This week I’ve mostly been working on my Sonoran shawl project while I’ve been focused on some advent box knitting. I’m happy to report that I’ve reached the halfway point in this large project. The center lace (in dark green) is a fairly wide section. The remainder of the other patterning/yarn color changes will mirror what’s already been knit for the second half of the stole.
I also worked on the little wool applique mug rug project a bit this week. I have 2 of the 6 motifs finished up with the edge stitching. (Those are the two with the buttons on them, although the stitching is hard to see.) I need to add in a few mini red buttons on the wreath to completely finish it. The candy canes are kind of fussy with the small sections of red but I do think they are worth it for the detail.
I probably won’t have much, if any, update for next week. I’m heading back to the east coast to visit my parents midweek and I know the Sonoran project is too big to take on the plane with me as I’m trying to stick with just a carry-on, so I’ll be taking something small…. socks maybe?
Once I’m back I want to do an update/reboot of my YOP list post. I had asked over in the Ravelry group if I could reset my counter for the year to start January 1st as a lot of the tracking I use works off a calendar year and it’s much easier for me to keep up-to-date with things using my planner that way. It’s been helpful too that I’ve had 6 months to see how my plans have worked out (or not), and I think I’m going to try to work towards a yardage goal rather than specific yarns since things like test or preview knitting throw those long-range plans of using a specific yarn out the window. I am going to try to work through the yarns I’ve pulled already as those are easily to hand, but I’ll be mixing in other yarns and projects as we go through 2022. I also want to revamp my spinning fiber choices for 2022. I know I’ve gotten burned out spinning basically the same color and yarn weight/type for this sweater spin, so I need to switch up some other types of yarn to try to keep myself motivated to spin down the fiber stash. I’m also thinking of including some other embroidery-type projects along with the wool applique ones. So long story short, look for an update on all of those plans likely for next week’s update.
Have a great week YOP’ers!
Knit One, Spin Too 
Both of your projects show good progress. I think socks are the best portable project other than dishcloths. But socks take a bit longer to knit so you only need to take a small amount of yarn with. As for doing YOP on a calendar year basis……..There are others doing it that way. I think what ever works the best for you is the way you should do it. We just enjoy watching your blog and learning about you and your crafts.
I agree – socks are a top choice for travel. I had a skein already wound up so I picked a pattern last night and I think I’m all set!
Just FYI – my goals have changed a lot over the past 4 years of doing them. I’ve had to learn what is realistic, I’ve added some more “general” goals such as trying a new designer’s pattern or trying a new technique. This let’s me double/triple up on checking off goals. I’ve also tried a variety of goal tracking techniques. I think I’m about 95% of the way there as I was very satisfied with the goals and tracking techniques I used this past year. I have to watch out for the “green eyes of envy” but I’ve recognized I will never like being a test knitter (a previous goal) nor can I complete “50 projects” since I don’t knit dishcloths or baby hats. Assessing where I “missed” goals is more about understanding what I like and don’t like versus beating myself up. Have fun creating your 2022 plan and tracking techniques.
Thanks for all of your thoughts and support. 🙂 The tracking winds up being a thing for me – and I’m still sorting out how to easily keep track of everything I like to track. Apps are great but only if you remember to use them and I don’t always!
The shawl looks great – I love that color combo
Yeah I found pretty quickly last year (my first year with YoP) that trying to be too specific with my goals was not right for me. It’s just fun to follow along with your projects!
Sometimes it’s hard to know how much (or little) to plan until you do it but that’s the great thing about YOP, is that you can tweak it to suit yourself!
Your shawl just gets prettier and prettier! The applique is so festive. I might like a January to January season as I usually have company in July. I need to revisit my goals which I stray from a lot! You’re making great progress on yours and I hope you have a safe and wonderful trip to see your parents!
Thank you so much! Yeah…. I realized that a lot of the things I use to track progress are calendar year driven, so rather than make myself crazy(er) trying to split the year up, Jan 1-Dec 31 makes better sense. 🙂
Wow I love the Sonoran shawl. the colours are amazing. Have a safe trip and I look forward to reading your update on your plans for your January to December 2022 goals.
Thank you so much! I’m hoping it’s an easy out and back trip and I’m looking forward to seeing my folks!