Year of Projects 2025-2026: Weeks 32 and 33

Back from our vacation on the absolutely FROZEN east coast of the US…..Brrr. Glad I took my heaviest coat with a hood and my extra warm mittens and hat. We had a chance to visit with family before my older nephew leaves for a semester abroad and before my younger nephew makes some final decisions on his last semester of high school. We also spent some time on Chincoteague island (one of our very favorite places), as well as in Annapolis. One of the few times I can remember such solid ice in the bay and harbor. (It was warm and sunny the entire week at home – go figure!)

Just a few crafty things to report on this week since most of my time was spent enjoying our trip.

I cast on for a new travel project, the Graerup slipover, which is a trim-fitting colorwork vest. I’m knitting mine in colors very similar to the original sample: A dark charcoal gray, a dusty raisin/purple, and a silver. I’ve finished the colorwork and have split the body to work on armhole shaping, starting with the back. The remainder of the vest is worked in the solid light gray.

I also took along my Faded Stripes shawl, and I put a few more inches into that. It looks pretty much the same as last time, and probably only I can tell that it’s bigger.

On deck this week now that we’re home is to try to tackle a full repeat of colors in my crochet blanket, finish the remaining 2 blocks for my Jane Austen BOM for January (February should be arriving this week), and then I’ll see what else I have time for. Next Sunday, February 22nd, is the kick-off for the 100-day project and I’m hoping to work on a hexistar a day for my 100 days. I prepped the first 10 stars (cut them out and marked the stitching lines) this afternoon.

Hope everyone has a good week YOP’ers!

14 responses to “Year of Projects 2025-2026: Weeks 32 and 33”

  1. What beautiful yarn you are using for your shawl. You are much braver than me to work on a colorwork garment while traveling. You did good though and it looks great.

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    1. Thank you! This one isn’t too bad – it’s only 3 colors and 1 skein of each, so I felt like I could probably manage that. 🙂

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  2. It’s been a very cold winter this year in the northeast. And CT has had snow on the ground since early December, which has been a change since the last decade has produced very little snow. Sorry it was so cold for your vacation, but I guess that’s always a risk you’ll run into with winter travels up north.

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    1. It really was okay. I like the cold weather and we had a delightful time regardless. (Maybe a BIT warmer would have been nicer but it also meant no bugs and basically no crowds anywhere!)

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  3. Love the colours you’ve chosen for the vest. It’s a combo that always works.
    Your 100 hexi stars project intrigues me. I’ll look forward to seeing all the stars and what they turn into

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    1. I can honestly say this will literally go with 80% of my closet. I plan to wear it a lot!

      I will have a post for kick-off this week. I have 20? 22? Or so already done from my previous start but the project kind of fell by the wayside so I’d like to see if I can get myself back in gear to make more of them. I don’t have a final size destination in mind – we will see how far I get.

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  4. I love the look of the vest! Though I’m also impressed by you taking a colorwork project as a travel project. I’m always really hesitant about taking colorwork projects anywhere; they always seem to take up so much more space than single color items.

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    1. Thank you! I think it’s going to be a staple in the closet when it’s done. Normally I’d say too many skeins but this was only 3, so… the other sweater project would have probably needed the same number to haul around, and I was anxious to get this one started. 🙂

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      1. Fair! Also, it doesn’t look like the colors changed too frequently, so there aren’t a ton of ends to sew in hopefully.

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  5. Those are beautiful yarns, and the vest is gorgeous. Your knitting is so perfect. Do you find you need to block your finished projects?

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    1. Ah – thank you so much! That is very kind of you to say. I do normally block all my knits although I don’t usually see much change in shape/size unless it’s lace. I do think it helps pieces look more finished, even if it’s a subtle change.

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  6. I love the vest or tank top as well would call it, I was just thinking yesterday how handy one of those would be. It was cold in the house but I was doing some soaking and rinsing of spun yarns and my weaving and having to try to push my jumper sleeves up. Also I can’t get my longer gardening gloves on with a jumper on. You have inspired me to have a look at some patterns. Loving the shawl too.

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    1. I hope you found one you love or at least one to think about. I love having layers to wear here. We have big temperature swings most days in the spring and fall where we might move 40-50 degrees during the day so it’s great to have a light layer to put on under a heavier one.

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