Wow, what a year it has been! A lot has happened. Not only did I graduate high school, I also began my journey through college. Going in, I knew that I wasn’t going to be able to crochet as much as I had initially anticipated, but I didn’t realize the full extent of it until I actually started my classes. My crochet and craft time decreased rapidly. I had tried to find wiggle room to work on little projects in between classes or before/after bed but eventually, I fell into the school cycle: wake up, eat, go to school, do homework, eat, shower, sleep, repeat. Nevertheless, I was able to squeeze in some craft time here and there and I can’t wait to share with you my 2022 goals! Was I able to complete them?
Before I begin, if you would like to read the full blog post where I shared my 2022 goals with explanations as to why I choose them, click here.
My 3 Crochet Goals
12 hats for Hat Not Hate (at least one each month)
Donate to Bundle of Hope with the “leftover” hats that fit the requirements
Make a couple of 7x9 rectangles for Warm Up America
Out of my three goals, I was only able to accomplish the first goal: creating 12 hats for Hat Not Hate. This was one of my easiest goals to achieve! I went on a road trip this summer, if I’m not mistaken it was about a 4-5ish hour drive there. I have very bad interstate anxiety, so to help clear my mind I was frantically crocheting hats the entire time. It may sound crazy, but it worked! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… CROCHET IS A GREAT COPING MECHANISM! I think I was able to crochet about 8 or 10 hats on this trip? I honestly don’t remember. But… we did have to stop at a Walmart in another state so I could stop for more yarn. Who would’ve thought I’d under-pack yarn? Not me!
I can go on a whole Hat Not Hate rant about how they are one of my favorite organizations to donate to, but I’ll save that for another day ;). Although I was only able to donate 11 hats this year, my donation pile for next year is rapidly growing 😀
My 5 Blanket Goals
Continue working on my 2020 temperature blanket
Continue working on matching blankets (Better Together Afghan)
Add 2 squares to my 2017 Calendar Blanket
Add some appliques to my 2019 Folk Art Calendar Blanket
Finish my FRIENDS blanket (I really doubt this is going to happen but let’s see!)
I was able to finish two of my blanket goals this year! Don’t quote me, but I believe I left off on my 2020 temperature blanket in July. I am not working through August’s temperatures! For those who are unaware of what my temperature blanket is, I can briefly explain it for you. I began by assigning a color to a temperature. Every day I would crochet a row with the appropriate color. After 7 days, I would begin a new square. In other words, 7-row squares to leave a square a week, so I’ll have 52 squares! Here is a link to my Instagram post from 2021 displaying my blanket: https://www.instagram.com/p/CSICzqYrv_x/
My 2017 Calendar Blanket was something that I just had to do. It wasn’t a lot of work but once I finally got over that hump I was reminded of why I started that blanket in the first place. It was fun! I had a lot of fun making that blanket and I’m proud to say that I finally finished it!! I do have to say though, that the weather did have some say in this. I wouldn’t have pulled it out if it wasn’t for the blizzard that was happening outside. Let’s just say, at some parts the real feel was -35! Anyways, the blanket is FINALLY FINISHED and I am extremely excited to finally say that!! I started this blanket back in 2019, and I was consistent with it till the September square. From there I had to crochet September through December, and attach the border. In this reel I made you can see how excited I was, this was filmed right after I finished the border! https://www.instagram.com/p/CmiZOWMokJV/
Although I didn’t finish my FRIENDS blanket, I do have to say I’m proud of myself for how much I had gotten done with it! I’m working on my 5th ball I believe. It’s almost as tall as I am (about 5 foot 9!) After I am able to get the length to about 6 feet (or around my height if I change my mind), I’m going to work width-wise and start working horizontally on the blanket to add some width to it on both sides.
Aside from a couple of other personal goals that I had created, those were all of the crochet-related goals that I completed in 2022! While writing my 2023 goals, I will definitely be trying to keep my goals more on the realistic side of things, I want to be able to write a more productive outcome next year! Thank you for watching me on my journey this year, cheers to the next!
Emilia
Emilia's Crochet Studio
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Charity Links!
Bundle of Hope:
Helpful Hookers Unite:
Hat Not Hate:
Warm Up America:
