What’s up, 2024?

Yeah it’s been a minute since I felt like blogging. Loads of reasons but all of them coalescing into it just wasn’t one of the priorities I had to juggle. But I’ve been missing this outlet and wanting to get back to it so here we are.

To ease back into this, here’s a quick list of my Ins and Outs for 2024.

In for 2024

• Progress not perfection
• Dedicating time to people that are important to me
• Also dedicating time to the activities that fuel me up
• Getting out of my house/state/country for changes in scenery

Out for 2024

• All-or-nothing thinking
• Holding onto things “just in case” (straight talk, this will probably be the hardest for me)
• Letting myself feel stuck for too long without trying to get unstuck
• Long-necked birds. Okay I don’t have a lot of control over that but they’re assholes and you know I’m right.

But Amy, this is a crafting blog

And if you think some of those items don’t apply to crafting… I don’t know, be more imaginative or something? (The birds thing doesn’t really apply to crafting, I will give you that.)

In the middle of some of my doldrums last year, I realized there would be days or even weeks occasionally where I wouldn’t make anything. And one thing I have known about myself is that at my core, I am a maker. I make things. It’s what I do.

20 minute rule, guideline… thing

I’ve instituted a 20 minute “rule” for myself, in which I spend at least 20 minutes every day making something. If I don’t feel like working with yarn (which does occasionally happen), I can spend 20 minutes doing something on a sewing project. Or an embroidery project. Or any of the other crafting projects I have around the house because I am a making magpie (short-neck birds are still okay).

I may not have the energy or focus or time to do more than 20 minutes but 20 minutes is more productive than zero minutes and moves me that much more closer to the finish line. And while I am always inspired by the product I want to have at the end, it’s just as important to enjoy the process.

Similarly, after moving into my house (I bought a house at the end of 2022, which is just one reason why I was absent all last year), I am face to face with an abundance of things, including yarn and fabric that maybe don’t need to be in my house anymore. I plan on doing some serious heart-to-hearts with myself about the state of my crafting supplies and future projects over the year and being more thoughtful in that regard. Which would be easier if Laura wasn’t flaunting her third Leelanau in progress.

My plans for the year

I really do plan on taking a hard look at my yarn and fabric stash. Especially the yarn stash. I am pretty sure I have yarn to knit at least 25 garments. The problem is that many of them have been in my plans for years. In that time, my tastes as well as my body measurements have changed. So I know I want to assess what I have and what I still want to keep and to make into something.

In the meantime, I want to challenge myself, which at this point is not impossible but is a bit difficult. One area I’d like to grow is my crochet skills, so I’m hoping to work on a couple of crochet garments this year. I have yarn to crochet Taroko by Nomad Stitches.

I also subscribed to Plyful to take advantage of some of the lessons they have there. I’m sitting in on a masterclass this weekend on crochet gauge which to be perfectly honest is one of my greatest challenges with crochet.

Currently on the needles

Right now, though, I’m working between three projects.

I’m knitting the Billy Cardigan, designed by Linda Whaley, from Little Rowan Cherish for my baby niece (not pictured below, that’s Rowan’s photo).

I’m also working my way through the Novi pullover, designed by Amy Christoffers for Berroco. Yes, that is miles of 2×2 ribbing. It’s pretty mindless, which is nice, but it’s also miles. That said, I’ve got one sleeve done and am roughly halfway through the body so we’re moving.

Finally, this week I cast on for Sedna Yang’s Camellia Garden (Raverly link) sweater, which I have been longing for since she first posted photos. I’m almost done with my sleeve swatch and I wish I could wear this sweater right now.

I’m not going to promise that I’ll be great at updating this blog (we’ve done this dance too many times for that). But I do hope to make blogging a habit again. I keep coming back to this space, even if much of the world has moved on from blogs. Who knows, maybe they’ll be “in” again this year.