Needlework Goals for 2015 -- Taking Stock and Making Plans

For years I've wanted to make enough afghans that each of my children could have at least one when they moved out but I've never made much progress towards that dream. In 2015 I am going to take another stab at it by participating in at least one afghan project on Ravelry. I signed up for the 2015 Block-A-Month Crochet-Along and the 2015 Block-A-Month Knit-Along. I haven't purchased yarn for the knit-along yet, but I am planning to use scraps I have on hand for the crochet-along so I can start right away.

I started pulling yarn out of the yarn cabinet in my bedroom right after the New Year's Day meal to pick three colors for my first square. Before I knew it, I was out in the backyard storage shed looking for more yarn because I wasn't fully pleased with the colors I originally planned to use. This turned into a 45-minute reorganization project with several trips up and down the stairs, so at least I got a workout!

During the reorganization process, I discovered that I don't have as much yarn as I thought. I've always joked that I'm not a typical stitcher because I don't have a big stash -- I have more of a stashette. Now I don't even have enough yarn to call it that. Since ABM didn't want all the yarn in the house, it had been in the garage for years where I would dash out on a cold evening, pull the yarn I want out of an 18-gallon Rubbermaid container, and dash back into the house. When ABM built the storage shed, I found that I no longer needed four 18-gallon containers; between me and the kids using the yarn and giving some away, I could fit what I had into two containers. Today, I found that my two containers were now half empty so I could fit a lot of what was in my bedroom into them.

I've always felt restricted by the yarn I had. I bought a bunch of it in grab bag sales when I first got back into needlework over 15 years ago. By the time I gained more knowledge of what the different yarns were used for and what kind of projects I enjoyed most, I was stuck with a lot of yarn didn't have much use for. What I didn't realize at the time is that a lot of the grab bag yarn was stuff that the previous owner didn't know what to do with, either, and had been holding onto for years. I still have yarn that I bought during that time that is from the 1960s! Now that most of that yarn is gone, I feel a weight has been lifted and I can buy new yarns that I've really wanted to try.

There are two piles of oddballs that I am considering for my squares. I can't mix them together because the fibers don't play nicely in the washing machine. The first pile is Red Heart Super Saver, most of which is being pulled from my Gosh-Awful Gaudy Afghan that I abandoned years ago:

This was the yarn that I originally planned to use, but now I'm not so sure about the colors. I mean, I like the colors but I feel that I need to add some more bright ones.

The other pile of oddballs is Caron Simply Soft, and it is mostly leftovers from projects that my daughters did:

When I think of crocheted afghans, I think of the 1970s afghans and the mishmash of colors in them. That is what I want, so I am leaning toward the second pile. However, I may crochet one square from each pile before I make my final decision.