2014 - a review

2014 hasn't been my most productive year due to various work related issues that have got in the way.  First I was working 50+ hour weeks... then I wasn't working at all but somehow felt I shouldn't sew or knit but should spend all day and all evening searching for work... then I was working as a temp on odd shift hours that meant I got home at 7.30pm most days so had no time to sew...

Nevertheless, I completed several projects:

Style Arc patterns became a new favourite and I made a number of skirts and tops and a pair of trousers.  I bought more patterns than I made and there are two that are at the top of the list of things to do in 2015, and a few others on the list to buy now that they do downloadable patterns. 

I made a pair of Jalie Jeans and was going to say that I'd not made many Marfy patterns but when I checked my blog archive, I did make 2 tops, a shirt,  a skirt, two dresses, a tunic top and a coat, though the latter is not yet finished.  That's actually not bad going for a year when I thought my productivity was way down.

I made a quilt from start to finish, and I've been very pleased with that.  It just finished off the room it is in nicely.

I've also been learning to spin of course and that's been a steep learning curve.

I started a Monkey A Month knitting challenge but didn't finish it, though that resulted in some new shawls, a shawl for a birthday gift and some new socks.

I made my first BooKnits shawl, in grey cashmere with beads and this has been worn an awful lot this year. 

I made some plain socks for my brother for Christmas, and knit a Kate Davies OWLS jumper for mum, also for Christmas, but no one else got any knitted goodness this year though I had originally planned to make some knitted items for other people, time got away from me.  

I've started a cardigan from yarn I dyed myself but that's a project that will go forward into 2015.

I did SWAP though didn't enjoy it as much as I normally do and didn't find that the SWAP I made worked as well as some have done in the past. 

In between these larger projects I've dyed yarn and planned about three times more projects than I've had time to make but that's quite normal for most sewers really.

I've revisited my plan for 2014.  I planned a Monkey A Month challenge but didn't complete it, planned to design a Shetland shawl, but didn't get around to doing it.  Planned to knit more laceweight shawls but only made one, though I do wear it a lot so perhaps it should be weighted more heavily for that reason.  I also planned to complete my hexaghan blanket... but I didn't achieve that.

Though I didn't do what I planned, I did do lots of other things.   I thought I was sitting down to report on a rather unproductive year, but when I looked I had done quite a lot really.  I think I would have been quite surprised if I'd successfully stuck to my plan though.  I'm very much a copious planner... its just I plan far more than I can ever achieve and become distracted by new things regularly.  I think readers, you will probably be familiar with this problem.