Hello 2011!

Well, the holidays have come and gone without leaving any permanent battle scars (other than the one on my bank account!) and it's back to the grindstone as it were. Things were hectic as usual for the month of December, but work resumes today and that will be the ticket to getting everything back to whatever passes for normal around here. So as we say our final farewells to 2010, and hope for more prosperous times in 2011, I thought I'd give a little sneak peek at what is on the agenda for The Left Side of Crochet this year...

• New patterns and CALs for 2011
• I have a couple of squares designed that I am using as the beginning of a new afghan CAL similar to the Calendar 'Ghan. This one will be a little more relaxed and will feature fewer squares, or maybe not... depending on how inspired I am. :) Look for it to begin around the 15th of this month.
• Some of you may remember that I tried last year (or was it the year before? My memory has headed south for the winter it seems...) to organize a stitch sampler to be designed by several designers. I couldn't quite get enough people to commit to help design it, but I've decided it's a task I'd like to take on myself this year. So be sure to watch for that to begin soon-ish.
• There are several patterns that I've been "sitting on" waiting for me to convert to PDF so I can put them up on Etsy and Ravelry. I hope to finally get them finished this year!
• New sewing projects
• The sewing bug has bitten and I'm feeling lots of inspiration lately with thread and fabric. I see lots of tote bags, hook cases, jewelry pouches, purses, and maybe even some simple wearables in my future.
• I promised my daughter (Diane) a new flannel rag quilt at Christmas. We have come up with a design, nothing fancy, just a simple four patch but we like it. :) I plan to start cutting this week and will begin sewing soon after. I will be taking pictures as I go. (A new tutorial perhaps?)
• Other creative and crafty stuff
• Color! I have some colorful surpises for you coming up soon. I don't have the details worked out just yet, but you'll know it when you see it. :)
• Charity-I didn't keep strict count of my charity projects for 2010, but I know I donated at least 6 lap-ghans to an Ohio nursing home, several scarves to victims of domestic abuse, and some hats, squares, and other useful items to various charities as needed. I plan to keep this tradition for 2011 and hope others will join me in providing comfort to those in need via the art of crochet!