First finish of 2014! And a few stitching goals

So, I didn’t get my garland finished in 2013. It was nearly done, but I was really tired, and trying to count whilst tired is a bad idea. So I put it down, and finished it this on New Years Day. I think it looks rather spiffing 🙂

It’s difficult to photograph in it’s entirety as it’s so long (5 loopy bits in total) so I just took a photo of one loopy bit. Just imagine that extended over another 4 times! Also, the stars are difficult to see here. They are a tad small for the garland, but I like it 🙂

As well as the main garland, I made a chain to hang down at each point where it is caught.

I did a different ending for the end catches- just a longer chain, with just one star on the end. I think it works really well 🙂

The star pattern I got here, because I’m not confidant enough in my skills as a crocheter to make up my own little patterns like that 🙂

I’ve also just realised that I never showed you all the snowflakes I’ve been making. So have some a of those too 🙂

This isn’t quite all the snowflakes I’ve made- there are a few hanging up at the windows, and some of them still need blocking. But they look wonderful up there- I hung them up with invisible thread, and they twist gently as the air currents circulate, which is lovely, I think.

I got the majority of my patterns here. I haven’t been doing all her snowflakes, but I’ve loved the ones I have done 🙂 Some of them seem incredibly complicated (the ones using tubing, or lots of picots. I dislike those, even though I know they make the snowflake look awesome 🙂 )

I have a few crafty resolutions, and I suppose putting them in the first post of the year makes sense!

• Craft more. This is why I made that plan earlier. I don’t need to follow it, but it means I don’t have the excuse of not being able to decide what to make!
• Get a decent amount done on Spirit and Pokemon. I don’t want to give myself specific goals, as I have no idea how much time I’ll have and things. But I also want to stop passing them over in preference for smaller projects.
• I’d kinda like to finish that cat alphabet cross stitch. I figure that I should be able to do a letter every other week, and that will then take me the year to finish. 🙂
• Have the same number of WIPS at the end of the year as I have now. Currently, my list is

1. Susan (a knitted top)
2. 2 pairs of socks
3. Pokemon
4. Spirit
5. butterfly
6. Cat alphabet (technically not started yet, but I don’t want to feel bad if I get behind for any reason)
7. crocheted snowflakes (kinda awkward on this one, I don’t have a snowflake started, but does the collection count as a WIP? I may never stop making them, so an everlasting project?)

• so 8 things in total! That’s not bad really. I was expecting a lot more!
• Set up my etsy shop. All I need to do now (I think) is make stock and then list it all. Fingers crossed this goes well!

Here’s wishing you all a wonderful beginning to 2014!