FO: Christmas Edition #2

Our journey through the items I made for Christmas gifts this year continues today with a few more :) First off, I'll show you the two gifts I was most excited about months and months ago.

They're Shibe Doge beanies! lol My husband loves the Shibe Doge meme (click that link if you don't know what I'm talking about), so when I was looking around on Ravelry one day and I came across a Shibe Doge themed hat pattern, I knew I had to make it. I will confess to being a bad ... supporter? I guess? ... The pattern I originally found was on sale for $4.50 and it come with instructions for a colorworked brim hat or for duplicate stitch words (like I made). Well, I just couldn't see spending $4.50 for a pattern when the part I wanted to use it for was just a basic beanie with words stitched on - I can do duplicate stitch without any pattern, you know? So, I used the Basic Hat pattern by Ooo Baby Knits (which is a free pattern) to make the hat, then I looked at the photo of the "inspiration hat" to figure out the spacing for the words.

I got a bit sneaky with my hats - the pictures above are of two separate hats, by the way. See, my husband has a bigger than normal head (love you, babe). I planned on making my brother in law a hat so he and my husband could match, so I started making this back beanie and told my husband it was for "the other Justin" - this wasn't entirely a lie, but the one I had my husband try on repeatedly was actually for him. This was a good plan because I would have made the hat too short for my husband otherwise. This was my first time using duplicate stitch and I swear to you stitching on the words took as long as making the hats - craziness! But it was all worth it because they came out great. Each hat says, "So Chill, Much Brr, Such Cold, Wow." In retrospect, I kind of wish I had added "Very Hat," but you can't have everything, lol. The beanies are made with Lion Brand Wool-Ease in Black and the words are stitched in Lion Brand Lion Wool in Pearl Gray. This combo makes for nice and snuggly hats :) Both my Justins loved them, so I hope they get a good amount of wear.

Next up was a fun experiment that ended up being a few well liked gifts :) I've always been curious about Red Heart's Sashay yarn, but I just never wanted to pay $6 for something I might not like. One day a few months ago I came across a clearance section that had this particular color (Waltz) for only $1 each - I bought several skeins not knowing what to make at the time. Come Christmas making season, I knew just what to do with these skeins! I made two frilly scarves for my Mother-In-Law and Sister-In-Law :)

I the color combo of this colorway, and I love that it has a shimmering silver thread throughout for just a little bit of sparkle. For each scarf, I just used one skein and look how long they came out! By the way, my lovely model is my younger sister :)

As far as working with this stuff ... it was tedious. You have to open up the yarn as you go to expose the lattice structure since you actually only knit into the very outer edge. Once I got the hang of it, it wasn't really hard, just more annoying than normal yarn. Happily, these went very quick - maybe 2 hours each scarf - and I waited several weeks between making each one so I didn't get sick of it, lol.
My two recipients were both pleased and seemed surprised that I made them, so I take that as a success.

Another item I made early on is this pretty shawlette for my husband's Grandma. I asked my husband what her favorite colors are and when he told me teal and pink I immediately thought of this yarn I've had in my stash for ages. I purchased this yarn when I was still in high school (!) back when I used to do a lot of Swedish Weave projects. I used a little bit, but had most of the skein left ... it's been sitting in a bin for at least 12 years. I'm just not a huge fan of variegated yarn, personally. I was so happy to have recently organized my stash so that I knew I had it and was finally able to use it all up!

I used the Garden View Shawlette pattern, which is free, and I really enjoyed this pattern! It's nice and simple, but with just a bit of lace to keep things interesting. It ends up having 7 of the leaves along the edges.

The end is where things got a little interesting. This is the cast on side, so everything looks good, right? Well, when I reached the end ...

I ran out of my antique variegated yarn! Oh my gosh, I was so mad, lol. I ALWAYS buy extra yarn for my projects. This is my first time using a really specific yarn like this and running out. Because of how the pattern mirrors its decreases and increases on each end, I couldn't just pull back one leaf to make it a smidge smaller - I would have had to pull out all the way back to the 1st leaf at the cast on edge and redo it all. Well, that was absolutely not happening, lol. So I dug through my stash and pulled out all the solid yarns I had that were represented in the variegated skein. I only had 3 that matched, so I just alternated between them for the last 2 inches. Then I had to weave in the ends - 67 ends of yarn! In a 2" area! Ugh, it's so nasty, lol. It was just an awful experience. It was the best I could do though, and she didn't notice anything about it on Christmas. I certainly won't tell her, lol.

The other three items I made were not knitted or sewn and I forgot to take pictures of them. I made my mom, my sister , and my aunt all magnetic pin plates. I actually started a post about them way back in July, but never finished it, lol. Maybe I will get around to it this year. They are super cute and useful.

So, this wraps up the Christmas gifts I made this year :) It was certainly a lot of work, but I am proud that I started early enough to get them done while still working on other projects. This saved my sanity and I didn't begrudge the gifts I was making by the end. I'm happy with how everything turned out, and I hope the recipients enjoy their presents!

FO Round-up: Christmas Edition #1

I hope that everyone had a fun Christmas this year :) I know I'm a bit late in reporting on all my finished projects, but it's been that crazy time of year. I'm happy to report that I finished almost all the items I originally planned to make up - pretty awesome! I guess I made a good choice in starting my projects in October, lol. The above photo is my immediate family on Christmas Eve - see where I get it from? 

Instead of doing an FO post for each item, I've decided to break them up into groups, so you can expect to see several of these posts for the next week. So, here goes ...

I made my sister, Kelly, a pair of mittens. This was my first ever mitten making experience, and aside from the cuff not being quite long enough they came out great. I used the Fastest Mittens pattern by PetitBeurre Knits, a free pattern on Ravelry. I didn't specifically pick this pattern because they were "fastest" - they were just the shape I wanted at the time. Originally I had planned on making these those mittens where you can hold your child's hand and both of your hands stay covered, but right when I was making the kid mittens my sister saw the toddler sized one and said, "Why would you make my kid mittens? We live in Florida!" - you can see why I decided not to proceed, right? lol I was afraid she would think this was a pointless gift, but the mittens were already made. She did like them though, so there's that. I used SMC Northern Worsted Wool in Lilac for these (from my stash) and this yarn worked up really nicely. I test drove the first mitten while walking the dog one night and I can attest that they are nice and warm. The pattern was very simple, but it if you use it yourself I would be careful of the distance between the ribbing and the thumb hole. I was worried at the time that it was too short, and it did end up being too short - I should have trusted my instincts. It doesn't make them unwearable or anything, just something I will pay attention to next time around.

My sister, Marisa, requested sewn headbands. I've already knitted her several to be worn in the cold, but she wanted some she could wear in any temperature. I really had no more specifics from her and I didn't want to give away what her gift would be, so I just made a variety of thicknesses in different fabrics. All of these fabrics were in my scrap bag, so this was a very efficient project. Even my elastic was from the stash. The one with the jockeys on it (she likes horses so I thought she would be amused) is reversible and has light blue on the underside. It turns out that her favorite one is the pink leopard print one, not just for the pattern but for the thickness. Now I know what she likes for next time :) I was able to make all of these in one evening, probably about 3 hours total. It was a nice project and she seemed to like them.

This was another project that I loved at first and then got really worried that the recipient would not like it. My sister, Shannon, lives in Japan so she is really the only family member that could use any truly warm accessories (it actually snows in Tokyo). Also when I planned this hat, she was told she would have to move to Minot, North Dakota - talk about cause for lots of wooly items! I've always loved the Escargot pattern, a free cloche hat on Knitty, but I never wear hats myself so I hadn't made it yet. I thought she might like the design too, so I whipped it up for her. It's a crazy pattern! You cast on the brim of the hat as well as the length you need for the spiral and knit back and forth (not in the round) for quite a while. You cause the spiral to curl over on itself as you knit with well placed decreases, then you join and knit the rest of the hat in the round. I finished the actual knitting of this in just a few days while watching tv, but then I procrastinated the blocking and sewing the spiral down for a month of two, lol. I was really happy with it when it was finished, but sadly it ended up a bit big (womp womp). She still likes the hat though, and it's a style that really doesn't have to be tight so I think it will still get worn. I used all wool for this hat in preparation for Minot (which now is not happening) - the gray is Lion Brand Lion Wool in Pearl Gray and the purple variegated is Malabrigo Merino Worsted in Alpine Pearl. Both of these yarns came from a thrift store (I know, right?!), so this was a very economical project.

This project is the only one that I didn't finish in time, but it was absolutely not for lack of trying! My brother specifically requested a brain hat - he had seen one on Facebook and thought it was awesome. I saw it and knew I would go crazy knitting so much i-cord, so I looked for a crocheted alternative and found the Brainy Maniac pattern in the Sept/Oct 2010 issue of Crochet Today magazine - which I happened to have :) I will confess I procrastinated this thinking it would be a very quick project since it was crocheted, so I didn't start until a few days before Christmas. I finished the actual beanie in a few hours - it's just single crochet, totally easy. Then you have to start the ruffles for the brain ... the pattern shows you the strange squiggle that you need to make your stitches in to give that "brain quadrant" look - it took some playing around, but I got there in the end. Then you just single crochet along that line you made - when you reach the end, you sc 2 in each stitch all the way back again - then you sc 2 in each stitch again for the third row - then you sc 2 in each stitch AGAIN for the fourth row. The line looks more brainy with each round, but holy cow does that end up being a lot of stitches! As I was finishing the final row on the left frontal lobe (I already had the right one made) ... I ran out of yarn! I used Vanna'c Choice in Dusty Rose for the beanie and in Linen for the "brains" - I had 1.6 skeins of the Linen in my stash, so I figured it would be no problem to make it up with what I had. I was definitely wrong. I still am in amazement at how much yarn it took for the ruffles AND I HADN'T DONE THE BACK HALF YET! It was crazy. I gave it to him as is and promised to finish later on...

But he loved it as it was! lol He kept calling it his "George Washington Wig" (he was wearing it backwards so the pink part looked like his forehead). I've got the yarn now, but he says he may just want to keep it that way, lol. I think it's pretty funny. He may change his mind and want a brain later on, but at the moment he's happy with his weirdly curly wig.

So that's the first installment of Christmas gifts I made - stay tuned for more in the coming week!

2014 - A Year of Sewing

Well, all things considered this has been a really good year for my sewing. In the grand scheme of things I know I really didn't make all that much, but when you compare it to my output in previous years it's an astronomical increase, lol. Something clicked with me at the end of the summer and I started to crank things out, all of it spurned on by having success with one dress. Heck, I even made enough wardrobe items to warrant giving them their own tab at the top of my blog :) You can click that tab for specifics about each of the things I made.

So here's the breakdown of what I made:

• 1 dress
• 7 tops
• 2 skirts
• 5 sweaters

I certainly spent a lot of time fitting my upper half this year! That's 15 finished items - not bad considering most of them were made September of later. These are the items that I finished - there were several others started that ran into snags that I just couldn't diagnose yet. One of these days I will re-address my WIPs since I really would like to have something to show for all that work, but life got in the way this year and I'm not going to beat myself up about it. Even though I feel like I make very little in comparison to many of the other blogs I read, I am very proud of the items I made this year :) Most of these I wear very often - some even once a week! My obvious trends from this year are knitting sweaters, refashioning/refitting thrifted items, and my biggest - knit t-shirts! I officially have three TNT patterns: the Plantain by Deer + Doe, Parisian Top by Go To Patterns, and the Renfrew by Sewaholic. I love each one of these that I make and they just get better each time as I learn more about how different knit fabrics behave. Plus they only take a few hours to make

So, what types of goals/hopes do I have for 2015?
Clearly, I need more things for my bottom half, lol. I focused on my upper body since I knew I prefer that area to be fitted. This was true with dresses as well - I tend to make my muslins of just the bodice since I favor full skirts and this has worked for the most part. In the coming year, I hope to have more successes to show for my work. It's kind of funny that I get so frustrated with sewing and toss things in the corner, but in knitting I'm fine with ripping something out completely and restarting multiple times. The only explanation I can think of is that I'm more confident in fitting knits - they stretch, hooray, lol!

I'm sure I will make more t-shirts this coming year, and I hope to get a few higher quality solids knits so that I can really make some basics that will get tons of wear. I know some people think making plain t-shirts is boring, but I'm thrilled to think that I can make some exactly how I want them and not just rely on what Target has available at the time, lol. I only have one main commitment that I want to treat as a hard set goal for 2015 - novelty print dresses! I love all the fun prints I see on Modcloth, and I know I can make them myself for a fraction of the cost. I came close to a TNT with Simplicity 2444, but I want something with straight darts so I could use it for striped prints too. I'm going to start with Simplicity 1873 and I'm confident it will be what I'm thinking of. I also WILL work out the fitting on the Colette Dahlia. I was so excited about it when it was released, but it has been an incredible headache resulting in wasted fabric and time. I LOVE the design though, so I will persevere - I may even seek outside help soon.

As far as my bottom half goes, I have plans for simple skirts (a corduroy Peggy by Blue Ginger Doll is traced and ready to start work on), and depending on how well things go I may try out some simple shorts. I never buy shorts because I don't like them, well, short. I'm not talking making jeans or anything yet since I'd like to get more successes under my belt before I delve that deep, but some cotton prints could be fun. We'll see.

My biggest goal is to just learn to appreciate and enjoy the process of sewing more. As much as I love the sewing blogosphere, it can be easy to feel like you stink when you see all these wonderful successes had by others. I keep having to tell myself that there was much more work put into those makes than the blog shows and most of those people have been sewing clothing much longer than me. I emphasize clothing because I've known how to sew for most of my life but a purse is a big difference from fitting something to your body. I'm pleased that I've stayed positive as much as I have, but I still need to improve my patience so I have more fun and enjoy the journey :)

Here's to kicking 2014 out and hoping for better things in 2015!

A Year In Books - 2014

In the same strain as last year's round-up, I wanted to report on the things I've read this year. I did pretty good as far as my reading schedule goes - I made a goal to read 24 books (2 books per month), and I ended up reading 31! It's nice to sign into Goodreads and see this off to the side:

129% suckahs!  Heck yes :) I not only read more, but I feel the quality of what I read was very good overall. I did succumb to a few YA and pop novels, but a few of the classics I read definitely make up for those (Les Mis, I'm lookin at you). Some of these I have yet to write reviews about, but I will update this list as I post about them. So, here is what I read in 2014:

1. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
5. My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business by Dick Van Dyke
6. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
7. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (ugh)
8. Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls by David Sedaris
9. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
10. Sanditon by Jane Austen
11. Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman
12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
13. Watership Down by Richard Adams
14. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
15. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
16. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Book Store by Robin Sloan
17. When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris
18. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
19. The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
20. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
21. After The Funeral by Agatha Christie
22. The Mermaid: A Love Tale by Lily Dougall
23. Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Bronte
24. The Book of Mormon
25. Animal Farm by George Orwell
26. The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
27. The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
28. Mindfulness for Beginners by Jon Kabat-Zinn
29. Who Switched Off My Brain? by Caroline Leaf
30. An Education by Lynn Barber
31. Yes Please by Amy Poehler

This year seems to have brought out some new trends in what I like to read. According to my ratings, I am less and less satisfied with modern novels and I favor classics and non-fiction. I've grown to really detest YA fiction, lol, to the extent that if something is even in that category it will make me not want to read it. I crave the depth of characters provided in classic fiction. It's funny to think I'm a classic book lover now when I think of what a drudgery I found reading them back in high school. I guess it shows I've grown or something :) I also have discovered I love autobiographies of people I admire, and I do love books that have interesting or strange perspectives (ahem, Neil Gaiman). Toward the end of the year, I started looking into non-fiction, particularly about general attitude improvement and brain function. I'm becoming pretty involved in the search for why we think and feel the way we do and what we can do about it (hopefully that makes sense) - I know it will be a subject that I can learn about throughout my life as there's no way to every know or understand the human mind. I'm happy with what I have learned in my reading thus far though.

I've read so many great books this year that it is impossible to pick a definitive favorite. I will just let you know which books I gave 5 out of 5 stars:

• The Silver Linings Playbook
• Anna Karenina
• Les Misérables
• Fahrenheit 451
• Watership Down

See what I mean? There is only one modern book on that list. I have turned into a literary snob, but there is no denying the superior quality of these stories that have stood the test of time, some of them for hundreds of years. The characters are so much more developed and real in these older books, and none of them are afraid to give you enough back story to understand them on a deeper level. I honestly look forward to the many books I have yet to read in my life. I'm up to 239 thus far that I can count - only 761 left to go to reach my life goal!

2014 - A Year In Yarn

This year has certainly been an interesting one, and while I'm not sorry to see it leave I still love to reflect on the good things - namely the things I made :) My knitting and crocheting certainly have improved, and while I don't has as many items to show, most projects were decidedly more complicated than last year's. So, here are all the knitty gritty numbers of how much I did make...

Not to shabby, right? Quite a few items were the first of their kind I'd ever made. Also - I MADE 5 SWEATERS! For Me! Adult Sized! lol Considering I went from never making a single sweater before to accomplishing 5.5 in a year sounds pretty good to me and I can't help but feel a little proud. So, here is a recap of everything I spent so much time on this year. 

1. Another Gray Leaf Headband - this project went unblogged since it was a total repeat of this one, just for a different sister. Always a great pattern though.
2. My First Sweater - this was certainly a huge accomplishment for me and it started an addiction. I still keep this sweater in my work bag and use it all the time - definitely a success :)
3. Petunia Pig - I was given this pattern as part of my prize I won from the lovely Natasja and it's such a cute piggy!
4. The Wormsleys - This was a big experiment of a project that turned out better than I hoped for. This was my first foray into using a completely Japanese pattern and translating it, also this pattern book was sent by my sister so it had special added meaning. These guys still sit in my sewing room.

5. Blue Angel Shawl - This was quite the learning experience - my first Faroese style shawl. It came out pretty in the end, even if the bind off wasn't stretchy enough. One of these years I'll redo the bind off...

6. Husky Dave the Dragon - Just a purely fun project and he was named by my husband, lol.

7. Purple Boob Holder - This is technically my first sweater since I started it just a month after I learned to knit. Once I finished my other large sweater, I finally figured out the issues with this one and finished it off. I really wear this a lot, especially with the outfit in the photos. 

8. Confused Moose - Still one of the most adorable things I've ever made, lol. He decorates my sewing room now.

9. Lacy Boot Cuffs - These were a specific request from my friend Tara, but I made them as a surprise for her b-day earlier in the year. She just went to Tennessee for Thanksgiving and told me she wore these the whole time :)
10. Spud the Sheep - Holy cow was that twisted stitch annoying, lol, but he's so adorable that it was worth all the tedious work in the end. I'm particularly proud of this project because MY photo is used as the main example photo on the Ravelry page. What an honor!
11. Egg to Alligator - I started this project on the fly when I found out there was a knit-along going on for it - it;s such a quick and fun project to make.
12. Birthday Zombie - To this day, this wins the prize for my most unintentionally ambitious project ever. Holy crap was this thing a lot of work! But my brother loves it, and I get compliments on this project all the time.

13. Charlene and Jake - This was my first experience with a Fuzzy Mitten pattern, and it was also part of her Mystery Knit Along of the year. I had so much fun making this up, and I still think it's one of her cutest pattern designs.
14. Turtle Tote - I got this book for my birthday last year and I had yet to make any of the projects in it, so I decided my nephew needed a turtle tote bag. He uses it for his toys and all that, but his mom loves this bag. Gotta love functional and cute :)
15. Jeffrey Duck - This guy was made for the unofficial monthly knit along on the Fuzzy Mitten Ravelry Group. I totally adore the fuzzy yarn I used for his body too.
16. Hazel Rabbit - This guy got his name because I had just finished reading Watership Down when I made him. He was finished up just in time to sit on the dinner table at Easter :)

17. Bethany the Butterfly - This was my first time testing a crochet pattern, and it was such a fun experience :)
18. Mother's Day Rose Brooches - Mother's Day came around and we just could not figure out what to give my husband's grandma, so I racked my brain and made her two rose brooches.
19. Flip Flops - This was a big experiment to basically just see if I really could make functional shoes, lol. They are a good trial run, but I definitely learned what to do differently in the future. I kind of just use these around the house.
20. Ferdie Firefly - This was my next experience with testing out a crochet pattern, and I just love how this guy turned out!

21. Princess Jasmine - A friend of my sister's who is stationed in Japan saw these adorable Disney doll patterns and posted how she wished someone could make some for her daughter. Shannon suggested she ask me, and a commissioned job began. Princess Jasmine was the first one I finished.
22. Birthday Zombie 2.0 and Comrade Ratlovich - This was a special project that I made for a special little girl's birthday. It was a ridiculous amount of work just like the first one, but I am told she loves her doll so I'm happy I went with it :)
23. Cinderella - After conquering Jasmine, I tackled Cinderella - one of these days I will make another with an extended skirt to be a toilet paper roll cover, lol.
24. Ariel - This was the last doll for my Japanese job. Her top is removable - how scandalous! All three of these dolls were given to a 3 year old little girl who calls them her "babies", lol, so cute.

25. Soepkip - I saw a friend of mine made this pattern up months ago and it was just such a strange creature I had to make one for myself, lol. I had to translate the pattern into English from Dutch, but it worked great and she's really cute.
26. Minty Miette - Other than my first sweater, this is the sweater I wear the most. It's just such a "me" color and style, plus it's cotton yarn so I don't feel like I'm going to get heat stroke when I wear it, lol. I wouldn't be surprised if I make up this pattern again sometime.
27. "Meh" Myrna - I made this with the intention of joining in the Outfit Along, but life happened and I didn't finish it on time. It didn't come out at all like I'd hoped and I still have yet to wear it. I do plan to dye it eventually, but I just can't decide on a color, lol.
28. The Hulk - Another commissioned item, this was made up special for my friend's son's 22nd birthday. I designed this guy from scratch and I am really pleased with how he turned out.

29. The Bird and The Bee - This set was commissioned by my sister for a baby shower gift. The birdie was the main gift, and all of the shower guests were asked to contribute something to the baby's mobile too, so I made the bee. My payment for this project was the book that the bee pattern is in, lol, not a bad trade.
30. Ashton The Mystery Puppy - This little guy was the FreshStitches Mystery Crochet Along project this year, and man did Stacey succeed in stumping us all this year! His body shape is so different than her other patterns, but I really love him.
31. Marion KAL - When I heard about the Marion Knit Along, I knew I had to join in since I had long admired this pattern. I took a chance and used some cheap acrylic yarn from my stash, but it all turned out really nice. I've worn this several times already, and I know I will get more wear out of it once the temps drop here.
32. Luke's 2nd Birthday Present - This was yet another project of epic proportions that turned out great. Luke calls these his babies and likes to take them out and tell us which one is mommy and daddy, lol. He uses the bag a lot to carry his toys, so I am really proud of this whole set.

33. Doge Hats - I saw a beanie on Ravelry that had Shibe Doge style phrases on it and immediately decided that my husband and brother in law needed some for Christmas. My husband thinks the Shibe Doge meme is hilarious, so his hat was a big hit.
34. Nanny's Christmas Shawlette - I decided that a shawl might be nice for Justin's grandma this Christmas. I had always wanted to make up this pattern and I had this variegated yarn in her favorite colors so it worked out great.
35. Monsieur Splat Cat - After making several Christmas projects, I realized I needed a birthday gift too! Enter the Splat Cat - a totally cute pattern that saved the day :)

36. Mittens for Kelly - This was my first experience making mittens, and while I'm not so sure the recipient thinks they are useful where we live (lol) I really enjoyed making them.
37. Slugbert - Ever the selfish person, I needed a fun project in amongst all the gift knitting I did this year, and the cheezombie garden slug was the perfect choice. I seriously love this guy and he sits with all my favorite animals in my sewing room.
38. Paulie the Poly - I should have resisted making such a large project for myself at the holidays, but how can anyone resist such an adorable roly poly? This has become my most useful amigurumi to date - I sleep with him as a pillow every night :)
39. Accidental Ornament - I originally made this wee mitten as part of my sister's mittens for Christmas, but when the mitten idea for her turned out to be a bust and this mitten was too small for my nephew anyway, I decided to make it into my Christmas ornament for the year. I'm actually much happier with this choice and I love seeing it on my tree.

40. Vernon the Winter Walrus - Yet another project I shouldn't have made, lol. This was the Mochimochiland Christmas pattern this year and he was just too cute to set aside. Love it!
41. Escargot Cloche - I made this up for my sister, Shannon, for Christmas and it seems she likes it :) I love how the color combo turned out.
42. Frilly Scarves - These were my first experience with using Sashay yarn, and while it's kind of tedious to work with I was really happy with how quickly they came together. My mother in law and sister in law loved them!

43. - 47. - All of these were part of Luke's Christmas present. Everyone liked how they came out, and Luke couldn't resist trying to rip R2-D2's legs off, lol. I have to reattach them already, but for a 2 year old I think that means he likes them.

So, there you have it - all the projects I finished this year :) Looking at everything all nice and orderly in rows like this makes my heart happy. I love looking at what I was able to accomplish and how much I have grown in the time I've been knitting and crocheting.

I also started a few projects that are still WIPs. This isn't all sad though, considering that out of all that I got done I only managed to have one that is thrown in a corner to be worked on who knows when, so I'm calling this a success. Here are the projects I didn't manage to finish yet.

1. Emelie Cardigan - I've been working on this sweater on and off since mid August. I love the design and I love the yarn, but I just kept having to set it aside while I worked on gift projects that had more pressing deadlines. I have the whole body finished, and i hope to really kick butt on this project now that Christmas is over so I can finally wear it since I know it will fill a big wardrobe gap.
2. Lacy Socks - I needed a travel project two weeks ago that didn't have to be hidden from view of my family, so I cast on this pair of socks. Since taking the above picture I have pulled out the sock entirely twice, lol, but hey, it's a sock so it's not a big deal. The yarn is really lovely though so I'm hoping I can slap these out quick enough to try out before it gets too warm.
3. Brainie Beanie - This brain hat was requested by my younger brother for Christmas, and I decided to surprise him with it. Iwill admit that I put it off a smidge too long, but I would have finished it ... had I not run out of yarn two days before Christmas! The horror! I felt awful, but this thing took an unanticipatedly ridiculous amount of yarn for the brain ruffles - I used a full 1.6 skeins on just the frontal lobes! I've ordered more yarn, but I gave it to Briggs as is - turns out he loves that it looks kind of like a Revolutionary era powdered wig and many humorous photos were taken on Christmas, lol. He says he might just want me to leave it like it is, so this may turn out not to be a wip.
4. Just this past weekend I got all excited about being able to knit things for myself again - Me, Me, ME! lol I'm just a little selfish. After the Marion KAL, all the participants were allowed to choose any of Andi's patterns as their prize, so I requested the Agatha. I've long wanted to make one, then Craftsy had a yarn sale of epic proportions and it was as good as done. I cast on officially on Saturday and I'm loving it so far.


As this year comes to a close, I've been contemplating goals for the year about to begin. Generally I tend to stay away from goal making as I lose interest when something feels like I have to do it, but I do have a few ideas that I believe are vague enough to actually happen, ha ha.

Goals for 2015:

• Try knitting colorwork
• Knit something in double knitting (reversible)
• More sweaters by different designers
• Make things for my husband

I've never knitted colorwork, but I've had the itch to try it out and I feel this is definitely do-able sometime over the course of the next year. Also I'd like to finally try double knitting. I bought this Craftsy class at the very beginning of this year, and while I've watched several lessons, I have yet to actually make any of the projects. I think I can make this happen next year. I also really want to continue with my sweater making, but I want to branch out and make up designs from someone other than Andi Satterlund, lol. Not that there is anything wrong with her patterns, clearly I'm a fan since I've made 3 of her designs and I've just started another. I just feel like I'm taking the easy way out a bit because I've already figured out what changes I need to make to her patterns to get them to fit me better, and I am not a fan of math so I like to avoid it wherever possible, lol. I've really loved the Emelie pattern though, and it's been neat to make something completely opposite of how I had before. I'd like to keep that trend of exploring new possibilities and techniques going in the new year. And finally, my husband. We had a chat about a month ago where he said how much he loves when I make him things and that he would love to have more - aw :) He specifically requested some gloves he can wear at work, so I plan on at least making that happen in the near future. It's hard to resist a cute guy who genuinely is proud that his wife made him something he can wear, amiright? So he will get more than just his yearly hat in 2015.

Sorry this post has been so long, but thanks for hanging in there! I know it's more a cathartic thing for me than it is for anyone reading, especially considering all of these items have already been posted here throughout the year. I just love the closure that comes from putting things in these yearly categories. I love getting to look at it all together and see it as a body of work that represents where I currently am at in this craft that I have grown to love so much.

See ya, 2014! Here's hoping 2015 blows you out of the water :)