2015 review (pictue heavy)

So, what have I achieved this year? Always a fun question

Cloudsfactory Sampler at the end of 2014

And at the end of 2015

 Ripple Crochet Blanket started in 2015

 Neon crochet blanket, started in 2015

Cloudsfactory Wedding Sampler started and finished in 2015

 Star Wars from Cloudsfactory

We Are Geeks by Paine Free Crafts started and finished in 2015

Little crochet owl dude

Dragon Rider at the end of 2014

And at the end of 2015

Ex Machina - new start for 2015

Family Values - new start for 2015

 Heather at the end of 2014

Heather at the end of 2015

Heroes and Heroines - new start for 2015

Ice Queen - new start for 2015

Madame at the end of 2014

Madame at the end of 2015

A crochet scarf stated in 2015

  

One crochet sock

 Twiddle Muff

Twiddle Muff

(there is a third one, but apparently I didn't photograph it)

Winter Geisha - new start for 2015

Once again, far too many new starts, once again I will try to limit them in 2016 (hahaha)

2016 Ambitions

It's that time again, the time where I start writing ridiculously ambitious targets / resolutions for 2016, so let's have a laugh, what did I achieve from last year, and what do I want to achieve this year?

So, there were the targets I get myself for 2015, this should be a laugh!

Madame: 1 page - DONE

Dragon Rider: 3 and 1 half page - FAIL - 1.5

Heather: full row - 5.5 pages - FAIL - 2

Cloudsfactory: Border and Jan - April - FAIL - haven't even finished the border

Our Seasons: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

In Her Room: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

Le Pas du Sucre: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

Rendezvous: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

Winter's Majesty: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

Elsa: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

Joan Elliott: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

Dark Hope: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

World Collection: 1.5 girls - FAIL - haven't touched it

Lancelot and Guinevere: 0.5 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

Pride and Prejudice: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

Tale of the Red Swans: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it 

Promise To Heart: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

Clara: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

Dwarven Leader: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

Apocalypse: 1 page - FAIL - haven't touched it

 Wow, didn't realise just how many projects I hadn't touched this year, might be time to start working on some of them, and actually getting some progress, but there are other projects that weren't on the list (mostly because they've all been new starts - oops) that have had work on them.
I've finished two wedding samples, We Are Geeks from Paine Free Crafts and one using Cloudsfactory motifs

A page of Ex-Machina

Two pages of Family Values
Three pages of Heroes and Heroines

One page of Ice Queen

Half a age of Winter Geisha

I've also started two crochet blankets

Made three twiddle muffs

One shark sock

Half a scarf

and made an entire cosplay from scratch

My non-stitching targets were:

10,000 words a month (again - I'm getting closer)

Work on stitchers retreat!

I had good months on the writing, but I also had really bad months, I managed 65843 words altogether this year, which is over half, and not all that bad.
I haven't touched the stitchers retreat, again!

So, 2016 targets:
Stitching:
Dragon Rider: 9 pages
Heroes and Heroines: 4 pages
Harley Quinn: 2 pages
Ex Machina: 1 page
Coudsfactory: Border and January
A Stitch in Time: 2 pages
Family Values: 2 pages
Ice Queen: 1 page
Our Seasons: 1 page

This is not all my projects (as many followers will know) but I'm at the stage where it isn't possible to work on each project every year and still show a decent amount or progress, so I've been (nominally) realistic. This is still two pages a month, and is still quite unlikely, but it prioritises some pieces and sticks to my existing rotation
I will try to limit new starts, this includes 2 new starts, Harley Quinn and A Stitch in Time, the only other new starts I intend to have are my usual exclusion of gifts, weddings, christenings etc.

Crochet:
Finish 2 blankets (both are intended as gifts so I sort of have to)
Make Ben's second sock
Start my colourful blanket (basic repeating pattern in beautiful wool)
Design my Ghibli graphgan, it doesn't have to be started, just designed

The rest of my life:
Write at least 200 words a day
Stitchers retreat (hahaha)
Improve my fitness, I was doing well, but ending my gym membership put a stop to that, so I need to start working on it again.

I know this posts aren't necessarily that interesting for other people, but if have to put it out there somewhere in the hope that I'll publicly shame myself into working on them

Such a bad blogger

I'm such a bad blogger, I know, I say that every time at the moment, but that's mostly because it's true. I've lost my stitching bug a bit recently (although I think it's just starting to come back, just as I pack to move house, of course), and I don't update on crochet that often because it doesn't look as interesting, here's the start of a blanket, here's a slightly larger blanket, look it's growing... and so on, but just so I've got something to post, look, the blanket is growing, I've just started my third ball of wool, I reckon I'm looking at at least six to get this to the size that I'm aiming for.

Secondly, I sort of have a finish, this is finished, but it's a sock, so it technically only counts as a finish when I have two of them. This was an Xmas present for my other half, so I gave him one for Christmas because I wasn't completely convinced that it was the right size, now that he's tried it I need to make a second one!

I've been a very bad blogger recently, I've also been a very bad stitcher, but I have been a much better crocheter recently. This is the start of a blanket that I'm making as a gift, world's simplest pattern, in the world's most garish yarn, I love it. I've also just discovered the Russian join, which is genius, it wouldn't work for colour changes, but for something like this where it's the same yarn over and over, it's great.

Secondly (and modelled by my rather chunky foot and shin)  is another gift that I'm working on (can you see a theme here?). These will be a pair of shark socks, so the shark is biting the ankle. They're fab, although I accept that this one doesn't look like much yet. But, considering that this pattern has been my absolute nemesis for the last 6 weeks, the fact that I've got this far is a miracle. I'm not wholly convinced that this is the right size for the intended person so I'm going to give them one with an IOU note for the second one.

Finally, I had a go with a pom pom maker for the first time today, it's easy, I like easy. This will be Rudolph's nose.