A Year of Projects - Making the List

Planning ahead for a year of projects is a daunting task for me. Typically, I avoid trying to anticipate today what I will want or be able to do that far in the future. This comes after many years of planning, scheduling and otherwise attempting to manipulate my life into submission with disastrous results! These days I’m much more of a “be here now” kinda gal!  Why then have I chosen (yes, this is a choice) to participate in a YoP? The best I can figure is because I like to learn new things and I especially like the community of bloggers and the support they offer each other. After reading through most of the threads in the Ravelry Group Come Blog-A-Long I thought, “What a great group of people. I’d like to hang out with them and give this thing a try!”

But how am I going to make a list that I have any hope of sticking to for a whole year? Last year, many people strayed quickly and often from their original lists.  This year more folks are leaning towards broader goals (I’ll crochet 10 hats for charity). This, (I think) I can do! Now I have to decide what I want to learn and how I’m going to do it.  So I started where I usually do, at the library with a big old pile of books! This is a sample of the roughly two dozen books I’ve looked at over the past few weeks!

After oohing and aahing over many, many beautiful projects (and plenty that flops), I knew that I didn’t want to commit to one book for the whole year. I decided to come up with 10 things that I want to learn about or improve upon. The books were so important in helping me choose. Here is my list, in no particular order:

• Make a sweater (that really fits!) from Custom Crochet Sweaters by Dora Ohrenstein
• Improve my sock skills
• Explore the world of Granny Squares
• Learn Painted Crochet
• Dye my own yarn
• Make something with up-cycled materials
• Crochet a rug
• Design my own wrap
• Learn a new lace technique (ie: Hairpin, Bruges, or Filet)
• Make at least one sewing project from 101 One Yard Wonders
• Give double ended hooks a try
• Learn Tunisian Crochet
  

Okay, so that’s 12 things! But it’s exciting, and I’m feeling good about my list.  I took my time and really gave a lot of thought to what I want to learn and what’s realistic for me. Many of these things have been flittering about in my head for a while.  The difference is now they’re written down. I’m hopeful that a YoP will help motivate me to get busy with my Holiday Stashdown projects. A few months ago I joined up with Marie at Underground Crafter because I wanted to keep ahead of my holiday gift making, instead of having it turn into the last minute nightmare it usually becomes. To date my progress has been less than stellar. Now I’ve gone ahead and made my second public declaration of things I want to accomplish in a finite amount of time! That means it’s time to stop procrastinating and start crocheting!

I had books everywhere!!

I hope that you’ll stop in now and again and see how I’m doing.  I’m looking forward to meeting lots of new people and having great adventures trying new things! You can pop into the group to see what everyone else is doing. Also, why not stop by Marie’s and see what’s happing in the Stashdown world.

There you have it friends! The beginning of something wonderful.

Until next time,
Be blessed and stitch & read with love!

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