FO – Yards of Happiness

Year in Review: 2017

2017 Year in Review
You guys…it’s that time of year where I look back at my year of knitting in total. 2017 was a really good year knitting wise (you can read 2016’s year in review too). Politics wise…well that sucked. Life wise…pretty darn great. I’m heading into 2018 with big personal and professional plans for myself and the hopes for some really positive changes in my life. This year is about focusing more on joy and doing what makes me happy. Life is just too short to be miserable. And of course my hope is always for more knitting. So let’s talk about what I was able to accomplish in 2017.

This year by the numbers: 61 finished objects overall

Sweaters: 27 (that includes short sleeve and long sleeve adult sized garments)
Shawls/Cowls/Scarves: 4
Dog Sweaters: 5
Baby Clothes (sweaters and dresses): 7
Toys: 4
Hats: 7
Vests: 1
Ties: 1
Baby Blankets: 2
Tiny Dog Cowl: 1
Baby Crown: 1
Baby Socks: 1

This year I was selfish and knit more for myself than I have in years past but there were still a lot of things I gave away. And in all honesty I just make what I feel like making instead of making things I feel obligated to or feel pressured into – that takes the joy out of something I love doing so much. And throughout the year I’ve blogged and shared it all with all of you. I read and try to respond to each and every comment, email and Instagram message/comment. You guys excite me, inspire me and are such great resources for so many things knitting related and even just life stuff. So thank you for reading and sharing in my joy. Here’s to all of us getting to knit a lot more in 2018. And keep reading to get links to every monthly recap of what I made this year.

January FO
January
February Finished Objects
February
March's FO
March
April's FO's
April
May's FOs
May
June's FO's
June
July's FO
July
August FO's
August
September FO’s
September
October’s FO’s
October
November FOs
November
December’s FO

December

July’s FO’s

August, it’s so bittersweet. My birthday is at the end of the month (YAY!) but that also means summer is coming to an end (sigh…). So here’s what I was able to finish in the month of July.
July's FO

A tiny cowl for Jellybean made from leftovers.
My Pink Professor cardigan as part of the Summer of Basics Makealong.
Another adorable summer dress in orchid.
A Rye tie in exchange for a gorgeous handmade wooden pencil.
A super bright pink dog to go along with last month’s purple dog.
And my favorite of the month, my rainbow Teazel cardigan.

Technically I finished knitting the doll this month but since I didn’t give her any clothes I’ll count that towards August’s finished objects. And since August is my birthday month, I’m going to keep with tradition and knit myself something and perhaps in my favorite color, green. I’ve got three different types of yarn (dk, worsted and bulky) in sweater quantity in gorgeous emerald green I’m excited to cast on with but just not sure which project I’ll make yet or which yarn I’ll choose. I also want to buy myself this yarn as a present to myself. I love the black and ashland colors and am thinking of making myself another Fable cardigan in either of those gorgeous colorways.

So how productive was your July?!

August 2, 2017August 1, 2017 by IamDWJ Categories: Baby Knits, Cowls & Scarves, FO: Finished Object, For Dogs, Knitting, Men's Knits, Monthly Roundup, Sweaters, ToysTags: #yardsofhappiness, FO, knitting, Monthly Roundup, sweater knitting, Yarn 6 Comments

FO: For a Little Adventurer

My girlfriend is going to have a baby soon. Very soon. But I hadn’t made her anything yet because of two things: 1. She chose to not find out the sex of her baby (Booo) 2. Because she’s Jewish she’s keeping with custom and not accepting gifts before the baby is born. So for me I know that means I just had a little more time to make my gifts but she did give me the room’s color scheme and I’ve started on her baby blanket of Kelly green, navy blue and grey. But the other day she sent me a text and asked if I could make this onesie with my Silhouette machine and heat press. She was thinking about getting it as a bringing home baby outfit but did not want to spend $26. So I obliged and then thought I can’t send her a onesie without a hospital hat, right?
Matzah Ball's hat and onesie
So I dug through my trusty stash of Caron Simply Soft yarn and found a lovely Kelly green decided on the TinCan Knits Barley hat pattern. It had just enough texture and interest in a tiny hat to keep me going in a short span of time. I was able to whip this baby up in about 2 1/2 hours using my double pointed needles since I couldn’t find my 16 inch circulars in the size I needed.
Matzah Ball's hat and onesie
Not bad, right? I would’ve also made some tiny socks but that can wait until I’m finished with the baby blanket. My order of Mighty Stitchy Bulky came last week and I started on the same Chevron Baby Blanket pattern I made for my friend’s baby girl in February. This one will be heavy on the green with blue and grey as accents, maybe like chevron stripes in between. We shall see. The onesie has happily been delivered and added to her hospital bag and now we wait to see when baby boy/girl will get here!