:Yarn Love :

I said “Happy New Year” then fell off the radar. Work’s been taking up too much of my time but I’m remedying that. I figure with today being Chinese New Year, it was a good day to start again and catch you up on what I’ve been working on and some of my plans for 2016.

The most important creative goal for me this year is to work without pressure or deadlines. Last year saw a lot of things being made with intense deadlines, many of the items not posted on the blog or IG because it was pretty much “deadline, make, sent, repeat”. While I do have some commitments this year, the pressure is not so intense; when I tell you that I’ve even stepped away from the Harry Potter Ravelry games, know that I’m serious about just enjoying making — just because. I’m even going to add #thejoyofmaking hashtag to my projects on IG from today to celebrate my way of slow making this year.

Since I started crafting, most years I’ve had a yearlong project; in 2016 my project is going to be a fiber breed study. Initially I was going to do it for three months but all the reading I’ve done encouraged a longer time-frame. Of course, my obese fiber stash had 11 different types of fiber to choose from so I’m going to spin one braid per month and leave it either as a single or finish it with different plying techniques. My basket is ready, 11 sweet fibers to spin and learn from, for the entire year.

Breed Study 2016

In the meantime, I’ve been working on a crochet blanket for my friend’s son. I’m slogging through it now, but I’m determined not to put it on timeout. I must finish it by the end of next weekend so I’ll be working on it hard this week. I know … I said no deadlines but I’ve been working on this for much too long and I’m ready to finish it so I’m going to push myself … just a little harder.

J's Blanket

On a dare from my friend Elisa, I’ve also made Youtube videos showing how I make rolags for spinning. The videos are totally rough (absolutely no editing) but I had fun making them during the “snowmaggedon” blizzard we North Easterners had two weekends ago. I’d post them but I’m going to condense the two videos into one and clean up the presentation. As soon as I’m done, I’ll post the link here, but in the meantime, these are the rolags I made for that demonstration. 😀

I called the set “Blizzard”. Appropriate don’t you think?

Blizzard

Then in preparation for my breed study, especially since I hadn’t spun for a few months due to my thumb injury, I got back in the saddle with what I thought was some random KnitPicks fiber, just to get a feel of the motions of spinning; it was like riding a bike. I still have about 1.5 ozs of this practice fiber to finish but so far it’s been beautiful!

Back In The Saddle

Although it’s not part of the breed study, this fiber is definitely going to be a F.O. for 2016; it surpassed what I thought it was going to look like so I have to finish it.

I know you all have already come out the gate in January with your craft plans for the year so I’ll definitely be making my rounds to your blogs this week to see what you’ve all been up to so far for 2016. Hope you all have been doing well and I can’t wait to start interacting with you in this space again!

I’d read about the concept of hygge [pronounced hYOOgah or hooga] a few years ago and thought it interesting. It’s a Danish cultural expression that roughly translates to the English word “cosiness”. Loosely described, it’s embracing of home, friends, family, togetherness really in a “go big or go home” kind of way. But you can also hygge solo. So it’s not so much a thing you do but it’s a way you live and think. Although they really embrace hygee in the winter when people spend so much time indoors, it’s a yearlong cultural practice. With Denmark (despite the long, cold winters) being known as one of the happiest places on earth, I figure the Danes must be on to something with this concept.

With the hustle and bustle of a new job and commute, days becoming shorter, nights longer, plus the cold and barrenness of winter that’s making it’s way to the East coast, I’ve decided to embrace hygge this Fall/Winter. With my family scattered all over the globe and not having my dearest close to me, it’s important for me to do what I can to embrace intentional living and cosiness this Fall/Winter. Kinda like a preemptive strike to beat the winter blues which can come although I love the winter season most. I like the way one author on the subject describes it —

Hygge was never meant to be translated – it was meant to be felt ~ ToveMaren Stakkestad

so embrace and feel I will!

My last knitting F.O has started the ball rolling. I finished the blocking of the Leafy Washcloth and it’s been in use from the day I took it off my blocking board. It’s a small thing, not the largest F.O. I’ve made, but adding it to my decor has already given me and my home some hygge and it’s really been wonderful.