Melannen makes a mess in 2024

Hi! I wasn't around here much last year because I kept thinking I would finish the temperature cross-stitch from 2022 and I would update then, and I kept not doing it.

But I missed posting here and all of you! I am going to try again this year.

Last year I didn't do a whole lot of fibercraft most of the year (other than occasionally noodling a bit on things that had been in the WIPs bin for ages, and doing some mending, and I also finished designing a cross-stitch sampler pattern I'd been working on, though I haven't stitched it yet). After I finished up the embroidery I'd been working on at grand jury I discovered that Rubik's Cubes were amazing for bringing into the jury room and basically like a phone game except without the phone and also properly tactile, so I pulled out Dad's old twisty game collection instead of finding a new craft (I got several of them solved! Currently stuck on a Megaminx dodecahedron.)

But by October I was definitely wanting to get my hands into my yarn again so I queued up a bunch of Christmas presents, and shocking everybody (especially myself) I had everything I'd planned done by the first week of January! I think that's a record.

I didn't remember to take photos of course, but I did a pair of needlebinded fingerless gloves, a small needlebinded pouch, a pair of knit fingerless gloves, three crochet shower poufs, some number of crochet/knit washcloths/dishcloths, two knit hats, and a small crochet bird ornament and pinecone ornament based on trying to copy things I'd seen at holiday craft fairs.

I came out of it remembering how much I love working with yarn and wondering why I don't do it that much all the time, and then my wrists reminded me of why I always need to take a long break between knitting projects, so my next couple of projects are going to be embroidery and give my wrists a break, as much as I'd like to dive right back into knitting.

Anyway, after pulling out a bunch of stuff for Christmas, the state of my crafting corner was even more dire than it had been, so I spent the snow days this week working on getting everything organized, and it's currently much better than it's been since I moved into this space. I also got my knitting/crochet tools updated in my Ravelry account and (some) of the newer yarn stashed there, and have a pile of pattern books that are added on LT but also need added to my Ravelry library. (I wish there was a website like Ravelry but included fiber arts other than knitting and crochet!)

Part of the organizing was also pulling out all the unfinished projects that had been stowed away and looking them over, so I have made a List and the plan (as usual!) is to finish these this year so I can start something new guilt free.

I am better off than I thought I would be in terms of WIPs! Only about a dozen, and a lot of them I had stowed away feeling badly about them but when I pulled them back out I was much more enthusiastic about what I had done than I'd thought! WIPs list in the next post.

2024 List of theoretically-in-progress fiber craft things. Inspired by SqueakyChu I have added start dates!

1. Organize crafts stuff: major progress made, nearly done
   
2. Finish bargello cushion cover: about half done, this one's really good for mindless work so I'm planning to work on it a lot while watching TV in the next couple of months. (Est. start date: 2021)
   
3. The 2022 temperature-tracking embroidery: got off-track at the end of that year when I tried to do another stitchalong at the same time (bad plan), still need to do November, December, and the finishing work, but I will finish this next!! (Start date: Jan 2022)
   
4. Hand-sewn linen shift: I started this years ago, and it's pretty much all done except finishing the neckline, but I really hate finishing necklines and I don't really know what I want to do there. Possibly I will do some narrow-work trim, if I can figure out what I want to do. (est start date 2013)
   
5. Scrap patchwork quilt: started this over 20 years ago! The top is mostly done but I'm working on a contrasting border, and then it needs actually quilted (Est. start date 2001)
   
6. Wool socks: I have two done, about halfway done the third! (If I finish these I can finally start a new set in a nicer yarn!!) (Est. start date 2013)
   
7. Doll clothes: these are a couple of little dresses I found half-sewn in my grandmother's things. They need a few more hems and trims and then they're done. (Est. start date: sometime pre-1980??)
   
8. Netted bag: been sitting around part-done for years, but now that we aren't allowed disposable bags in stores here anymore, I'm suddenly motivated to get going on making net grocery bags for everybody. (Est. start date 2012)
   
9. Spinning: I need to finally finish the roving currently on my drop-spindle, and then actually set up and test out the wheel I inherited. (Est. start date 2011)
   
10. Monochrome embroidery: Inherited half-finished. I made serious progress on this last year at jury duty and finally got to the couched part (which is what I wanted to use it to learn in the first place.) Then I need to figure out what to do with it when it's done. (Est. start date:???)
    
11. Rag rugs: I forgot about this until I was organizing but I have a sack full of long strips of fabric from hemming quilts that I'm about halfway through braiding into coils. (Est. start date 2006)
    
12. X-stitch pillow: Made the cross-stitch part of this several years ago, need to actually sew it into a pillow cover. (Also was planning to make it one of a set, but I need to finish designing the patterns for the rest of the set first.) (Est. start date 2021)
    
13. Doll dress: made this as practice for the cats' quinceanera gown, if I ever actually get it hemmed though it should fit my mother's childhood walking doll (Est. start date 2022)
    
14. Teddy Bear hand puppet (Est. start date 1994. This is my oldest unfinished project and will be staying in the bin indefinitely as a good-luck charm.)

Later additions:

1. Thrifted almost-done candlewicking (acquired january)

This of course does not include all the mending that needs done, which I will be going through tomorrow, I guess! And there are a few other projects in various states set aside other places that I'm officially putting off - the tent cover, several quilts I inherited partially done, etc. - but who knows, maybe they'll get pulled out and worked on anyway.

I also frogged one WIP - I had an afghan crochet project that I got about halfway through about fifteen years ago and realized I'd seriously misjudged how much yarn I needed (I went by weight and the yarn I picked was much denser than the pattern's). I am never going to find more of that yarn; it was an unlabeled mill end from when A. C. Moore had that cheap and I've never seen anything like it anywhere else, so I finally gave up and pulled it out. I'll find something else to do with the yarn. (And maybe finally start a new afghan crochet? I did really enjoy it.)

I have a long list of new things I'd like to start, but I think the only one I will prioritize over finishing this list is doing some card-weaving for a Mother's Day present. (otherwise, I can start a new thing for every two I cross off. That seems about fair.)

I had a vague plan this year to resolve to do twelve different fiber crafts (after I enjoyed the needlebinding so much over Christmas) and there's at least nine or ten on that list (depending on how you count the various handsewing projects) so if I do the card weaving and finish all of these I would be well on my way!! I would probably get at least one more off the mending pile, and surely I will crochet at some point this year? Also love to keep going with needlebinding. So we will have to see.

Welcome back! I look forward to seeing what you’ll be doing this year.
So many interesting things on your project list. I think I’m most looking forward to reading about your spinning adventure. That’s something I really wish I could do.

I hope I make some progress on that! I've been using it mostly as a campfire craft the past few years, because it's easy to pack and doesn't need steady light, but that means I haven't really done it steady enough to really get the motions down.

Going through and adding things to my LT and Ravelry libraries! I had forgotten a few months back I went to the thrift store and bought a sack that turned out to contain (among other things) over 30 patterns for traditional samplers, I need to go through it and be good about which ones I'm keeping and which ones I'm not.

Some of them are reproductions of 18th-19th century ones in museums, I'm definitely keeping those if only to harvest motifs and scripts from them, but the rest are all very 1980s....

I'm kind of fascinated by embroidery samplers, and the way things that were meant as exercises for small girls have become this whole symbol of cross-stitch and been periodically trendy. I even have one I made but it doesn't at all resemble a "sampler" - it's a collection of stitches and motifs I learned at a workshop event and wanted to keep samples of. I wish I could find a book that was just a collection of all the things that the girls were "sampling", with examples of how they were used outside the samplers, but I haven't seen one.

I also apparently bought a complete and unused 1950s Singer sewing machine course (complete with fabric cuts to use for the exercises!) I guess that's one more thing to add to the to-do list.

It came with a bonus 1937 Simplicity Sewing book inside (which it looks like I'm going to have to manually add to LT), which came with a bonus home-care guide from the 1940s and a leaflet on slipcovers from 1931 inside *it*!

Welcome back! That's an ambitious list of projects, but with plenty of variety to keep things interesting.

Welcome back! You have lots of variety. One of the ladies in my local needlework group is doing the temperature Quaker this year. The past week has all been purple.

Quite a list. You sound very organized.

Looks like you will be busy this year!

>7 lauralkeet: I hope so! Of course with going through all the stash I'm just thinking of all the new projects I could start.

>8 thornton37814: This year would be a really exciting year to do it! This week we're supposedly going to have a low of 12 and a high of 65.

>9 mnleona: I am very organized for about the first three weeks of January....

>10 lesmel: Most of these really don't have a whole lot left to do! So I have hopes.

Went thrifting with Mom today, and for a quarter walked away with a bag that contained one finished candlewicking project and one very nearly finished candlewicking project (which then are both supposed to be sewn into pillows) so I guess that goes on my WIPs project, and candlewicking can become one of the things on the list!

My WIPs list would be quite a bit smaller if I could resist picking up *other* people's unfinished projects... at least this one should be pretty quick to finish, and I can add it to the pile of pillow tops that need to become pillows. Anyway I'd've paid $.25 for the nice tapestry needles that were in there and the spare candlewicking thread.

Also ended up with a 19mm circular knitting needle (hey, I didn't have on yet!), two cuts of interesting vintage fabric, some friendship bracelet cording, a few things of embroidery floss out of the free box, and a large spool of 30/3 spun kevlar, that I have no idea what I'm going to do with but I'm entertained just to own.

(Managed to resist all the nice yarn - maybe I will go back in a month when it's down to half price to see what's left - and the 4'x4' metal tapestry stretcher that they had put with the plumbing and electrical stuff due to not understanding what it was.)

Otherwise I've mostly been working on the bargello needlepoint (this one, which is approx. twice as far along as it was in that photo) and daydreaming about the knitting I cannot start because my left wrist went from "complaining a bit about all the knitting and crochet" to "OW something is wrong" on Monday. I've been wearing my good brace ever since and it seems pretty much all better now, but I think I'm going to make myself stick to only sewing (and wearing the brace) for at least another couple weeks anyway. Which is of course making me really, really want to knit!

>12 melannen: I'm sorry you're dealing with wrist pain. I've had on-and-off wrist/hand issues from knitting. The first time it flared up I wore a brace for a while and that helped. It still comes back from time to time and fortunately rest has usually worked, much as I hate to admit it.

I'm not a medical professional and don't play one on TV; but you might consider looking up strengthening and stretching exercises for guitarists and pianists.

Yeah, I've had this flare up on and off since the time in my twenties I made about 400 little amigurumi monsters in less than a week for a friend to sell at a fair. Usually wearing braces for awhile and stopping the knitting/crochet fixes it, and I have some strengthening exercises I should do more often. This time was a bit more sudden than usual though so I told people if it's still hurting after two weeks I'll actually call the doctor.

Anyway I finished the candle wicking last night! (There really wasn't a lot left, and one thing about candlewicking is it goes fast.) I've added them to the pile of pillow tops to do something with.

Candlewicking is unfortunately one where I enjoy the process more than the product and I'm not super excited about plain white-on-white throw pillows. Maybe I'll add them to the next tie-dye batch and see what happens!

>14 lesmel: I will check that also. At the state fair, I did a strength test in the medical building and I passed. My daughter said it is because I crochet. I think I surprised the tester as I am 85.

>5 melannen: Hello, and welcome! First I'm in awe of your list of WIPs... so many different crafts! Fabulous. 😁

Also, I was never interested in embroidery samplers until literally yesterday... a friend is a member of the Northwest Sampler Guild and invited me to a Zoom lecture given by Cissy Bailey Smith of Gentle Pursuit Designs about Scottish samplers... so interesting!! I had no idea. By the end of the day I'd ordered two different patterns AND the floss and fabric. 😳😳 Now I just have to learn the stitches. I'll keep an eye out for the kind of book you're looking for... that sounds interesting too.

I hope you'll share images of what you're working on!

>17 PlatinumWarlock: I will try to but I've found before that having to get around to adding photos from my phone has really demotivated me from posting at all - so no promises!

I hope you enjoy your samplers! They're a great way to learn stitches (that's what they're for, after all.)

Mending, a list for my own memory
---------

tan corduroys - new button
gray jeans - pen marks
blue jeans - leaky pen stain (find patch to cover?)
brown sweater - sew cuff seam
blue fleece - buttons (either two or seven)
old striped shirt - hole near collar
wool socks - darn holes (both)
autumn leaves fleece - ripped cuff, hole on sleeve
old brown sweater - darn cuff
wool socks - darn hole
orange sweater - darn marked holes
purple wool socks - darn the one that isn't already darned
hiking khakis - back pocket buttons
teal wool sweater - darn
Army coat - buttons, cuffs, collar
white wool sweater - check sizing, beads
purple striped socks - ??
old nightie - spot-clean
brown tights - ??
blue skirt - fix ruffle
red cap - darn
tie-dye sleep shirt - armpit seam

>18 melannen: Totally get that... don't want anything to demotivate you!! 😀

Nice to see I’m not the only one with a list of mending projects a mile long.

>21 PawsforThought: As you can tell by that list, I'm pretty good at taking care of the stuff that just requires a bit of handsewing or some buttons every couple months, and the rest... has been piling up up for awhile.

I seem to be at the age where my favorite clothes are all old enough that every wash I have to look at something beloved and ask "is it time?". But I'm going to keep them going as long as I can! Even if it means actually learning how to darn cuffs!

>19 melannen: You are fortunate to know how to do those things. Clothes are so cheaply made these days that they fall apart on the first time they are worn quite often.

>23 thornton37814: That's why I try so hard to hang onto the old ones that have already shown their mettle...

Mending list part two, now that I've done a lot of the first one I'm peering into last summer's mending basket:

1. Figure out what to do about the two sweaters, socks and scarf that have heat discoloration from the radiator
2. Pick out the bad embroidery on the topiary sweater
3. Hem the swedish weaving dish towel
4. Fix torn hem of hippie skirt (note to self: delicate cutwork embroidery and army boots don't mesh well)
5. Embroider over tears on red peasant shirt
6. Reattach ties on cow shirt
7. Sew down pocket tabs on tan skirt
8. fix hem on black skirt
9. replace hook & eye on jean skirt
10. reinforce cuffs on Air Force jacket
11. Figure out what to do about old khakis
14. Replace button on brown shirt
15. Find & replace button on white sweater
16. Replace hook & eye on bra

(12. Darn *other* holes in orange sweater
13. patch *other* ink stain on jeans)

...no wonder I couldn't find any of my favorite skirts last fall

In awe of all the projects on your list and wishing you luck in completing them!

That's quite a list. I lack the sewing skills to do most of the things and the knitting skills to do the darning.

>25 MickyFine: I've been distracted by mending lately but the mending is going well!

>26 thornton37814: Some pins, a simple running stitch and a blanket stitch will get you a long way with mending! I've only recently started trying more complicated stuff.

>27 melannen: I can handle the pins and running stitch! I think I know what a blanket stitch is supposed to look like!

>28 thornton37814: The blanket stitch is really just a bonus you can use if you're too lazy to finish hems a better way. :D

Went to visit old family friends yesterday and ended up with a trunkful of her old fibercraft supplies from cleaning out the basement now that her arthritis is too bad to make it worth it (mostly fabric from the 80s-90s, and a lot of sweater patterns.) I think most of it is going to end up being donated to various places, but there were some really nice flannels and wools I might have to add to the increasingly oversized hoard, and some old metal stitch markers I will definitely be keeping.

There were also at least four unfinished projects in there. One was some nearly-finished kids' slippers, so I did the last casting-off and seam-sewing and then gave them back to see if they fit any grandkids. There's another knitting project I'm probably going to just frog because there's no more of the yarn and I doubt I could match it well enough, and then there were several sewing projects in various states of progress. It's all still in the trunk of the car and we're going to have to take some time to go through it more carefully later.

Every time! Every time I start to make progress on the WIPs list I end up with more and I never even get to start any! :P

I spent most of the rest of the really nice weather we've been having this weekend disassembling, cleaning, and repainting a vintage hassock fan from another old family friend. I still need to do the reassembly (and see if it still works now that I've painted and reassembled it) and I'm going to have to find time for that during the workweek; at least that doesn't need a "well-ventilated area". It was fun but I've remembered why I always end up working more on the fibercraft end of stuff; you can just put it all neatly in a bag and put it away if you don't have time to finish in one weekend, instead of having to leave parts and tools laid out all over the workroom until you're completely done!

I just posted on my thread about the haul I came away with from a crafter's exchange today. So much fun to look through everything and imagine how you might use it.

>31 thornton37814: We went through the fabric today! So much fun really just to go through it all and enjoy the colors and textures, even if you have to talk yourself out of keeping it. (I didn't talk myself out of keeping as much as I should, but there was some really nice wool and linen and plaid flannel, as well as some stuff that was exactly the colors and patterns of my childhood.) Now I need to figure out how to wedge it in with the rest of the fabric stash...

I did finish all the mending that can be done with just handsewing and notions today! That's a victory!!

Here's the new consolidated list of harder stuff:
1. Finish doll clothes
2. Hand spot-clean nightgown, wool sweater, and Army coat
3. Do iron-ons to cover marks on gray jeans
4. Autumn leaves fleece - machine-sew new hems.
5. Hiking khakis - patch back pockets
6. reinforce cuffs and collar on Air Force jacket
7. Finish doll dress
8. Embroider over heat damage on sweaters

You might notice there's still some new things on there, but it *is* getting shorter, at least until the next time I do a load of laundry and notice half the stuff in it has holes...

I'm going on an eclipse-viewing road trip starting next week and I need to pick out some compact crafts for doing in the car. My hand are recovered enough from Christmas that I am thinking maybe knitting socks! Still trying to make up my mind. (Probably I will end up bringing too much and doing almost none, but one has hopes.)

>30 melannen: Oh, how wonderful to get to inherit someone’s collection (and also something of a nightmare!) I can only imagine the amount of work needed.
Good job finishing off some of the nearly-done project, and also for getting so much mending done - my mending pile is giving me such a bad conscience.

>32 melannen: Enjoy the eclipse! I picked up a pair of eclipse-viewing glasses when I went to Lowe's today. I don't know that I'll be in a position where I need them, but I picked up two pairs--one I can leave in my office and the other in my car. I was just afraid I would forget and leave a single pair in the car and not have it in the office if I needed to be outside. We aren't in a total eclipse location, but I think it's about 80-85% here. Where I used to live would be nearer 100% although if I went just a tad north of the city, I'd be in the 100% area.