First Make of 2010, and what I did in 2009

Yup - I'd finished my first make of 2010 by last night! I did technically start these on New Year's Eve, but realised I'd got the wrong sized hook so really they were properly done yesterday.


These super-cosy gauntlets/fingerless gloves are made from Patons Shadow Tweed, which was sent to me as part of my Secret Santa gift. This was from a lovely lady called Emma, who also sent me some buttons and sweeties, some Lush jelly soap and a cute snowman bauble for the tree! I am very lucky. I knew straight away what to make with it - I'd wanted to make something which would keep me warm whilst working as I've really been suffering from the cold lately, but didn't have the energy to come up with my own pattern. I stuck the yarn into Ravelry and searched for a pattern - and this one came up from The Tree Bridge on Etsy. It's a good pattern (though I did make a lot of mistakes and had to frog quite a bit - I suspect that may be more to do with my lack of attention and sheer tiredness than the pattern itself!) and one I'm sure I'll use many times over the years. I'm keen to use this yarn again too, so I'll be looking for a jumper or cardigan project in the future.

Better have a bit of a round-up of what I made in 2009!

Things I learned:

• A little about watercolouring
• Swaps are fun!
• Bookbinding in various forms
  
• Making Kanzashi
• A bit about baking bread and making marmalade & jam
• Breaking a needle on your sewing machine is scary but not the end of the world
  

Things I made:

• 18 Mr Suns
• 57 crochet cakes (large and small)
  
• 3 baby hats
• 1 pair baby shoes
  
• 19 Amigurumi
• 2 tie-dyed t-shirts
• 2 hand-drawn t-shirts
  
• 3 ballet cardigans
• 2 ruffle cravats
• 1 skirt
• 2 hairclips
  
• 6 granny square for swaps
• Bag & pouch for roleplaying from 3 of the swapped granny squares
  
• 1 mini granny square blanket
• 6 books bound in various ways
• 14 brooches
• 1 choker
• 1 necklace
• 3 bracelets
• Pirate costume for a toy cat
• Crocheted cat-paw gloves
• Felt star toy
• Various Fimo buttons
• cross-stitch Flash Gordon sampler
• 2 adult hats
• 1 child's scarf
  
• origami cards & boxes
• Crochet doily
• 6 beaded star tree ornaments
• Chair cushion
• Superhero cape
• Child's apron
  
• Enormous amounts of cake
• Fudge
• 12 jars of jam & marmalade

What I didn't finish from 2008/9

• Any cross stitch at all (though I did do bits here and there)
• Sirdar YoYo blanket cardigan for me
• Star afghan

So I still have a lot of big outstanding projects, and I also have a lot of orders to complete for Mr Suns and cakes. With Little Bump on the way I'm trying to have a serious think about how to organise myself - I need to hold off on spur-of-the-moment projects and last-minute makes, and try to plod on with the stuff that really needs finishing, at least for the next few months. I have, however, allowed myself to start a new cross-stitch kit which I've had since I finished work when K was born, so that I'm still doing something newish for me when I get fed up of everything else.

It doesn't really feel much like a new year at the moment - so many projects hanging around from last year and not a lot of scope to go in new creative directions. Other than mum of two, of course! :D