First Finished Project of 2014

Another year of crafting has begun. I've got some projects that carry over from last year, including the seemingly never-ending blanket that I'm crocheting from scraps of yarn. Scraps may not be the best way to describe the 50 yards of yarn that the pattern calls for to complete two rows. In fact, my solution for not being able to make it across two rows is to just do one row then switch colors, or even to pick up with a slightly different shade in the middle of a row. I'm using loads of colors, so I don't think this will matter much.  This has been on the hook for quite some time, but possibly during this cold snap I'll finish it up. I'm interested to see what the final size will be.

But I've been distracted already. This post was intended to showcase my first finished project of the year. My version of the Good Tidings Organizer has a border to compensate for running out of the black yarn I was using as the background, further exemplifying that you occasionally have to improvise when using leftover materials. In addition to using up some of my extensive stash of partial skeins, this pattern came from the electronic version of Crochet Today! magazine, and now I don't have to feel guilty for buying this when I already had  physical and virtual stacks of patterns. Plus, I learned the name of a technique I've been using to create the backgrounds of my artwork: Thermal Single Crochet.

Some of my crafting goals for the year include knitting along with the Sock Club, making some blankets and cat toys for the animals at Pawsabilities, and using up some of my stash!