Sunday, June 26, 2022

Year of Projects 2021-2022 Roundup!

So this once-a-year round-up post has been a favorite post of mine for the last 6 years, but I'm realizing that several of my regular visitors at this point might be unaware that for the past seven years I've participated in a blogging community called Year of Projects (aka YOP).  This is a group of knitters and crocheters and weavers and various other fiber crafters who come together from around the world on a site called Ravelry and encourage each other through our blogs as we pursue our common (and some uncommon) handcrafts.

By this point I think I've slid almost completely off the radar of the group in terms of my actual participation, but my handcrafts of choice do still remain crochet, knitting, and cross stitching/embroidery - even though I haven't been very active at any of those things for many months now.  

In looking back at my record of what I've actually completed over the last 12 months, I see I have very little to show, but wanting to complete my 7th YOP year, I've rounded up pictures of what I have done.  

I started the YOP year with a bang by finishing probably my all-time favorite project:

Mr. Fox was kind of hard to let go, but it was made as a gift so as soon as I finished him (and took some pictures), I packed him up and mailed him off to his new owner.

One of the other projects I had begun a year or so earlier was to work at completing as many as I can (or want to) of the small doilies in the book, 99 Little Doilies.

I managed to add six more to my small collection of little doilies:







And before I was done crocheting with thread and tiny hook, I finished three medium sized doilies:


When I show doilies I've made I am often asked how I use them.  I don't use them all at once, but I often tuck one into a little vignette on a table top, or place one or two together at a jaunty angle under a collection of pictures in frames, or peeking out  at an angle under a potted plant.  Hubs then comes along and "straightens them out" and much to my dismay I find them later no longer looking "artsy", or like something fun and surprising.   I've often thought some day I may put a several together and create something unique, but by the time I have enough to do that, the idea will probably be so ordinary I'll not want to do it anymore.  That tends to be how I roll.

And finally, this spring I pushed myself to finish an afghan I had begun for my youngest son - I believe in 2020:

And that's it!  Even though it wasn't a prolific year of crafting, it's still fun to pull together this post and see what I managed to finish - all in one place.    

While I think I've figured out a way to possibly get back to cross stitching to some degree, I'm planning on stepping back from the YOP group at least for the upcoming 12 months.  It seems an obvious decision since I don't envision having anything regular to show for who knows how long.  That said, I will continue to enjoy watching what my favorite YOPers are up to, and plan to continue visiting your blogs.

Anyway...  I wanted to kind of explain this post to some of my newer visitors - since it isn't like anything that's shown up here for much of the last 12 months.  

And this post wraps up my 7th Year of Projects year, and that alone feels like something of an accomplishment.  I just can't believe that many years have flown by so quickly.  But ain't that always the way it goes. 

It's been a fun 7 years!




41 comments:

  1. Gosh Becki. It was nice to see what you did accomplish during your 7th year. It is so sad when our physical problems hold us back from things we loved in the past. I hope you will be able to work on your cross stitch without much issue. I still enjoy reading your blog. You always have such interesting things you 'talk' about. I have also enjoyed seeing all the new things you have discovered at your new home. Enjoy, my friend.

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  2. I like your approach -- do what you can, enjoy, and be happy with what you manage. Your skills are amazing especially in crochet, almost magical.

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  3. Oh lovely! Mr. Fox really is wonderful and the doilies are all unique. I am blessed with many of the doilies my mother made. It is sad to me that they have fallen so far out of favor because I find them as practical as they are decorative. Funny about your husband tweaking your displays. I often find things rearranged here as well. The afghan is very nice, too, I think you've had a successful year, indeed.

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    1. I sometimes imagine someone someday having the doilies I made (whether it's a relative or someone who purchased them from a thrift store). While these are clearly made in today's colors, I have hopes that decades from now someone will think they're fun, still. I have a few old doilies that were made by dh's grandmother, and I believe my grandmother. I haven't displayed them, but they are special to me.

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  4. Alissa here. Your afghan is stunning! I hope you’ll hang around the YOP group and post when you feel like it.

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  5. Miss your beautiful doily posts. So nice to hear from you again. Hope you can check in occasionally.

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    1. Thank you, Maureen. That's so kind of you to say. :)

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  6. I miss you and your beautiful projects. You are always an inspiration to me. I love the doilies too. What size thread and hook do you use? I am doing one and the hook is so tiny. I'm wondering if I could use a bigger hook and bigger thread/yarn? The fox is adorable and the blanket for your son is gorgeous!

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    1. Oh how I wish I knew who you are, Annon. Thank you for your kind words. With size 10 thread I use either a 1.5mm or 1.8 mm hook. The size difference I get using those two hooks isn't significant. I wouldn't really want a doily of any size made with larger than size 10 thread, but you might try making a relatively small doily (less than 5" across) with size 5 thread. With size 5 thread, I've used a 3.5mm or E hook. If the doily is somewhat dense, using size 5 thread and a larger hook can make a decent coaster or possibly a hot pad.

      At first I found crocheting with thread awkward, but I took a year break after making my first relatively simple one (which all of these are, btw) and when I picked up thread and tiny hook many months later it was pretty easy for me. Maybe try taking a break from it and seeing if it's easier another time. Just an idea...

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    2. It's me, Sam...I have no idea why it said Anonymous! LOL!

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    3. Oh, I'm so glad you told me, Sam! You're an inspiration to me, too! :)

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  7. They all look great Becki!

    "Be not afraid of going slowly; be afraid only of standing still."

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    1. Thanks, TB! Love the quote. I think it's going to be my mantra for the rest of this year. I have at least one more thing ahead (maybe two if I can time things right) that's going to require me to slow down again.

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  8. The doilies are magnificent! I cannot even imagine crocheting with thread and tiny hook to that degree of skill. Beautiful, beautiful work.

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    1. Thank you, Mrs. T. The thing I love about doilies (and mandalas) is they (or at least these) are relatively simple to make once each round's pattern is learned. It is my opinion that doilies almost always look like they're more difficult to make than they are. Every round is different, but because of the repetition of the pattern all the way around each round, they can be a very mentally soothing thing to work on.

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  9. Beautiful work, your doilies are stunning. Prayers for good health

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    1. Thank you very much, May. I'm starting to look forward to hand surgery now, so that must mean I'm healing well from the gall bladder removal. :)

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  10. Well to say that you have moved home I think that you have done very well indeed. All your projects are lovely. I think once something becomes like a chore other than a pleasure it's time to step back for a while. Seven years is a long time, I used to collect stash busting totals for my charity group and I gave up doing that last year and now I don't know how I ever found the time to do it. Have a great week. 😊Xx

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    1. While the reason I'm not crocheting or knitting right now is all about my hands, I will say this new place is giving us both plenty to do. That said, I do want to get back to working with yarn, though.

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  11. I'm glad to see you back for the roundup and we get to remind ourselves of your fabulous makes. I think you added a fair bit to the red embroidery as well. I will follow your other posts instead and play catch up over the coming weeks. Thanks for always being so encouraging in your comments. I will miss you being a member but understand priorities or circumstances change.

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    1. Thanks for letting me know it's you, Liz (highlandheffalump). I don't know why so many comments are turning into anonymous ones lately. You are right! I did work on that quaker sampler a bit earlier in the YOP year. I've also started back up on it using a lapstand to make it easier to work on. I'll be showing some progress here on that soon, I think. I'm glad to see YOP continuing. And I hope it will still be there when/if I'm ready to come back! :)

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    2. I’m sure it will be, I can’t imagine life without it now so I’m in for the long haul.

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  12. Love the doilies and the blanket. I don’t have the discipline anymore to track my finished objects. But I loved seeing yours. Elaine at My Next 20 Years of Living. blogspot. com

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    1. You know... as I've written above, I have hopes to return to YOPing some day, but you make me wonder if stepping away from it for a while I'll grow so out of the habit of keeping track of things I'll find it cumbersome to do. The YOP group is what gave me the motivation to keep track and share my stuff here in the first place.

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  13. Becki, even with moving and surgery, you have done many more projects than I have done! Your fox was (is) adorable! Easy to see why he's your favorite!

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    1. Well, to be fair, Cheryl... nothing has happened since surgery 4 weeks ago - except for some outside work as I've felt up to it. Well, and cooking and laundry. But really... that's about it. I'm actually starting to want to clean house and organize and purge again, so I'm thinking that means I'm feeling much better. :)

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  14. Wow! I'm so impressed by Mr. Fox AND those doilies!! Both are amazing (as well as the afghan!). I love doilies and use them JUST LIKE YOU DO and at a 'jaunty' angle haha! Fortunately, my hubby doesn't touch mine lol!

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    1. It took me a while before I caught on what was happening... lol Thank you for your kind words, Lauren.

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  15. I loved seeing this year's projects- your doilies make me happy! I hope you are able to get to a place health-wise where you can once again do the things you enjoy.

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    1. Thanks, Cinna. I do hope hand surgery makes it so I can crochet and knit again with abandon.

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  16. The fox is great! I do love to crochet. I am so inspired by your doilies and afghan, too, and gorgeous photos that I want to get back into crocheting.

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    1. Thanks so much, Marsha. It's fun knowing another crochet lover! :)

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  17. It is lovely to see your round up post, your work is always so precise and your words always inspirational. It's lovely to know you are still here and you know you are always very welcome ! 😊

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    1. Thanks, Lucy. The YOP group has been great inspiration from really wonderful people - yourself included. :)

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  18. Lovely to be reminded of some of your projects (particularly that sweet little fox!). I don't think you need to think that you haven't accomplished much because it certainly looks to me as if you have. Continue to heal - that, in itself, is a great accomplishment and something to be lauded.

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    1. When I think everything above was made before the end of summer last year (well, except for finishing the afghan) I realize the most I've done with yarn and thread for all this time is to have moved it from one house to another! lol

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  19. Another shout-out to the fox, and I'm also impressed with what you have accomplished! I hope the recent setbacks will not keep you from resuming what you love to do. My mother used to crochet and knit and made this intricate lace she would then attach to guest towels and give as gifts. Here's what I just learned about "anonymous" blog comments: I set my comments to imbedded so I could reply to them as you do. One of my blog friends who is on another platform (not blogger) texted and told me she could no longer comment. I changed it back and she could! She said on other blogger blogs that have the imbedded comments, she's allowed to comment as Anonymous. This tech stuff is crazy!

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    1. Thank you, Bob. I know from one of my commentors that the "embedded" setting for comments seems to preclude some from commenting without doing something special, but it doesn't stop others. Feels like a bit of a conundrum because I just don't care for non-embedded comments, and I don't want to change it.

      Elaine up there has told me in the past that she couldn't post on blogs that used embedded comments - I need to ask what she did to get a link attached to her name this time. What mystifies me is why some who've been able to post with their name and a link, suddenly aren't able to. TB alluded to something he didn't do in a previous post that caused his comment to be "anonymous". Maybe he and Elaine would be able to give me some insight into what this thing is they did.

      On an on-line forum I'm part of, someone mentioned that their daughter (or someone) was an intern at Google, and interns were given the Blogger platform to play with. I may not have that exactly right, but it wouldn't surprise me, and it would certainly explain the constant fixing of things that aren't broken.

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