March has certainly been an unusual month. Most of it has been spent in my home in Ledgewood, NJ. We’ve learned new terms like “self-isolate,” “social distancing,” and “Coronavirus.” I’m sure as winter turns to spring and the temperature rises, we will continue to get cabin fever as our new normal is definitely, well… different.
I’ve been using this time to work on my WIPs (works in progress) and UFOs (unfinished objects). I’ve also been using my SABLE (stash accumulated beyond life expectancy) instead of running to the local yarn shop or online to buy, of course, more yarn. While it doesn’t look like I’ve made much more than a small dent, it has helped me rediscover yarns long since forgotten.
There are two large afghan projects I have been spending a lot of time bringing up to date. I hope to finish one soon. It is a very long overdue gift. The second will last all of 2020, but I am working to keep it up to date.
The first is a rhombus blanket that uses three colors. It is a very special project, but each step took far longer than I expected. First, I needed to convince myself I could actually do it! Then I needed to pick just the right yarn. Then I needed to make each rhombus, which took a very long time. I still have more to make, but I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I still need to pick up one more yarn for an edging. I think I need two or three more rhombus rows. Then I’ll get started with the edging and it’s done! I am very happy with how it is coming along and that it will head out to its owner shortly.
My second WIP is a temperature blanket. Each square represents a temperature range for that specific day. I am pretty sure I over-estimated the size of each block, because when finished it will be about the size of blanket for a king size bed! As I mentioned in my previous post, I am using a spreadsheet to keep track of it all. The temperature that day. The yarn an corresponding color that is used. An “X” when the block is finished. A “J” when it is joined to the project. I was staying up to date with making the squares. The joining, however, was starting to fall a tad behind. I must admit I find it quite funny that my two projects require so much joining and, like may other crocheters, that is my least favorite part of any project! All of February has been joined, as you see in this picture and I am about five days behind in March. You’ll see a post about my March progress shortly.
As I said in the beginning, this has certainly been a trying month for everyone. I hope you are finding peace in your knitting, crochet, weaving, or spinning. I know it has helped me a great deal. If you don’t have any WIPs or UFOs (and by the way, I don’t know any fiber fanatic that doesn’t), pick a project you have always wanted to try, rediscover some yarn in your stash, and get started!
As a reminder, you can always follow my projects on my Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram.
