Happy New Year! A Look Back on 2017

It has been bitterly cold here in Calgary for the past couple of weeks, which has given me a lot of time to reflect on the past year and think about what I want for 2018.

Creatively, 2017 was... OK.

I finished 7 quilts and made progress on two more. The first three were all finished and displayed at the Heritage Park Festival of Quilts on May 27 and 28, 2017.

Merry Mayhem Mystery Quilt 2017 Case #140: Nifty Thrifty

Checker Quilt - block designed by Elven Garden Quilts

Dawn Over Heritage Park - designed by Ana Buzzalino

The next one was gifted to a co-worker for her first baby. I fell in love with this Little Dickens fabric line (mostly because of the sheep) and just had to make a baby quilt!

Little Dickens Charm Square Quilt - pattern instructions by Sew Me

Then I finished these three scrappy wheelchair quilts that will be donated to a seniors care home in the city. My goal is to make/gather 12 quilts. I am currently up to 4! Guess I better get cracking.

I did a bit of spinning this past year. I finished a couple of bags of roving. I have not been very consistent with my spinning, but I'm still pleased with the progress that I have been making.

This one was an unidentified wool roving that was gifted to me. It came out a little thick and thin, probably a worsted to aran weight. I realized last night that I never measured the yardage on it.

And this was my main Tour de Fleece 2017 spin. Again, I haven't measured the yardage, but it came out at roughly a fingering weight. It's a little ropey and over twisted, but it's my most consistent yarn to date. (Note to self: start measuring the yardage on your handspun!)

In 2017, I was kind of off my knitting game. I feel like I hit a block. How many more shawls did one person need? I wasn't feeling inspired. But I did complete (almost) a couple of pretty major projects. I also knit a large garter stitch scarf and a shawl, but I really need to up my picture taking skills!

Rectangular Colorblock Bias Blanket - Purl Soho

Katrine Cardigan by Cecily Glowik MacDonald

This is my first sweater knit EVER! I started the sweater in 2012, got to the bottom seed stitch band and stopped... and it sat until December this year. I finally picked it up to start knitting again and got half way through the first sleeve and decided to try the sweater on... it was way too big! I don't know what I was thinking when I cast on the size that I did. After much frustrated texting with my mom, I frogged the whole sweater, went down a pattern size and a needle size and started again. The sweater that took me 5 years to knit the first time, took me just over two weeks the second time. It is still a little big, so I will have to be careful not to stretch it when I block it, but I think it will fit good over a long sleeve top and I will be able to use it as outerwear in the spring and fall. The cardigan still needs buttons, which are on there way to me from a dear friend in Breton, AB. 

Which brought me to my next line of reflection... the maker community. By nature, I am a pretty solitary person. I'm not good at reaching out for help, always thinking I should be able to take care of myself. But the community of makers is amazing! Quilters, knitters and spinners are some of the kindest, most supportive people I've ever met. This year I want to get better about reaching out to my community. I plan to immerse myself in the maker world in 2018, go to meetings, take classes, visit farms, markets and festivals, and, most of all, talk to people! 

I have a lot of plans and dreams for 2018 and I will share them all with you in the coming days. 

For now, I want to wish everyone a Happy and Creative New Year!