On 2011 and Looking Back

December 31, 2011 Christina Bossart

Well, after yesterday's look at how I did on my 2011 goals, I thought it would be good to run my numbers for 2011, and see how it stacked up to 2010.

2011 was a very different year than 2011. I worked for one non-profit, spent 3 months unemployed (my contract ended), found another job with another non-profit (on a one year contract), started up a local fiber guild, helped my grandparents fix-up and sell their house.

The one thing that was like 2010, is that at the start of 2011 I had no idea where I would be at the end of the year.

So like last year I collated my numbers, the stats from 2010 are given in parentheses.

2011 by the Numbers:

14 (23) miles of yarn acquired during the year
22 (18) miles of yarn currently in my stash
6.2 (4.5) miles of yarn knit/crocheted into projects
2,771 (426) yards of handspun yarn
6 (5.7) pounds of spinning fiber acquired
12 (5) pounds of spinning fiber in stash
6 (7) pairs of mittens
5 (14) hats
3 (6) shawls or stoles
0 (3) scarves
2 (2) bags
2 (0) blankets
6 (1) cowls
3 (1) pairs of socks
10 (0) dishclothes
0 (1) baby sweaters
100 (28) blog posts

Wow, the numbers are quite different from last year, but 2011 was quite different from 2010. It appears my stashing was less out of control than I thought it was and will be possible to get things really under control in 2012.

Also, biggest difference between 2010 and 2011 is the fact that I went through a serious knitting slump this summer and early fall, but I still managed to get more yarn used than the year before. Doing some larger projects (including two crocheted blankets and two felted purses) made a big different in the "volume" of yarn used.

I enjoyed most of my projects this year, and I learned so much from each of them. I can't wait to get started on my 2012 projects!

Get a closer look at all my projects from the year from checking out my Finished Objects tab above or as a slideshow below.

http://www.flickr.com//photos/greenbeanstring/sets/72157628607876593/show/

FO: TdF Stragglers

August 21, 2011 Christina Bossart

So, at the beginning of the Tour de Fleece I set out the batts and tops I wanted to spin, and after the three weeks of the tour I had finished two yarns. Not deterred by missing the deadline so badly, I have continued to spin my TdF fluff queue and I am finally finished, almost a month after the last day of the tour.

Falling Leaves

50/50 Tussah Silk and SeaCell, 14wpi, worsted spun, 2-ply, 60yds, 50g.

Two Art Yarns

1. Corespun, 30 yds

2. Threadplyed Yarn, 100 yds

Fall Colors

100% BFL, chain plyed, aran weight, 100yds, 100gm

So I am finally "caught up" on my spinning. I find having a spinning queue is helpful, but I think I need to knit down some handspun before I can spin anymore.

FO: Warm Winter Wishes

August 19, 2011 Christina Bossart

With a year of spinning behind me now, it took a good friend to make me knit with the yarns I have made. My good friend Tiff was in town for the Dragon Boat Festival back in June and she admired the yarn and when we made plans to go camping/adventuring this weekend, I knew I had to make it into something for her.

The yarn I made it out of was a batt I got from Diana the genius behind Fiber Fancy. The batt was beautiful, and soft and fantastic, and the color was just so warm.

I spun it into a really soft, thick/thing single. It was my first attempt at woolenspun yarn, however, it was really inconsistent. So in the areas that are silky it is thread thin and in the more alpaca-y areas it is bulky, so the simple lace pattern actually highlights the yarn really well.

I have had this pattern in my queue forever, and it was a great knit. And it is just so wonderfully warm and fuzzy, the alpaca makes it warm and it has a shedd-y halo that just makes you want to pull it on.