I’ve seen a number of other fiber artists post a “year in review” for their respective projects, and it has inspired me to do likewise.

Yarn started in 2018 and plyed in 2019 (all spun supported on my Spanish Peacock spindles):

• Broken Ornaments (finally plyed, anyway), a Gourmet Stash merino blend. Chain-plyed. Approximately 320 yards.
• Mystery Yarn I plyed in my Plying Stand Video – I think they were Hobbledehoy battlings. This was a “standard” three ply until I had only one spindle of fiber left, and then I chain-plyed the rest. I have no idea how many yards are here, nor do I care enough to go back and find out. I reallllllly wasn’t happy with how it turned out.

Yarn started and plyed in 2019 (all spun supported on my Spanish Peacock spindles):

• Thick Crushed Velvet from Knitty and Color. Chain-plyed. 96 chunky yards. This was one of my Tour de Fleece projects this year.
• It’s Complicated, a colorful “faux cashmere” (aka nylon) fiber from Wild Hare Fiber Studio. Chain-plyed. 350+ yards.
• Milky Merino – about which I have yet to post, about 80 yards of roughly 20-80 milkweed-merino blend, inspired by a recent Spin Off magazine article. The milkweed I harvested myself; the merino was from my stash from eons ago.

I still have to set the twist but it is done enough for me to count it here. Two-ply, using the Andean plying method, since it was just a small sample.

Yarn that still needs to be plyed:

• Peach Gummies Combo Project from Cooperative Press punis. I am saving this one for a video on “Orenburg plying”, so at least I have a good reason for it to be languishing.
• A satisfyingly sparkly polworth blend whose tag I have lost – also Hobbledehoy. I posted a lot of photos (especially on Instagram) of this WIP, so I am looking forward to seeing how it plies up. Only I haven’t decided which plying approach to use.

Spinning WIPs started in 2019 :

• Pink superwash targhee. Started after Tour de Fleece, still working on it during quiet moments when I just want to spin effortlessly.

• The Romedale / CVM from Phoenix Farm on my Aaron Makes Stuff ceramic spindle. The only non-Spanish Peacock spindle I used the entire year. Or maybe ever.

Fiber and spindles that have been acquired in 2019:

• Sssssshhhhhhh, we don’t talk about that.

Things I learned in 2019:

• I can still spin thick yarn, as long as I am paying attention to my drafting
• My “top speed” while supported spinning is 17 yards in 15 minutes, as measured in Tour de Fleece this year. 
• Milkweed leaves little broken bits of fiber EVERYWHERE while prepping and spinning.
• I still forget to post photos and facts to Ravelry to keep track of my projects and progress.
• I hafta remember my niddy noddy is 1.5 yards per wrap, not 1 yard per!
• I need to step up my photography game.
• Recording and publishing videos always takes longer than I think it will. (OK, only tangentially spinning-related.)

Things I could’ve done better in 2019:

• Knitting. Period, the end. My only knitting success was the Jamie Rose scarf I started for World Wide Knit in Public Day, and finally wove in the ends and blocked just before Christmas so I could gift it to the only person I knew who would appreciate the colors. 

• (Note this is all I am saying for my “knitting year in review” because it was frankly awful. Which is ironic, since I keep producing more handspun without making any progress in using up the handspun I already have!)
• I need to plan my spinning projects more carefully (OK, at all). Most of the time, since I am primarily a process spinner, I just leap in whenever inspired by a combination of spindle and fiber and idle hands without any thought to how I will eventually ply and use the final yarn.

How was your 2019? What successes did you enjoy, and what are you planning to improve in 2020? Share your thoughts below!