January in Yarn

I'm finally making some progress with my yarn diary, which is exactly what it sounds like - a record in yarn of everything I work on this year. I came up with this daft idea months ago and wrote about it here My Year in Yarn. The idea is to create a patchwork block each month, with each piece representing a knitting or crochet project that you've worked on. You use the same yarn as the project and I've worked out several ways of knitting and crocheting squares that don't need you to work out your tension first. Should you want to join me in this, there's a free pattern here to help you get started.

I shall be making one 8" patchwork square for each month, edging them with a garter stitch border and then sewing them together to make a blanket. I also want to record the details of all the projects in a scrapbook as I go. Here are the non-yarn things I've got to help me make this work.

It took me ages to decide on what to use for my scrapbook. I've got an aversion to notebooks with instructions on the front like 'Be Happy' or 'Book of Special Things' (I've made those two up but you know what I mean) and I didn't want to use an album with sticky pages. Can you tell I've got a daughter who's an archivist? In the end, on her advice, I settled for this inexpensive, black ringbound album from Hobbycraft. It's got black pages and I shall use black photo corners like these to stick things in.

I want to include a picture of each month's block with a key to each of the projects on it and a bit more information about each of them. I think I'll add photos of finished things too and anything that might make it more interesting for people to read in the future. I've got a drawer of scrapbooking bits and pieces upstairs that I shall sort through to see what I've got to make the pages pretty.

I've also got a small notebook where I make notes of everything I work on each month. I tend to have lots and lots of projects on the go at once so it's easy to forget some. The notes include whether it's a knitting or crochet project (or, in my case, weaving too) and details about the yarn and needles or hooks used. This is useful when I come to make the patches, sometimes weeks later.

The square thing with the brightly coloured squares is my mini design board. I made this from some card and a scrap of wadding to help me work out the design each  month. 

The little card shapes are half size so I've written the sizes they represent on them to stop me getting confused. This arrangement is one of the possibilities were I to work on 14 projects one month.

In January the total was a more modest ten - seven knitting, one crochet, one Tunisian crochet and one weaving. I'm also weaving a temperature blanket this year but I'm not including that as it's its own diary. 

So, this is my patchwork square for January ...

I have to say it didn't look lovely and flat like this when I'd finished it. All those different yarns made for a very lumpy and bumpy square; luckily, blocking sorted that out.

So, starting at the top left, we have a big green variegated square representing a blanket I'm weaving on one of my Hazel Rose pin looms. I thought I'd be clever and weave this square, forgetting that this particular loom produces squares smaller than 4". I added a round of crochet to make it up to size. This is the wonderful James C Brett Marble Chunky and I'm using two shades to make a simple blanket of squares.

Next to that big square are four little 2" squares. The one at the top (mostly blue) is some variegated sock yarn that I'm using to knit my son a pair of gloves. These are going very slowly as I have to wait to see him so that he can try them on to check the fit at every stage. I'm up to the fingers on the first glove at the moment so they'll probably be finished just in time for Summer.

The red square with the grey stripe in the middle is more thin 4 ply, this time from a new design I'm working on which I think I shall call 'Pocket Box'. It's a small, folding purse inspired by origami, something like my Pinwheel Purse pattern. The last one is blocking now and then I just want to try a DK version before I write it up.

The cream square is from my Secret Garden blanket which I finished earlier this month so that will appear one more time in February's block. The light green square next to it is actually sparkly, although it doesn't show up in the photograph. This is more thin 4 ply yarn, this time King Cole Party Glitz which I'm using to knit the  mini stockings I attach to my Christmas presents each year. If I don't start knitting them in January, they don't get done.

I've used a variation of my old Mini Stocking pattern which I worked out as I went along until the proportions seemed about right. This yarn seems particularly thin but it knitted up nicely. This colour is called 'Elf' and I've also got a ball of red, called 'Santa' so that's what I'll be using next year. If anyone would like a copy of this pattern (mostly notes, not pictures), let me know and I'll send it to  you. 

That's the top half of the block. Now for the five patches on the bottom.

Starting at the top left again, the green and red square represents my Old-Fashioned Tea Cosy which I knitted to fit my 'new' 100 year old silver plated teapot. You can read more about it in Miss Clare's Teapot. By the way, this is the warmest tea cosy I've ever used; it keeps the tea hot for hours so, if you live in a cold house like me, you might like to try one of these.

The blue and green square next to it is in crochet, just a few of the rainbow colours I'm using to make what I'm calling a 'Mini Marshmallow Blanket'. I'm starting to wish I'd been a bit less ambitious with this one - perhaps a 'Mini Marshmallow Cushion Cover' instead? I do love blankets though.

I've ground to a halt now as I need to order more yarn. Just looking at the picture is making me want to get it out again.

The stripey square in the bottom left corner looks nothing like the original yarn which has long colour runs. I'm using two shades of Schoppel Wolle Edition 3 to knit triangles in the round and then piece them together into a star pattern. I haven't got any photos to show you yet but it's going to be colourful. The two shades I'm using are called English Garden and Laundry Day - wonderful names.

The blue square next to it is more crochet - this time double ended Tunisian Crochet. I'm still at the early stages with this one as I had a lot of trouble with my tension and then had to order a new hook. 

It's going to be a reversible waistcoat - I know, I don't do clothes, what am I thinking? - this is the blue side, it's mostly dark grey on the back.

The last square is the big red one, more James C Brett - this time Aran with Wool. I've only just started this project which is going to be a shawl thing called 'The Big Red Wrap'. I'm using a herringbone stitch pattern which is rather nice but, even with thick yarn, this one's going to take me a while.

So, that's what I was working on in January. I've started several more projects this month and only finished one so far so there could be even more in next month's block. Now I need to get on with the scrapbook pages for January. If only that blank book wasn't so daunting ...