Sunday, December 31, 2023

A Year In Yarn: 2023

Knitting and crochet have always been my go-to crafts over the years, even when sewing went by the wayside. This year felt a bit more productive than the past several, so I think I'm really back in the swing. These are all the pieces I made with yarn in 2023 and each project is linked if you want to find out more about it.

1. Baby's First Toilet
2. Florist Bolero
3. Haruni Shawl
4. Hungry Snake
25. Pan Handle Cover
I managed to squeak in the Belladonna cardigan just under the wire on the 28th. It's currently blocking, but since the knitting was done in 2023, it totally counts! This means I managed to make 6 sweaters this year, 2 of which were fingering weight, one of those was knit almost 2 full times by the time it was done. Seventeen of the 28 items I made with yarn were gifts, which is pretty impressive. Mostly I just knit myself sweaters and a few shawls, but I highly enjoyed all the things I made. The last 12 items were all made for Christmas and I will be posting about those in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for details on those if you're interested.

I do still have some standing UFOs to account for:
1. Irish Crochet Top - this one still upsets me, lol. I 100% plan to make this into a shirt yoke, but I have to either sew or find the right shirt first. This project was a lot of fun and I have now amassed a lot of colors of crochet thread to make lots of things, but this one has to be finished first. Hopefully I can decide on a shirt and it work out unlike the last one.
2. Hockey Socks - I started these the last few days of 2022 at a Solar Bears hockey game and I have hardly touched them since, lol. And what I did knit seems to have been done wrong at the decrease point, so I have to take it out anyway. I will eventually finish these - I just haven't really needed a sock project this year.
3. Cathedral Rose Window Afghan - I have completely lost steam on this project, sadly. I love the idea, but to be honest I didn't like the colors I had on hand to make it up and the whole reason I started this was to try and stash bust. I have the first several rows done, so maybe I can make this into a circular pillow?
4. Raffia Beach Hat - This one is annoying. I got the whole hat part done before the brim and it is just too big. One swift breeze and this baby would be gonzo. The paper yarn tends to not like being pulled back and the more stitches I make with each sections, the more prone to breaking it is. I do still want a beach hat, but I just didn't have the heart to start over this year. Maybe when it warms up again I'll go for it.

I also have several garments that I swatched for but then never got around to making, which now means I will have to swatch again if I pick them up. First up on the list to make is the Rose Street Cardigan from Squid's School of Vintage Knitting. I swatched this back in April when the pattern was released and I just wouldn't let myself cast on until I finished the Susan Shaw Cardigan, so this will be started very soon. I also swatched the Mudblood Cardigan and I've had the yarn purchased for this project since 2015 (oh my gosh, lol), but the idea of knitting all that stockinette ... it just feels so boring. I like the finished sweater and I feel like it would get a good amount of wear, but the idea of making it is less than thrilling. I also don't love the fit I've seen on others who made it with the too wide looking shoulders. Maybe I will just recreate this myself on the knitting machine? I also swatched the Solstice Top when I was majorly jazzed about knitting a linen shirt, but again I wouldn't let myself start until Susan Shaw was done. Now I probably won't start this until after the winter at least, but I still love the idea of this.

So that's 2023 in yarn! I'm excited to see what this round up is for 2024!

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