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!
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.
Work, walk, crochet, read that’s about how my days go. The safest option is to stay at home, crochet and watch movies.
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.
If you haven’t voted in the 2020 election already – there’s still time to vote on Election Day 2020. I prefer to vote on the day itself for sentimental reasons. Plus, there’s never a long wait and I live across the street from my current polling place.
Even in the crafting world where you would think people have something in common to make it possible to share a craft they love, it’s not often so. The craft world is just a microcosm of the world at large and isn’t a place where people can just hide with their materials and create, as much as some people would like to think. Racism won’t go away on Nov 3, there is still a lot of work to be done as a nation.
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.
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.
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.
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 Granny Square is a utilitarian way of using up yarn. Generally, when many people think of a Granny Square afghan they think of lots of smaller motifs joined together in bright colors. The Granny Square, which is a simple shell or fan stitch – three double crochets with a chain stitch then three double crochets again with a few chain stitches at the corner can be used to make a block as large as you wish. This is a pattern that I can almost make in my sleep. It’s versatile.
