Year of Projects 2014

It’s that time of year where we pause to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, what slipped off the radar screen and what we hope to achieve in the months ahead. Here's a quick roundup of my 2014 knitting efforts.

Focus, Finish & Frog

In 2014, my goals were quite simple: Focus, finish and frog. With these fundamentals in mind, I decided to:

Focus on WIPs                               

Select and start new projects with restraint

Finish projects already on the needles

Frog languishing WIPs and UFOs

Frog FOs that didn’t pass muster

Donate yarn that no longer suited my preferences and priorities

This strategy helped me process (knit, frog, donate) close to 15,000 yards, a figure far more modest than what many of you achieved, but I’m okay with it.

Finished Objects

As the year drew to a close, there was one active project on the needles, a cluster of swatches for potential new projects and a number of FOs, including: 

AFGHANS

SCARVES & SHAWLS

SMALL THINGS

Many of the small things shown were knit in quantities and quite a few WIPs and FOs large and small were frogged with abandon.

Patterns & Designs

Designing has always been a part of my knitting life. In 2014, I took a deep breath and started formally publishing patterns rather than just outlining them here or on my Ravelry project pages.

The patterns share certain commonalities: They’re fast, easy and designed to help you make the most of yarn from stash. So far, all of them are also reversible and hopefully nearly fool-proof. 

As of this moment, there are a handful of patterns available and many more are in development or the hands of the tech editor.

Stash

When I made knitting the stash a priority, one thing was clear: All the yarn and knitting gear had to be pared down so everything fit into its designated space. I have more than enough storage for any reasonable person, but over the years yarn acquisitions far outstripped my very limited knitting time and rather slow knitting pace. Enough already.

Technically, I’m not cold-sheeping but taming the stash remains a long-term objective. At the close of 2014, my yarn fits into the designated cupboards and drawers, and all needles and tools have a home of one sort or another. Keep in mind yarn, patterns, swatches, worksheets, needles and blocking mats are always sitting out somewhere. But when the urge to tidy up strikes, it can all be stowed out of sight.

That’s progress in the right direction and I’m willing to call it a win.

Outlook

The 3F (focus, finish, frog) strategy worked well, so I'm continuing it again this year. I have a high-level plan in place, but as always, it's likely I'll end up wherever the yarn and inspiration lead.

There's something particularly appealing about the start of a new year shining bright with promise and opportunity. I have one very simple wish: May this be the best year ever for each and every one of us.