New Year; Old Projects: my current WIPs (and what’s next)

I ended 2019 with some unfinished business – namely, a few works-in-progress that should take priority so I can clear the deck for the new project ideas I have. I’ve been doing a lot of crochet in 2019, and I love the craft; however, I really want to get back into knitting more, and I also want to develop some exciting paper craft ideas I have in mind.

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I just started the “Pearl” socks in late December, so I am not too far off the mark with my progress. The pattern is by Mon Petit Violon, and the yarn is Malabrigo sock yarn in colorway Flavia. I’m using a 3.25 mm hook, and some colorful stitch markers to keep me on track. These socks are fun to make. I love this designer’s patterns so much. She is not always correct about how much yarn is needed (sometimes too much or slightly short), but her instructions are on the money. Can’t wait to wear and show the socks when I’m done, hopefully in the coming week (unless I run out of yarn; my feet are large, thus, the socks are big) – in which case, more delay.

The filet crochet project (a table mat embellished with intertwined hearts) has been on the back burner since September. I started it because I really wanted to practice this technique, which is one I rarely use. Filet is a satisfying technique once you get going, and I love the idea of creating images with negative space. I will get this baby done, and block it, so you can see the images in their full glory. This article will very likely be gifted to a dear friend. I hope she likes the color aqua blue.

Those crocheted pink elements in the photo are lovely, yes, but a source of shame for me. I’ve been crocheting these (and putting them aside for a large blanket) for almost one year. Granted, this blanket requires 48 of those large octagons, and 36 of the small squares. I am almost to 40 octagons now (yay!), but sadly, I just have the one square as of this writing, so I am posting this publicly to be held accountable for my dire negligence. I absolutely love the idea of this blanket, so once it’s finished, I promise to show it off here with plenty of photos and a sigh of relief.

All told, it’s not too much baggage from 2019 – but enough to hamper my upcoming projects a little bit.

I don’t really make resolutions, but I do feel comfortable setting goals, so a few of my crafting goals (apart from finishing the above in 2020) will be to post on average 7-8 times a month; learn the brioche knitting technique; design a diorama that uses a number of my fiber and paper art skills; and create more mosaics with a much improved technique. The latter will mean that I buy some black-belt level paper cutting tools, and you will be treated to my shopping trip for those when I visit Tokyo this February!

Happy, Peaceful New Year to you and yours. See you soon!