Needlework Update! Second Quarter

We're halfway through the year already! It's hard to believe.

Back at the beginning of April, I set these goals for the following three months:

• Publish 3 more patterns to the Etsy Shop
• Publish at least 1 free pattern here on the blog
• Make a new sample for and rephotograph one pattern
• Finish my Strawberry Shorties and All the Vines Sweater
• Start the Celtic Knot Cowl
• Make at least one fancy blanket square.
• Continue charity stitching by finishing the Sweet Woodruff Hat and making the Maple Leaf Hat (free) by Catherine Wolf and the Helix Brioche Hat (free) by Jonatan Tollow, all of which use yarn I already have.

Here's what actually happened:

I did publish three more patterns to the StitchWhisper Designs Etsy Shop. I published Practical Crocheter's Top-Down Cardigan in April, her Faux Colorwork Bag in May, and my Rippled Waffles Baby Blanket at the end of June. This month, we'll get back to a knitted pattern.

Turning Practical Crocheter's Wrist Warmer pattern into a pdf was the free pattern for this quarter.

I did not rephotograph any patterns, but I have started on a new sample for my Easy Peasy Baby Sweater. The photos currently published for that pattern are too dark, and the yarn was too uneven to look good, so I'm making a new sample in a self-striping pastel that my 2yo picked out, and I'm surprisingly happy with how it's turning out.

I did finish my Strawberry Shorties by Gillian Hagemann socks and my All the Vines Sweater by Ashley Lillis. I'm very happy with both, although I could have done the sweater in the next size down. Nothing wrong with big, cozy sweaters, though.

I have started the Celtic Knot Cowl by Tessa D, and that's going really well. I should be finished with it in the next week.

I didn't make one fancy blanket square--I made four! I made Pennywise by Diana Krenz, Letitia and Livin' Easy by Polly Plum, and Landyn Tahj by Pam Knighton-Haener. These squares are always satisfying to make, but I've put them aside for the moment while I work on other things. I'll get back to making more squares soon.

In my charity stitching, I did finish the Sweet Woodruff Hat by Deby Lake and I did make the Maple Leaf Hat by Catherine Wolf. I had to buy the needles for the Helix Brioche Hat by Jonatan Tollow, which I started just the other day. Before I got the needles for that, I started making my bonding squares for the year. I have lots of bits and pieces of worsted weight acrylic, so I just started working through those, and I have a nice little pile going. I also knitted Flat Baby Sandals by Annanitato Lolo and the Double Helix Mitts by Sybil R, which are both patterns I'd been meaning to try out for a while.

           

        

Outside of my goals, I made the Plush Cat Heart Keychain and Bat Heart Keychain from Hanna Sorokous (although I did not make them into keychains) as a birthday present for my older daughter. They are exactly her type of thing, and she loved them.

For the third quarter of this year, I want to:

• Publish 3 more patterns to the Etsy store
• Publish at least one free pattern here (or turn an old one into a pdf)
• Finish and rephotograph the Easy Peasy Baby Sweater
• Finish the Celtic Knot Cowl
• Make at least 4 more fancy squares
• Make a pair of Regnbue Raggies socks from Strikkgaern
• Make six Celtic Bag Charms by Jennifer E. Ryan for my Sukkah garland
• Continue charity stitching by making more bonding squares, finish the Helix Brioche Hat, make the Changing Leaves Hat by Will Spargur, and start making dishcloths for my annual foodbank donation

This post has been linked to HIH, Busy Monday, Senior Salon, Inspire Me Monday, WITS, Wonderful Wednesday, The Stitchin' Mommy, Thursday Favorite Things, and Create-It!