I’m not a fan of years ending in 4, and though this one wasn’t bad per se, there wasn’t as much productive satisfaction, and then well, the election. It was also a year of blowing through my health insurance deductible and finally addressing some corporeal complaints, the half century screenings, and all the vaccinations, so I had less time and more servings of mashed potato brain, coupled with a way too hot summer and a way too dry summer through autumn.
We finally got out of the country again for the first time in years – a great little Canadian trip. And I bought a sweater quantity of yarn from the GROCERY STORE for cheap, so this sweater has been my main project for the second half of the year – I might finish it by the end, but still have most of a sleeve, cuffs, and the bottom few inches.
The only knitting I finished this year is another ribbed hat – the orange one.
And I’m still whipping out the occasional mitred square when I remember I’m making those and/or want the small joy of finishing something, even though these are parts of an unknown whole and will probably never be whole.
The purple handspun vest I started last year (or the year before) is still on the needles and nearing completion, but since it’s in pieces and bottom-up I have no idea if it will fit or be fixable if not, until almost the end, so I don’t love working on it because I’m fairly convinced it’s doomed and for whatever reason, (stiff yarn?) it’s taken me ages to knit.
I got a sock itch that went all to Goldilocks hell, so now I’ve got four pairs on four different needle sizes going. None of these has even a first sock, but three have their heels turned and possibly some foot.
And I had a few false starts – a Pink Memories (though orange) sweater for which I could not get gauge, and when I thought I was close enough, I cast on and got through a few inches and realized I wasn’t even close; and Paulie is now frogged – I thought I’d be able to fudge the next size up, but by the time I tinked back to where I needed to add a few more increases, my hands just kept unraveling instead. It’s possible I may start Paulie again, but I’m thinking I may want the yarn in a pullover rather than a cardigan.
So then I thought that since I’m happy making squares here and there, a log cabin cardigan would be a good bet, and hell, why not use a bunch of random colorful deep stash yarns, and then it all came to a screeching halt because I don’t currently have that kind of whimsy in my heart. I didn’t rip it out yet (it’s bigger and more colorful now than pictured) and could be the start of a blanket instead…
But on the good news front – I finally solved my yarn dominance weaving issue. Turned out the heddle that came with the loom wasn’t the size that they said came with the loom and I never measured it to check until a few months ago.
And I found out that Ashford’s heddles are compatible with Kromski (and a helluva lot cheaper) so I was able to get one in the size I thought I had all along, and another outside of the available Krom sizes so I’m currently weaving a thinner houndstooth towel similar to the one I made last year.
(And I’m baking a bit more often now too since I keep finding Nordic Ware pans at the thrift stores.)
I think the only other weaving project I finished was another beach towel last winter?
And I don’t think I’ll make another this winter, though my next project might be another thin blanket, which is basically the same as the beach towels. Other considerations are a beach bag/large tote, mohair shawl (haven’t woven with that stuff yet), and a scarf or two out of random stash yarn that I never loved for knitting but would be good for weaving
None of the quilts are finished and probably not much farther along though I still make some patches here and there. I did sew a big tote/purse that I don’t like, but it served as sort of a muslin, so either I’ll continue to use it and not really like it, or make another I like more.
A lot of time goes in to mending our well-worn woolly clothes and keeping socks immortal – I finally learned swiss darning which always gave me a mental block before, but I think I lost it again…
Other mending has included fixing some papier mache bookends that squirrels ate in my old apartment 25 years ago. I still need to finish re-painting them, but that should happen soon.
And thrifting, trash picking, and the occasional estate sale continues to bring small joys and awesome GIANT shit.
And yeah, I have absolutely no business bringing more unfinished stuff to do in my life (I mentioned last year that my current job ends soonish and I don’t know what the next will be and probably take up even more time?) and I already have an unfinished dollhouse, but fuck it, I got it cheap and it’s cool.
I did one of those miniature kits in the last couple of years and modified a bunch of stuff, and really enjoyed it, so my brain is pretty tuned in to everything miniature and soothed by the tiny escapism.
And lastly (not pictured) I finally got a drum carder, so I’m slowly processing the rest of Nestor and all the rest of the raw fleece I haven’t dealt with for ages. My spinning is still taking a bit of a back seat, but I’m working on Nestor now, and finished a sweater quantity of random stuff earlier this year.
I don’t have any specific craft goals for the new year except to finish the few things I want to, and hopefully cast on a new cardigan (I still need a couple for daily wear). But I do need to unload some shit (felted bags stock from craft fairs 15 years ago, anyone?), and make our space more useable.
Oh, and the garden got all kinds of messed up last year and I have to put in more time and effort this year, but the fig trees are insane (assuming they survive the winter), and we just planted some more trees in the yard for shade (eventually).
ASTITCHMATISM 