[YOP] Week of November 6th, 2016

Wow! I really suck at this blogging regularly thing don't I? It's been almost 10 months since my last update!

To be fair, a lot has happened. Those who know me well know I was diagnosed with a chronic illness, and it wreaked havoc on my life the past few years. This year I hit an all time low and had to leave work on a sick leave and pretty much chew painkillers like candy until I was finally take in for surgery this summer. I just finally returned to (mostly) normal life in September and am back at work and trying to (slowly) pull my life back together.

That being said, I did get a heck of a lot of crafting done during those months! I mean...what else was I supposed to do with myself stoned and useless except watch Netflix and knit.

Let's see if I can touch on all the projects I have had ongoing since my last update, starting with ones I have actually finished. That's right! Your heard correctly! Projects I actually finished!

Firstly, I completed one square from Norah's Vintage Afghan for my German Shepherd Lovers Ravelry group. Each of us knit a square for the afghan and the complete afghan was then auctioned off and the funds were donated to a deserving dog rescue. The yarn used was Berroco Vintage, and the colourway was Oats. Here is my square.

And here is the completed afghan.

Next up, was my lovely (and aptly named) A Little Slice of Chaos shawl. This was both the pattern, and the yarn, from my April 2016 SAK (Smart-Ass Knitters) yarn club. The yarn is Chaingeling DK from Indigodragonfly in the Prince inspired colourway Ω≠∅. The picture isn't great, and the shawl still needs to be blocked, but she is finished.

And finally, my favourite so far, was my Wintersweet shawl by Boo Knits. I adore Boo's patterns, and I have started many of them. But this is the very first time I have ever finished one, and it definitely won't be the last! This shawl is gorgeous! And with just under 1,100 beads added, it's also a piece of artwork. I am almost afraid to wear it. Again, the pictures are not the best, and it still needs to be blocked, but it is finished! This was one of my Knit The Bin project goals so it makes me doubly happy! The yarn is lovely lace weight 100% tussah silk from DyeForYarn in the Crumbled Eiffel Tower colourway.

Well that's it for finishes...for now!

Let's see what is new and exciting on my needles.

First up, I am working on a type of Scoreboard Scarf for the hubby. He loves the Toronto Maple Leafs, but they always do so horribly. He was really excited for them this year due to a few additions to the team, specifically Auston Matthews, their number one draft pick for this season. I wanted to document this journey with the scarf. I am using Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK in Snow and Navy, but I am not super fond of it. I really hope it softens up more in the soak and block stage. Here it is so far after the first 12 games. The Navy represents the Leafs and the Snow represents their opponents. There is still a lot more Snow than I like, but a lot more Navy than I was expecting. /grins

Also currently on my needles is the Pumpkin Spice shawl by Threebagsfulled in the Criminal Knits Ravelry group. A KAL is being hosted in both the CK group as well as the Wolle's group as the pattern was designed for the new Wolle's Silk Cotton Heather yarn. I chose the Red Heather colourway for my shawl, although it looks a little pink in this horrible picture. The picture of the yarn alone is a more accurate depiction of the colour.

 

 I am also working on a sweater for my son. When I asked him what colour he would wear he picked red, so red it is! This is Flax, a free pattern on Ravelry by Tin Can Knits and the yarn is Shelridge Yarns Soft Touch W4 (worsted) in the Cardinal colourway. It's a gorgeous Canadian 100% merino yarn I discovered in my local yarn store, Creative Yarns in Scarborough. I am hoping to have it done for Christmas...but there is still quite a bit to go...and I am easily distracted.

These are my most important projects right now. I also have two sweaters on the go. One is stalled waiting for help from the designed because I keep mucking something up, and the other is stalled in the seaming phase...because seaming... I also am starting another MKAL, a Velveteen Rabbit themed MKAL, on Friday.

Happy New Year!

It has been almost a full year since I last posted to this blog.

2015 was a busy year for me. I was diagnosed with a chronic illness (details if you are interested can be found on my more personal blog Everything Gwenny) and spent pretty much the entire year sick and in pain. I missed a lot of work and realized that at some point I might lose my job and so therefore needed to look at other options.

Being the yarnie that I am I decided to open both a retail online yarn store, Serenity Yarns, and an Etsy shop (also named Serenity Yarns) for my hand-dyed yarns. So far it has been a lot of fun. It's still not enough to support me full time, and maybe it never will, but it's very enjoyable, and it makes me happy...which is the most important part.

As such, I am going to be using this blog to support both those outlets as well as continue using it for my own personal crafting as well. I will feature product reviews, both yarn and accessories, as well as contests, special deals, and more!

I didn't get a whole lot of projects completed last year, partially due to the illness and being in an almost constant fog of pain and painkillers, and also partially due to my love of constantly starting new projects.

The first project I completed wasn't until June, almost half way through the year. It was a test knit for an indie yarn dyer and designer I adore, Pandia's Jewels. I think it was the fastest I ever finished a project like this as well, taking me only 6 weeks to knit the entire shawl. I used one of her themed colorways, Gamora, based on the character of the same name from Guardians of The Galaxy.

Other than that I mostly did knitting to sell on Etsy including various cozy cowls and hats. Active listings for my hand knit items can be found on Esty, here.

My goal for this year is to finish more WIPs. I am running a Knit The Bin KAL (an awesome idea from our fabulous group member REJ) over on my Ravelry Group Page. Come on over and join us and we can encourage one another to finish our WIPs. I mean just look at this picture of my desk right now...I obviously need the help...

My other main knitting goal for this year is to learn double knitting. It is something I have really wanted to learn for quite some time, and some new patterns that have come to my attention require this skill. So it is definitely a must!

What are some of your crafting related goals for this year? Fell free to comment on the blog and/or join us over on the Raverly page.