed of completion that I lose track of. When I finish a project, I just start something new, or if something is too large to transport, I start a new project. The same way I treat a book, if I only have a few pages left, I don’t’ want to carry two books, I start a new one.

My new response when asked how I complete so many projects, I will say one stitch at a time. The same way that I lose track of completed objects – one stitch at a time.

Happy crocheting!

The American Heart Association has ended its Little Hats Big Hearts program. Many of us who made hats for the organization were concerned. The hats that were already sent to the AHA will be donated. Those of us who hadn’t sent in our hats were looking for other organizations that would accept the hats. In the Little Hats Big Hearts Illinois group, another organization’s founders said they would gladly accept the hats. This isn’t the first time that a program has ended and won’t be the last. When one door closes another opens. Several years ago, another program which asked knitters and crocheters to make items for special Olympians ended. That was the first year that the women in a shelter also received a scarf along with other goodies that were donated from my church.

While both of these endings made me sad, there are dozens of other organizations that seek handcrafted items made with love and would be ready to receive them. Some organizations are local or very small but they are out there.

For a few days I was concerned that I wouldn’t have a place to donate 75 red baby hats to, but that didn’t stop me from making other items. Everything I make will eventually find a good home.

Just keep going! Don’t get discouraged when you don’t like the yarn you are working with, put it aside and work on another project. Try a different hook or pattern with the yarn and the project will practically fly off your hook, There may be crafting setbacks, learn from the experience and move on.

Happy crocheting!