My 2019 Crafting Year in Review

Happy New Year, everyone!

It's time to look back and see what I've accomplished in the past year, craft-wise.

First in my yarn arts, I made my grandson and I toques on knitting looms from the same skein of yarn. (I have since shipped my knitting looms to one of my sisters in Ontario as she will get more use out of them. Aside from toques, I find that I can knit most projects faster on needles. And they were taking up a lot of room for something that I seldom used). I've also done lots of dishcloths,

beginning with these for myself for St. Patrick's Day. But most of them were made to give away.

I gave every nurse on the home care team a dishcloth during Nursing Week, and every health care

aide a dishcloth on Health Care Aide Day. A lot more will need to be made in order to be ready for

those events again this year. I found a new Bernat Handicrafter yarn, Scrub Off, and bought a skein to try it out.

While I was in Ontario in late August/early September, I picked up the book, A Year of Dishcloths, by Maggie Weldon, and I've started working my way through the patterns.

I've also been trying to use up my dollar store cotton yarn.

And thrown in a few made with Bernat Handicrafter cotton and Red Heart Scrubby.

Dishcloths are a quick and easy take-along project and I have made them when I have been in inservices and workshops. And have sometimes gifted them to the presenters.

You would think I do nothing but make dishcloths. Not so. I also finished the Lilac Grove afghan.

I made some small progress on Sophie's Universe.

And I'm done 50 rounds of Rings of Change, which I think I will name Flamenco Rings.

I made this cover up for myself 

and began another afghan, this one made of Handicrafter cotton. 

The pattern calls for 14 motifs each of 3 different colours. My goal is to make all 42 motifs a different colour. I've made 22 so far without repeating a colour. 

As for quilting, I started the year with The Art and Science of Mathematics, 

followed by finally getting My Beloved's Vineyard quilted.

This was my first queen-sized quilt completed on the longarm. Next was another green quilt, Wintry Woods. 

Following that, I did a couple of baby quilts: Baby Blues (my first flannelette quilt)

and Moonstruck.

I then did my first signature quilt, Irene's Rubies.

Being frustrated with the performance of my longarm, I put together Neutral Territory to get more practice.

Go Broncos was made for a great nephew who had graduated from the University of Western Michigan. 

Getting back from Ontario, I had to start in on my Stonehenge Block Party project, but when the going got a little rough, I decided to take some less challenging quilting detours. (Is it really less challenging to draft your own blocks from a 2" square line drawing in a book?) I made my grandson the Odd Fellow's Treat Bag for his Hallowe'en treats.

With my niece's birthday coming up, I decided to make her a tote bag as well 

and added a table topper for Christmas.

After enough quilting detours, I finally finished Audacious, my Stonehenge Block Party quilt, and my first king-sized quilt. 

Coming close to year's end, I had a few projects I wanted to complete: Cat's Comfort,

the Country Christmas table runner set, 

My True Love Gave to Me,

and Licorice Allsorts.

I wanted to finish the year with a trio of hot pot holders to go with this trio of dishcloths, 

but I couldn't find the fabric I wanted to use. These will be gifts for neighbours. I have two new neighbours and a third will be a thank you gift for the cheerful Christmas display they set up in their yard. 

I suppose one of my New Year's Resolutions should be to find that fabric.