This is my 400th post!

What I have enjoyed most about blogging is looking back and seeing firstly what I have done and secondly how I did it. I’ve been blogging for almost 5 years (it will be 5 years on the 18th of March). In that time I have learnt how to free motion quilt, knit socks, foundation piece blocks using my sewing machine and applique. I have bought two new sewing machines (this one and this one), started a home business and stopped, started designing my own quilts and socks and digitising embroidery designs. I think I have narrowed my interests down to quilting, knitting and machine embroidery.

Now the girls are at school full time I think I should be achieving more, but those 6 hours just fly by – it doesn’t help when I do things like go and see this movie (by the way it was very good).

Well, let’s see what the next 400 posts bring!

I’ve finished this quilt. Here is the back …

While sewing or quilting I listen to audio books. I find the books at audible.com and I use the audible app on my ipod to listen to them. This system works well for me – I even wrote a review of the latest ‘reading’.

I thought I would blog about this because it is always nice to know how other people do things.

When I’m knitting I watch DVDs – mostly period dramas (my latest is Downton Abbey – so beautiful).

Where did 2011 go?

Last year I made

• Four pairs of socks (I was aiming for 12)
• Two quilts and a quilt top
• Two dolls
• A skirt
• Finally finished Miss A’s birth sampler
• Embroidered and Appliqued four T-Shirts
• Finished knitting my scarf
• Made an apron for the school fete.
• Made fourteen hair clips
• Two cushions
• Knitted a jumper for Miss P (although it was too small)
• One set of quilted coasters.
• Machine Embroidered cards
• Designed 4 machine embroidery foundation pieced quilt blocks

When I look back over the year I am pleasantly surprised by how much I achieved. I would have liked to have done more, but at the time I felt like I wasn’t achieving anything.

I meet almost all of my 2011 goals (see here).

2012 is going to be the year of finishing things – I have the dinosaur quilt to finish, an applique dinosaur cushion to start (bit of a dinosaur theme) and I’ve just started a pair of toe up socks (but more of that later).

I’m going to keep working on my machine embroidery designs, challenge myself with my knitting and try to use the stuff in my stash!

I’ve been slowly making progress on my May sock – I’ve actually turned the heel and am now working on the foot (it was just too dark to take a photo).

I think it was an error to choose this sock pattern. Although, it is easier than my March/April sock , it still requires a lot of focus. I can’t mindlessly knit while watching Chamomile Lawn – trust me I’ve tried. Having a knitting project that requires great concentration can be a good thing – it can be meditative. However, there are other things I need to concentrate on at the moment (like this book, or this book, or Miss P’s Dinosaur quilt).

I’m thinking about starting something else in chunky wool and a simple pattern …

It’s a really easy thing to make – crunchy on the outside but full of sticky sweet goodness on the inside. Perfect summer dessert.

I’ve managed to keep to my schedule – today I finished the heel flap, turned the heel and picked up the stitches.

Not bad considering how hot it is and that we’re completely house bound, which means that Miss A and Miss P need distracting.

Some finished objects for 2010

Back on January the 1st 2010 I wrote craft resolutions for the year. Here is that post …

My plan for 2010 is to consume less. So to make that happen I’m not going to buy any fabric this year or knitting yarn. I don’t have a stash of quilt wadding, so I’ll still need to buy that and the thread for quilting.

I’m also not going to buy any more craft books. I subscribe to the Inspirations magazine and I think I’ll continue to buy The Knitter magazine.

I’m also going to keep a record of my craft spending – it’s easy to get carried away particularly when I read other peoples blogs and covet stuff.

By the end of the year I want to have finished

• Alphabet Quilt
• Spiral Blanket
• Pair of Socks (using this yarn)
• Scarf
• Another quilt (design yet to be decided)
• A machine embroidery project

So how did I go? I definitely failed on the consume less goal – I bought more fabric, yarn, books and magazines I now even subscribe to The Knitter. I also kept no record (there might be a good reason for that!).

I did finish the Alphabet Quilt, but not the spiral blanket, the scarf or the socks. I did finish a different scarf and pair of socks, the hand print quilt (for the pre-primary teacher) and a couple of different machine embroidery projects.

So my goals for 2011 are:

• Knit a pair of socks a month
• Finish the spiral blanket
• Finish the swirly skirt
• Finish my scarf
• Knit a cardigan/jumper for each of the girls
• A quilt project
• A machine embroidery project

Obviously I need to focus on finishing things!

As you can imagine I wasted a lot of time trying to fix this and didn’t get onto the binding.