My Favourite Things – 2020

Well, its been quite the year! 2020 is definitely going down in history… and although its been a challenging year (to say the least!!), I feel blessed to have been able to provide you guys with knitting and crochet patterns that hopefully kept your minds preoccupied, and your hands busy creating gifts made with love.

To wrap up this year, I thought it would be fun to list my favourite things from 2020 that kept me excited about my passion -designing knitting and crochet patterns for you!

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My Yarn Swift

Okay, I cannot believe it took me all these years to finally treat myself to a yarn swift! I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I would actually avoid buying hanks that weren’t already wound into skeins because I dreaded the task of doing it myself. I now actually look forward to winding my own balls of yarn, and can’t wait to take out my swift and winder.

I made the video above of me enjoying my new toy. Watch to the end and you’ll see that my kitty George loves it too! This yarn swift is from Knit Picks / We Crochet. It’s super easy to set up and use. Here’s a quote from their website:

Simply clamp the swift onto a table or counter top to start winding yarn neatly and easily. Starting with the umbrella in the down position, place the open loop of the hank over the swift and pull it lightly so the far side of the hank is against the center of the umbrella. Then, use your free hand to slide up the umbrella clamp and open the umbrella to snuggly fit the circumference of the hank. Finally, secure the umbrella clamp in place and then wind away!

My Project Tote Bag

This simple tote bag goes everywhere with me! It’s been to many hockey tournaments (although there weren’t any of those this year), on every vacation, and this year I just keep it close by in the house.

What I love is that I can easily fit at least a couple of the projects I’m currently working on in this bag. I know it looks simple, but sometimes that’s all you really need. You can get this super cute tote bag from Love Knitting.

Majestic Wooden Crochet Hooks

There is nothing more luxurious than crocheting with my the Majestic Wooden Crochet Hooks from We Crochet. These hooks came in a set of 8 hooks from size E-4 to K-10.5.

Not only are they stunning to look at, but I feel like a queen crocheting with them. They are so comfortable, and smooth – I can crochet for hours on end with no pain or discomfort. Also, they are more deeply grooved at the hook, which gives me lots of control when crocheting quickly.

You can see this hook in use in my YouTube videos, as they are now my go to hooks for every crochet project. I use the size I-9 hook in the video below to crochet the Slopes Headband.

Reading Glasses

Ah, the joys of getting older. I turn 40 this year, and I have to admit that my vision needs a little bit of help these days! My pocket reading glasses are essential not only for designing my next creation, but typing it up into a pattern so that I can share it on this site. I love Readers.com for glasses because their prices allow me to have a few pairs of these and not break the bank!

Cocobolo Circular Needle Set

The Cocobolo Knitting Needle Set from Knit Picks are pure luxury. I’ve purchased many needles over the years and my one pet peeve is when the tips aren’t pointy enough. That’s not something I’ve had to worry with this set. They are a pleasure to knit with, and I can work quickly without worrying about dropping a stitch because my dull needle tip didn’t pick it up.

I was also so happy with the cables that came with this set. They are soft and bendy, not stiff at all. To top it off, a few connecters were also included, which I love for knitting blankets. I can make my cord as long as I need it and not worry about stitches falling off the end. I’m seriously in love with these needles, from the packaging they came in, to the fact that I know they will last me years and years.

Here’s a photo of them in use. I am making this blanket on the long side, so I used the 40″ cables and they are perfect! I’ll be posting the pattern for this blanket in January fyi, so check back soon if you’d like to make one too!

Fuzz Remover

So, have you ever knit something that you were incredibly proud of, only to watch it slowly pill over time. It’s great to see your hard work get lots of use, but also a little heartbreaking when it starts to look worn out and fuzzy.

I literally just discovered fuzz removers this year! Who knew, that I could bring my knits back to life with this simple tool. The fuzz remover in this photo is The Ultimate Depiller by Gleener, and can be purchased from the Lion Brand website. I have a cat, so I also love that I can use it to remove lint and pet hair.

And thats my list of my favourite things from 2020!

I hope that I inspired to you to up your knitting/crochet game this year and invest in your favourite craft.