2021: My Year in Makes

A look back at my handmade projects in 2021

As we approach the end of another year, I’ve inevitably been thinking about my creative goals for 2022. What do I want to make? What new skills am I determined to learn? What comes next in my crafting journey? The best place to start seemed to be my past projects. I’ve had a look at all the different things I’ve made over the last year, both successes and disasters, and reflecting on these makes has helped me think more clearly about where I want to be with my crafting next year. I thought it would be fun to share some of these with you and provide an overview of my year in makes.

January

Back at the start of 2021, I began designing my Park Bench Scarf pattern. This is a sample square from the early stages of the design progress; it was in shell stitch, which I didn’t end up including in the final pattern. I was quite shocked to see this photo was taken in January as that feels like such a long time ago!

February

Next I moved into scrunchie season. This was a time filled with fun colour combinations and learning how to take selfies that didn’t make me want to run and hide. I’ve learned that sharing a more personal side is so important when you’re trying to connect with others online, and these scrunchies were a great way for me to practice being on camera while making cute accessories- and designing free patterns for you of course!

March

March was a busy month for our wool shop, preparing for our first ever Easter Sale and launching lots of new yarns. I decided to counteract the madness by starting a simple granny square blanket. This was a great project for a mindful March, and it doubled as the perfect birthday present for a family member the next month.

April

By April, I was polishing off the Park Bench Scarf design and putting together my first proper crochet pattern. I also started a baby blanket which would later turn into a whole crochet baby collection (which I will hopefully be releasing in the next couple of months!)

May

In the month of May I made lots of crochet jewellery. I made everything from funky flowers to mini granny squares, using a mixture of scrap yarn and very thin crochet cotton. I tried out lots of different designs, and they weren’t all winners… shout out to the gold and white monstrosities you see above. But the most important thing for me was just playing around, learning new techniques, and seeing what I could come up with when the pressure was off and my creativity took charge. And while some of my creations will never see the light of day, some of them turned out to be pieces of jewellery that I love and wear often.

June

In June, I was still working on smaller projects as I finished off my scarf pattern. Scrubbies, more earrings, and a couple of these cute cloud wall hangings! All I can remember from designing this cloud is the amount of trial and error that went into it. With my first few attempts, each cloud piece turned out differently, despite the fact that they were meant to be in identical pairs. Even though it can be exhausting, I think going through the trial and error process is really important when you’re starting to design. I learned so much about crochet in general as I had to just figure it out as I went and rise to the challenge. The understanding I gained by doing this has been helpful in every project I’ve designed since!

July

By July, I was finishing off the baby blanket and making a start on my first ever crochet commission - Dogfish! Dogfish is the title character of a children’s book (Dogfish Saves the Ocean), and creating these 100% recycled toys is a long term project for me. The design process has taken a while as I wanted to get every detail perfect and do this fantastic character justice. In 2022, you will see lots of these toys come to life and I can’t wait to share more of this commission with you!

August

During the summer, I made my first ever crochet top. I was so proud of this piece as it’s probably the fastest I’ve ever made anything, but I definitely learned a lot that I can improve upon with my next piece of clothing. I was so excited to get started with it that I didn’t really think about my yarn choice. I only had one giant ball of aran yarn in my stash so decided to just go with it. While I love the yarn and the top, they definitely do not go together. The yarn is made of 20% wool, which made the straps of the top really uncomfortable and itchy - my skin was so red after wearing it the first time! Luckily the top still looks good with a shirt underneath, but my next crochet top is going to be a cotton only zone.

I also started making granny squares for a new backpack design; Granny Square Day is in August so it seemed like the perfect time to start! I still love this colourway so much, I think the blues look beautiful together.

September

By September, my Rose Gold Ripples crochet baby collection was in full swing and I was finishing up designs for a bib, hat and teething ring set in 2 sizes. I can’t even count how many ears I had to make to get the bunny ears right. I’d never made a teething ring before and definitely underestimated the task a little bit. Once the pattern was finalised it was obviously much easier, but getting the design details right was very tedious!

October

Spooky season! It’s hard to even recap all the different things I made for Halloween. Spooky scrunchies, Jack O’Lantern treat bags, glow in the dark cobwebs… the list goes on! I was definitely offsetting the stress of finishing the granny square backpack with lots of fun, smaller projects. I had to pull out quite a lot of rows of crochet and tightly sewn edges as my first attempt at a drawstring was a disaster. The top of the bag did not close at all, but luckily it’s a lesson I’ll only have to learn once!

November

November was a month of new projects for me. I made my first crochet hair clip, and used Tinsel eyelash yarn to design a free Christmas bauble pattern. To check out my free pattern, click here.

December

Unfortunately my December makes are still under wraps until Christmas Day! Stay tuned in the New Year to see the handmade goodies I’m gifting this Christmas.

I hope you enjoyed this look back at 2021 via my crochet projects. I’m cooking up lots of ideas for next year, and hope this article has inspired you to think about your 2022 crafting journey too!