Yarny projects update...

I can't believe it's June already!  And I can't believe that in a little over one month, the Year of Projects (YOP) group on Ravelry will start another year. 

Because the group started in July (of 2011), it has kept that tradition of starting mid-year, and I love it.  I find it refreshing to start something new mid-year.  And it's fun to look back when I create a "round-up" post, and it's exciting to imagine what I might end up making during the next twelve months. That said, some members choose to YOP on a calendar year schedule - and I would imagine they feel the same things I feel.  They just feel it in December and January instead of June and July. 😄

A few years ago (in 2022), I think because my hands were hurting and I was looking forward to hand surgery later that year, I decided to just step away from the Year of Projects group - not realizing at the time time I'd be gone for at least two years.  Then in 2024 (after healing from yet another surgery, and cancer treatment), I wondered if it was worth it to come back at all.  I missed the camaraderie of the group, but because handcrafts had gotten pushed to the back burner during moving, and then health issues), I was a little afraid I'd regret putting pressure on myself to post every week.  I waffled right up to the last minute, but I finally decided to just re-join and if I fizzled, I fizzled. I knew there was no judgement in the YOP group.  There was only encouragement. I am nowhere near the participant I was in my earlier YOP years, but I am so glad I decided to take the chance this past year and jump back in.

Even though I don’t post every week, just knowing that the weekly YOP thread will be created, and fellow YOPpers will be posting about their crafts, has (a number of times) prodded me to pick up my languishing handcrafts and do something creative. That alone, has made it a net plus for me. All the encouragement fellow YOPpers offer each other is sweet icing on the cake.

I write all that in case anyone reading this wonders about these Year of Project posts that show up here every few weeks or so.  If you want to know more about the Year of Projects' group and get a feel for how the group members encourage each other, you'll need a free Ravelry account.  With that account, you can peruse all sorts of groups, and join them without any commitment.  You can join the YOP group and lurk for as long as you want as you consider whether or not it's a good fit for you.  If you want to join in on the fun, you'll just need a blog where you'd like to share your crafty progress, and can link to.  If YOPing sounds interesting at all, I hope you'll check it out.

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Projects I've been working on in recent weeks:

A couple of knitted beanies to kick-start a collection of donatable items that will be distributed come autumn/winter.  Rockport Double Brimmed Beanie

While these look okay (enough) in the photograph, I'd love to know if there are any special tricks seasoned knitters have learned for making neat decreasing at the crown.  It seems like my stitches get looser and looser and the decreasing ribs at the crown go a little wonky.  I think my first hats knitted years ago look much better. Is it just my aging hands that make keeping consistent tension more difficult?

One day a week or so ago more crocheted hexagons got made:

When I picked this back up, I decided this is a most excellent project to have in the background, ready to pick up and crochet however many I want whenever the motivation strikes.  Or when I felt no serious motivation to work on anything, just making one hexagon resulted in six more being made before I decide to move on...

And since April I've been knitting dishcloths again. They are great to knit when my hands want to be busy, my mind needs a distraction, and I'm too tired to do much physically - often at the end of a day (or right before bedtime).   Since I now only use two patterns or knit simple garter or stockinette stitch cloths, I've concluded my creativity with these is going to be in photographing them.  This is just fraction of what I've knit since April:

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And lastly... I found (and bought) a fun metal dish at a resale shop last week.  For all I know, this was originally purchased at Hobby Lobby (or someplace home store), but  thinking it might make a nice container for different kinds of displays or table centerpieces I brought it home to play with.

I auditioned it with some of my embroidery threads.

 And came up with this for the table behind our couch:

I'm living with it for a while to decide what I think of it.  Though I realize today I need to change out the May pillow...

I can't believe it's June already!