Making the Best of Leftovers // UFO Week Feb. 21–28 // Yarn Diet // All February Projects

Dear DIY magicians, 
:- )
the January projects went really well. Congratulations to everyone who took part. It was wonderful.

Now it’s time for the February projects, which are:

- Become the Best of Leftovers: Whoever uses up as much leftover yarn as possible during February will be crowned Best of Leftovers by me at the end of February. Photos of your leftover-yarn basket are always a good idea.

- Become UFO Queen/King: At the end of the month there will be another UFO week, this time from February 21–28. Whoever works through as many UFOs / unfinished objects as possible during this week will become UFO Queen / UFO King, which, as everyone knows, is a great honor. So you can already start gathering up your UFOs so you can get going at the end of the month.

- Yarn Diet / Final round for world domination:
Some of our users are showing great bravery and are sticking with the yarn diet until the end of April.
No new yarn is bought during this time; only yarn from your stash is used. That makes room for new things. You really are amazing. Keep going, stick with it, you can do it.

- Reducing the wishlist: Since reducing the wishlist usually costs money, because paid patterns have to be bought, I’m a little hesitant to call this an official project. But since it was requested, I’m mentioning it anyway. As with all forum projects, taking part is absolutely voluntary.
Anyone who wants to reduce their wishlist without building up UFOs at the same time is welcome to write about it here in the thread, and we’ll celebrate the progress together.

- Tunisian crochet: You asked for it, and we’re doing it. There is a separate thread where you can help each other learn Tunisian crochet. By the end of the month you’ll surely have made great progress. I’m looking forward to your progress photos.

- Show all February projects: Here in this thread you can describe / show everything you make by hand in February. I’m excited to see it.

Tips and tricks:

Note down material usage:
You can do that very conveniently right here in this thread.
Yarn usage / material usage 2018 + notes on each project

Add this thread here to your wishlist, then you’ll find it again easily.
Details and info are in the screenshot. The graphic gets larger when clicked or when opened in a new tab.




Photos not loading / loading slowly on phone or PC
Experience shows that many photos will be uploaded in this thread. If it happens that you are on your phone and the photos are not displayed, please make sure there is enough free storage space on the phone (preferably on the device storage ) and give the thread a little time to load / build the images.
If you are on a PC and are using a somewhat older PC or a PC with only a little RAM, please close all other tabs and give the thread a little time to load.
But: This time I will simply create an additional thread / follow-up thread as soon as the first thread has reached a decent length. That should ease the problem a bit.

March preview:
- Easter projects: In March we’ll preferably devote ourselves to all Easter/spring projects.
- UFO week will of course happen too.
After Easter we’ll then start a new round of the yarn diet, which will last until the end of April. Once April is over, the new round of the yarn diet will also be over, and for the participants in the final round for world domination, the yarn diet will then deservedly take a break too.

Here’s to a fantastic February. :- )

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A W A R D C E R E M O N Y for the February activities:
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First of all: Thank you to everyone who joined in and posted. The success stories and all the photos are wonderful. What matters is not that you win, but that you make an effort and bravely get something done. And you all did that. So my compliments and congratulations go to everyone.

Anyone who didn’t win this time will get a new chance in the next activities (they start tomorrow ). We’re not like that here. :- ) Here everyone can have a new chance to reduce their UFOs and leftover yarn.

ok, here we go.

Best of Leftovers:
Nadeleule used up lots of leftovers for Tunisian crochet and for the firefighter, and is therefore Best of Leftovers. Congratulations. She also finished a bag made from ribbon-yarn leftovers and easily bagged the title with it. :- )

Mowi19 used leftovers to make, among other things, tissue pouches, her colorful spring meadow, and the egg cozies. Colorful and decorative—what more do you need? Easily enough for the title Best of Leftovers. ---> With that she also won the title “Flower of the Month.” My congratulations on both titles. :- )

Pe-Ka used a whole lot of leftover yarn for the car seat covers and truly earned the title Best of Leftovers. There is a lot of work in them. I hope you have lots of joy with the finished covers.

Wollefaden made lots of decorations and little animals from leftovers, a sweater using the Tunisian crochet technique, as well as baby shoes, and has more than earned the title. Super job. Keep at it. Your discipline is admirable.

ChristinaE made lucky charms, a snowman, a heart, a crochet hook case, a wash mitt, and a dishcloth from leftovers, and will bring joy to many people with them. Of course that also earns the title Best of Leftovers.

Arni crocheted snails for a hearing clinic in Hanover, using leftover yarn, and won the title with that. I think it’s great that you think of your fellow people. Compliments and congratulations. There were also baby shoes, amigurumi, and hats. You were busy. :- )

Become UFO Queen/King

Mowi19 finished a mug cozy as a mini UFO; if there’s no other UFO, then that counts too. Extra points, of course, for using the project technique Tunisian crochet. The children’s sweater in long-sweater style is also finished. See, there you go. Wonderful. And there was another flower placemat for the spring meadow. Someone was certainly busy. :- ) So much for there being no UFO to finish. The title is more than deserved.

Nadeleule of course also won the title UFO Queen with the bag made from ribbon-yarn leftovers. Congratulations. The bag is beautiful; in spring / once winter is finally over, you can collect lots of compliments while shopping with it.

Pe-Ka was also able to convince as UFO Queen with the car seat covers and the blanket (the blankets? ). Heartfelt congratulations. The blankets will surely bring lots of joy as a gift.

CarosverrueckteHaekelwelt won the title with, among other things, a penguin, several hearts, and toilet-roll covers with fish. Looks great, and the title belongs to you.

Mifas also won the title UFO Queen with the annoying bind off. There you go. :- ) Congratulations.

ChristinaE finished a long-term UFO, a curtain; there was also a little dress for Mrs. Bunny and a jacket that was half unraveled and crocheted again. That made UFO week worth it. Great photos. Congratulations on the title.


Yarn Diet / Final round for world domination, this is still running until April:

- CarosverrueckteHaekelwelt wants to stick with the yarn diet until next year. That is admirable. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you, and I hope the users and authors here in the thread do too. Keep at it and get yourself the title “Inner-Pig-Dog Conqueror.”

Wollefaden worked through a really large amount of diet yarn and also took photos of it, which I think is great. The flowers/appliqués and the dog turned out magnificent.

Mowi19 very bravely worked through a lot and is slowly turning into a pillar of support for the project groups. You’re doing great.

Pe-Ka was busy and got a lot done. Your projects turned out beautifully. Extra points because all of it was diet yarn.

Arni is also still in it. Congratulations and respect. Keep it up.

Iglinz is also still in the running. I think that’s great. Keep it up and don’t let yourself be thrown off track. :- )

Reducing the wishlist
Krea_Tina has brought her wishlist down to zero. That is admirable, but I do hope you find patterns (again ) that you like. :- )

CarosverrueckteHaekelwelt worked very bravely on her wishlist and cleared a lot from it. I think that’s great. It makes room for new things.

Mowi19 cut her wishlist in half. Wow.

Tunisian crochet:
With Tunisian crochet, you exceeded my expectations enormously. It was wonderful: the many participants, the (finished ) projects, the mutual willingness to help. Fantastic.
I’m in favor of letting this project continue, because with so much commitment it would be a shame to cut it off just because the month is ending. Just keep going. :- )

February projects:
You were all really busy. I hope March will be just as great.

Note down material usage:
Yarn usage / material usage 2018 + notes on each project
That also worked out really well; I really enjoy reading along.

Expand offline support?
I read from some of you that partners / family are definitely taking an interest in our activities and either actively support them or even bet against them.
How is that going? Do we want to include this element more deliberately in the next activities?

Thanks, Josefa—this is a great way for me to keep track of things.

I’ve already started on “Reste-Beste.” I’ll stick with that until the end.
I’ve always wanted to learn Tunisian crochet, so I’m in on that, too.
And I’ll try to stick to not buying any yarn until the end of April. My husband is already betting I won’t…

As for the others, I can’t say yet if I’ll manage to do anything there. I don’t want to take on too much either. I always end up so disappointed when I don’t succeed.

I’m also starting with “Reste-Beste” right away, even if they’re only small projects.
I think the overview is great—I added it to my watch list right away, just as recommended!
I want to try to clear out as much as possible in as many areas as I can; let’s see how far I get!
Thanks for all your hard work—this forum means a lot to me!

Of course I’m joining the “Reste-Beste” challenge. Until April, I’ll only be working with leftover yarn and stash yarn.
I’d also like to join the Tunisian crochet project. I want to try making pot holders—from leftover yarn.

I’ve already added this post to my wish list.

Here’s my leftover yarn basket—I’d completely forgotten about it.

Let’s see what it looks like at the end of the month.

I’ve gathered up my leftover cotton yarn and will probably make a few amigurumi.
And from the leftover baby yarn in pink, white, and dark blue (I forgot to take a picture of the dark blue), I’m making shoes for a friend and a hat for Anton. :-)
Let’s see how much is left by the end of February.

-World domination is over for me.
After successfully sticking to the diet in January, I used the first day of February to order myself a surprise yarn cake package.
Also, my mother asked me for curtains, so now I finally want to drive to the yarn shop that was recommended to me by an acquaintance... --> So I’m out of that one :)

-The favorites list is empty. In the end, I only had one pattern on it (the Calin shirt, it’s sooo beautiful!), so I bought it, and the project is already in progress :)

-Using up leftover yarn... We’ll see how much I get done. 

-Projects: Still my motif blanket (it’s going to be a nerd motif... from a video game that the recipient likes a lot ;)) and the Calin shirt I mentioned. I may start 1–2 more things :) 

Pictures of the leftover yarn and the projects will follow! 
This time for real :) 

I’m definitely joining in with “Reste-Beste” and have already started. Here’s a photo I took this morning. 


I’m of course also continuing with the yarn diet until the end of April. I already have the yarn on hand for my planned projects. Now it will finally get used up. 

I don’t have any UFOs at the moment, thanks to Josefa. :-)

I’m looking forward to February. It’s going to be great. 

Hmm. I’ll try to fight on all fronts. The yarn diet is going great, but I’m also avoiding dangerous internet shops, etc. And I hope to stay “sober” until next year.
Leftover yarn is great—we’ll see. I’m going to pull everything out of the project box right now. UFOs are going to get the axe, too. I worked on a penguin today. It just needs to be sewn together. And for the second one, only the body is done. My star blanket is growing. My jacket is still lying around. But I’d like to finish that, too. Working through my wish list is a good idea. I wanted to delete everything I already have as a pattern—or something similar. And check what’s actually still interesting. And if I make progress reducing the things I’m selling, I can start buying patterns again. I want to declutter my home, too :-))

Sticking to the Yarn Diet until next year?
Wow.
Here we go.
I’m rooting for you. Keep at it. If you pull this off, I’ll declare your inner slacker defeated and crown you the “Slacker Conqueror.” We’ve never awarded this honorary title before, so it’ll be a huge honor.

Mod Tip:
If you’re working on a project (crafts or otherwise) and need support, motivation, etc., you can always start your own thread here in the forum. We now have enough active users, so there will be plenty of readers and replies.

Wow, Caro, I’m impressed! You want to stay “dry” the whole year?
Then I wish you the unique title of “Conqueror of Your Inner Slacker.” You’ll really have earned it.

Of course, you also have a large stash of yarn, so sticking to this will be a breeze. I’ve definitely planned to keep it up until the end of April, and I’m absolutely going to see it through. Until then, I’m giving yarn shelves and yarn sales a wide berth. My stash has plenty to offer, which sparks some great new ideas. But I already know that I’ll need merino wool again come fall—it’s almost used up.

I’m definitely keeping my fingers and big toes crossed that you’ll make it. You’ve got plenty of people here to motivate you, including Josefa.

Thank you, Josefa. My yarn stash really is huge, and I think this should be easy enough to do. I just mustn’t give in. But quite a few things are supposed to change in 2018. I’d like to keep my yarn stash, including needles and accessories, all in one place. Then, five years ago, we combined two households when we moved in together, so I’d like to reduce quite a few things there as well to keep everything more organized. Professionally, I’m also working on expanding my knowledge so I can open new doors. ......
Thanks, Mowi. Yes, that’s true, it really is a huge stash. I really hope I can resist. But it should be doable. And since I’m not only working full-time, but also have to study a lot for an exam right now, it should work out.
You’ll manage that easily by April. The worst thing really is when you’re standing right in front of that nasty tempting yarn. 

For this month’s UFO project, I’ve dug out my next blanket. Here, too, all that’s left is to crochet around the edges.
I already know who the new owner will be—the mom of my daughter’s best friend. She’s fallen in love with the blanket, and she’ll be getting it as a housewarming gift, just like the little one did.
She’s moving into her new house in early March, and by then the renovations should be completely finished. So the timing works out perfectly.
And by the time the UFO project starts, I’m sure I’ll be done using up the leftover yarn. I’m almost finished with that, and then all that’s left is to sew it together.

Here are a few photos as proof.

The blanket I want to crochet around with the turquoise yarn—turquoise is her favorite color:


Car seat cover, 3 pieces finished:

Looks good. :-)

@everyone,
how’s it going for you?

Things are going well for me.
I’ve already used up quite a a bit from my leftover-yarn basket. But since I decided to try out my new patterns, I had to exchange some yarn, so I chose cotton instead.
Here’s my current leftover-yarn basket.

Here’s what I’ve managed to finish so far using leftover yarn. (diet yarn)!!!

Things are going really well for me, too. Of course, everything is being made from “diet” yarn. A photo will follow as soon as I finish my entire project. Right now, the Tunisian crochet piece is turning into a UFO. But I’m going to get it finished, because it’s almost done—then it’ll be a mug warmer.

By the way, I’ve added more “diet” yarn to my leftover yarn basket, since I needed some other colors.
Let’s see what else I can finish by the end of February.

On Wednesday, I’m going to visit my granddaughter (to take her measurements—I’m really looking forward to it), and I’m sure I’ll have some time left over for crocheting and knitting. The drive takes about 4 hours, which I’ll definitely put to good use.

By the way, I’m enjoying it more and more to finally use up the beautiful yarn from my stash. So far, I’ve successfully managed to ignore all the special offers (pat on the back).

 Things aren’t going so well for me. I just had to unravel a half-finished hat because I spaced out and it was too small. Oh well. So far, I’ve finished the little shoes and Linus from Peanuts using leftover yarn. Photos to follow 

I’ve combined Tunisian crochet with using up leftover yarn and have already used up nearly 260g of leftover yarn. The bag isn’t finished yet, so I’ll be using a bit more yarn.

You’re all so incredibly busy and making such amazing things! For me, progress is only coming in small steps, and these little projects only use up a few meters of leftover yarn. I haven’t been able to start Tunisian crochet yet—I still have a few small gifts to finish by the end of the week, and then it’s back to those UFOs! Pure stress, in other words! But I’m sticking with it!

Oh, Christina, don’t stress about it. It’s mainly supposed to be fun.
For me, too, it’s all little things made from scraps right now. So the weight is pretty low. It’s all about taking part and turning the yarn into beautiful things.

One thing I can say for sure: it’s looking pretty colorful over here. :-)

I also find it amazing what the Yarn Diet is bringing to light for me. When you really dig into those boxes in the attic—I mean, not just shuffling them from one corner to another, but actually opening them up and rummaging through them—real treasures come to light.
I’m definitely sticking to the Yarn Diet for the time being. Just finishing the projects I’ve already started will take me until summer.
The only way I might give in is if my Bobbel supplier has some really beautiful Bobbels available again—then I just won’t be able to resist. But right now, she’s so swamped with orders that she doesn’t have time to create new ones herself. And I’m not giving in to temptation.....

Please remember that UFO Week starts next week. :-)

mowi, I wasn’t really serious about the stress part anyway! I still have a lot of fun crocheting and knitting, and if that means the boxes get a little less full, that’s a great side effect!

So, I’ve finished a few things and am showing you the first part. Hopefully the next part will follow by tonight.

My mini UFO is this mug warmer—a practice piece for Tunisian crochet:



I’m making great progress using up the leftover yarn. Here are two new tissue holders:


And the rest will (hopefully) follow tonight. :-)

Here’s the bigger batch of leftovers: my colorful spring meadow and the egg cozies I’m taking along as gifts. That might just be enough for “Flower of the Month.” Josefa wrote something about it once, if I remember correctly...




Last month I’d already knitted up a lot of leftovers. But those probably won’t count toward February.

The next “diet yarn” project is already in the works—it’ll be a poncho. Right now I’m still in the design phase. That sometimes takes longer than the knitting itself. ;-)

So, the bag is now finished, and I’ve used up just under 6 skeins (exactly 285g) of ribbon yarn scraps.
More scraps will go into the next pattern, and then we’ll see....

I just started a new piece in Tunisian crochet using leftover yarn. Let’s see how far I get by the end of the month.

So, I finished my leftover-yarn project yesterday. Here are the before-and-after photos of the leftover yarn. Since I still have a little of the main color left, I’m going to look for some contrasting colors in my big bins of leftover yarn for the next leftovers challenge—and make myself a car blanket to go with it too!



And my new seat covers for the new car. The kitchen chairs had to stand in as photo models for a moment.

Pe-Ka, your seat covers look great—I especially like the color combination.

UFO Week starts on the 21st—that’s Wednesday.
Are you ready?

I worked on my star blanket today. But more importantly: I reduced my favorites list. Here are the before-and-after screenshots.

Using up my leftovers is progressing slowly. I’ve made two heart pendants, a little monster, and two little flowers. The heart pendants are UFOs again at the moment.

I’ve already picked out more yarn to donate.
Now I just need to finish sewing my penguin together.
The star blanket will still take another ball of yarn. 

Wow,
your wish list is amazing.

Yeah, I’ve also cut my wish list in half over the last few days. :-)
I’ve already used up a lot of my leftover yarn and posted the photos. Maybe I’ll add a few more things. Most of it went into the “Spring Meadow” project. That’s definitely enough for the “Flower of the Month” (grin).

I’m also going to finish crocheting one or two small tissue-packet pouches. And if I can manage it, the second cup warmer in Tunisian crochet, too.

The sweater for my granddaughter has turned into a UFO in the meantime because I’ve already started something new. Maybe I’ll manage to finish knitting it by the end of the month. Right now, it still looks like this:

Wow. Everyone’s been so hard at work. The car seat covers are amazing. I’m also looking forward to seeing the finished photos of the UFO sweater and the headless little creature in the leftover-yarn basket.
The spring meadow with the egg cozies is great, too

How are things going with your PCs and cell phones?
The thread isn’t very long yet—any issues?
I’m thinking about whether to open another thread on Wednesday for the final sprint / UFO Week or if we should stay here in this thread.
Any thoughts on that?

Caro, you’ve really motivated me to finish knitting this sweater. Without this challenge, it would probably still be sitting there unfinished, because I’m already working on new ideas and would rather keep going with those. Hmm… let’s see how far I get.

Josefa, everything’s still loading fine for me. There aren’t that many photos here in the thread yet, after all. That should keep things going smoothly for a while longer.

Everything works great for me on my phone

Mowi, I’m glad to hear that. After all, there isn’t much left anyway. But unfortunately, I know that feeling too. Suddenly there are a thousand more interesting projects. That’s why I’m currently forcing myself to work through the star blanket. No additional UFO, even if it won’t be finished until next month. 

Caro, I can only see your last reply on a separate page that doesn’t show the entire thread. I don’t see it here yet.

I’ve been noticing this for a few days now. When I click the link in the email, only one post appears. When I reply to it there, I don’t know if it will also show up here in the long thread.

By the way, this affects all threads. Question for the CP team: Is this intentional?

Caro’s individual post—her reply to me here—shows up in the “Plauderecke” forum. Strange....

Could you please describe the technical issue in a separate thread so that other users or authors who are also experiencing the problem—if that’s the case—can comment on it as well?
Thanks.

I'll do that, Josefa. Your post is now visible here too—and in the chat corner.

OK, thanks.

I don’t think it’s a technical issue; I noticed it too and took it as a positive thing because now I don’t have to scroll all the way down the thread anymore ;) The replies still come through—I’m replying this way right now ;)

Hi Josefa, I can still see all the images so far, too. Thanks for asking.

I’m also still working hard to use up my leftover yarn. But I’m only making slow progress.

It’ll be fine.

I have the same problem as mowi: Lately, when I click on the link, only the post in question appears...

The tech team is already on it—don’t worry.

Here are the finished pieces I crocheted in February using leftover yarn.
The green sweater I’m crocheting with the Tunisian crochet method has already grown. I’ll definitely keep working with the leftovers until the end of the month.
I won’t be taking part in the UFO challenge.

Marion, everything you’ve conjured up from the leftovers looks great!
Right now, I’m working on the second set of “Spring Meadow” using leftover yarn.
A few small leftovers will be left over, but I’ve already used up quite a bit and added some additional leftover yarn to the mix.

Your photos are really motivating me right now.

@Monika, great—I’m excited to see what else you’ll come up with.

I still have some leftover yarn in my basket too; I’ve swapped out a few and will just keep going.

Okay, ladies, UFO Week is on.
Keep at it. :-)

I don’t have any UFOs to report this time! I haven’t started any new ones, and I hope no more pop up...
I’ve made a firm resolution to finish everything right away.

You can still score points as a Leftover-Yarn Star or bravely keep going with the yarn diet.

I still have 4 UFOs lying around. I’m not counting the ones I’m currently finishing, though.

One is a mobile for a boy and one for a girl. Since I don’t know yet when the christening is, I still have time. It turned out to be a boy, so I just need to finish that one quickly anyway.
And then there are the long-term projects for my kids. Everyone wants a big blanket. But they’ll be finished this year, for sure.

And because that’s not enough for me, I’ve started two that I can work on here and there when I’m on the go.
Plus, I always need something to work on when we have UFO weeks.

Oh, so you’re intentionally stockpiling for UFO Week.
That’s how it works around here :-)

Oh, when people at home ask if I don’t already have enough “lying around” and if I shouldn’t just finish something for a change, I use UFO Week as an excuse.
Unfortunately, there are only 24 hours in a day, and during the week I have at most 2 hours a day for crocheting. But with everything I want to try out and test, that’s simply not enough time to finish it all.
So I’m very grateful for UFO Week. That’s when I really pull myself together and finish something completely.

The yarn diet isn’t working out because I had to buy some yarn for a commissioned piece, and my contribution to the leftover yarn challenge was the bag with the Tunisian crochet pattern. 

Oh Marion, that’s too bad! Looking over my stash and planned projects, I could actually keep knitting and crocheting with “diet yarn” until fall. 

@Monika

What’s a shame? I don’t quite get that right now. I still have so many scraps—i.e., “diet yarn”—that I can easily keep working on them until next year.

Let me show you some of it; this is just what’s in one closet—I have even more of it on the shelf.

Marion, it’s too bad you had to buy yarn—because of the wool diet until April. ;-)

Well, as far as my stash goes, I could easily make it through the year and beyond! But unfortunately, there isn’t enough material for baby items, or it’s in completely the wrong colors! (Blue or green is wanted, but I’ve got red and orange lying around!) I’ll occasionally post a picture of the things I’ve made from leftover yarn here.
Do several identical skeins actually count as leftovers? One of those yarns was once supposed to become a little jacket... I also still have some UFOs and have firmly resolved to finish one or two of them by the end of the month.

@Monika

I didn’t have to buy any yarn. Take a look at my pictures.

Marion

Oh Marion, I actually got that wrong—sorry. It was Mel who bought more yarn, not you.

That’s great—so you’ll stick with the Yarn Diet through April. How wonderful! You’re right, you really do have plenty of stash. There’s still plenty to knit with.

Your stash is like a land of milk and honey for yarn addicts. ;-)

Marion, I’m relieved. It seems you have just as much yarn as I do. We’ll easily make it through the remaining 10 months. I’ve bravely stayed away from yarn so far. However, I also have to say that photographing my yarn stash put me off. Being confronted with the sheer scale of my addiction like that is intense. I’d like to be able to store all my yarn in one place. So I need to drastically reduce my stash.
If I can manage to finish a few UFOs now, I’ll be happy. I’ll have to get to work on them this weekend.

Caro, I didn’t even have to take a picture of my yarn stash to get quite a shock... For now, I’ve tried to bring some order to the whole thing—that is, sorting the yarns more or less by quality—to get a better overview and make planning a little easier. I could knit dozens of baby booties, for example! But will my new grandchild really need that many woolen booties during a Washington summer? 

At least I’ve kept them reasonably organized from the start. But I really went on a shopping spree. I donated a significant portion to a group that knits for children and teens in Latvia and also supports other social projects—for example, blankets for single elderly people in nursing homes. I also had a lot of yarn that I later stopped liking.
I don’t think wool shoes are needed in the summer either. But a cozy blanket for sitting outside in the evening. Or a shawl. Or a play mat

Last night I finally undid the bind-off on my shawl so I could knit a little more on it. I just didn’t think to take a photo as proof. So yesterday I picked up all the stitches again—it was great fun because I knit super tightly—and knitted up the yarn that was still attached, so not quite a full row. It only just occurred to me to take a photo now...

So, third attempt at a post:

I still have a quasi-UFO here. I thought the shawl was finished. After binding off, I felt like I needed to knit a few more centimeters so it could spread out even wider. However, I knit very tightly, and my bind-off ends up super tight, making it not only nearly impossible to stretch the shawl but also turning “undoing the bind-off” into a real joy. So I’ve been putting this off for a few weeks now, until I felt up to it. Last night, I suddenly felt up to tackling this. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of it—a before-and-after UFO photo, so to speak. I picked up all the stitches and knitted with the yarn still attached, so basically almost one row. It occurred to me this morning, and I snapped a photo right away. Does that still count? I hope I can finish it by Wednesday....

UFO Week and all the February projects—plus, of course, the “Best of Leftovers” project—are entering their final phase.
If you want to be standing or sitting on the winner’s podium on Wednesday evening, then give it your all one last time.
I believe in you. You’ve conjured up so many wonderful things and shown so much perseverance—not just with your crafts, but in other areas as well. You’ve got this. If you don’t make it onto the podium this time, you’ll be there next time. The more often you’re on it, the more fame and glory it brings you. :- )

Have fun with your crafts, and get some good rest.

If you’d like an honorary title, you’ll need to give a few good reasons for it here in this thread.

If you’d like an extra title for something you’ve achieved—something that wasn’t easy for you, even beyond crafting—you can write it down here, and I’ll generously award appropriate titles, but only if you’ve really put in the effort. :- ) The users and authors here in this thread will surely be just as generous with compliments and applause.

For everyone on the “yarn diet,” stick with it—it’s worth it.

Great job, Michaela—you deserve a medal for overcoming your inner slacker for unraveling and binding off again. I’d be generous and count that as a UFO. ;-)

Josefa, if you’re awarding the “Flower of the Month,” I’ll put my name in the running. Maybe the spring meadow with flowers and flower-shaped egg cozies counts? All made from leftover yarn and “diet” yarn, of course.

I’m really proud of myself because today while shopping I discovered some beautiful yarn. Buuut—I left it there before it could jump at me. And then I walked away really fast. After all, I want to stick with it until the end of April and use up a lot more yarn.

Whether I’ll still be able to finish my UFO—the kids’ sweater—we’ll see. I’ll definitely keep at it.

@mifas,
if you manage that by Wednesday, you'll be Queen of the UFOs.

@Mowi19,
so you want to be "Flower of the Month"?
ok. You talked me into it. :-)

Anyone else who wants to score points with the flowers or in some other way?

That’s cool, Josefa! Thanks!

please

I did my best today. I won’t make it as the leftover-yarn champion. I have too much leftover yarn and too little time. At least I got something done. Today I finished three tiny UFOs and one medium-sized one. The penguin was made following a CAL by LaCritza. Here are the before-and-after photos.

Hey everyone. How did you spend your Sunday? I really wanted to finish something, and I put fish on two toilet paper roll covers. Now I remember why this was a UFO. Phew. But I made myself do it. Two more finished projects, thanks to you all.
The yarn diet is still on, even though I saw some totally tempting ads from Hobii. 

Caro, your finished UFOs look great, especially the penguin! That little guy is so cute. :-)

I’m working on my UFO sweater today and will do my best to have it finished by Wednesday. Let’s see if I can manage it.

I’ve already shown some of the things I made from my scraps here. Now all that’s left is the second “Spring Meadow” placemat in red and blue. That should be finished by Wednesday, too. Then at least it won’t be a UFO.

Without these challenges here, I’d probably have tons of UFOs lying around. So I’m really grateful that Josefa is really getting us going. ;-)

Have a wonderful end to your weekend, everyone. Now I’m going back to knitting...

By Wednesday, Josefa? Pah, my shawl is finished already ;-)

@mowi19, so that’s how it is. :-) I think it’s great that so many of you are participating.

@mifas,
it turned out really nice. Great job.

Yes, exactly, it wouldn’t be any fun for me here on my own either. So my thanks go to all of you who are here with me. :-)
 
Michaela, your shawl turned out really beautifully.

My second UFO blanket is now finished too.
I’ll give it away the next time we’re invited over. Until then, it’s tucked away in my cupboard.

Before and after photos:


This time it’s for an adult.

It was a lot of fun, and I still have a few (about 100–200) finished granny squares in all sizes. I’ll definitely make another one.

Pe-Ka, that blanket looks great! The before-and-after photo is especially impressive.

Thanks, Monika,

I have so much fun making these blankets. Both while crocheting and then putting together the colorful patches. It’s just the edging part that I tend to put off. But now that’s done, too.
And the very best part is giving them away. By now, I have to give them away. Since we have four lying around at home, my husband thinks there are enough.
Never mind—I’ve always found grateful recipients so far.

And the sweater for your granddaughter—have you finished that yet? I’ve already been looking for the photo.

Dagmar, the sweater is in the final stages, so to speak. The sleeves are on, but I’m still experimenting with the collar. I really want to have it finished by Wednesday. And then I’ll post the photo here too—I promise.

I don’t have the patience for such large projects right now. That’s why my next UFO will be my new poncho. Luckily, there’s also a UFO challenge in March.

The advantage with your blankets is that they’re made up of small pieces that are all completely different. That’s definitely fun, of course. Crocheting them together… well, I tend to put that off, too.

I can easily imagine that the recipients will be delighted with your beautiful blankets.

On Wednesday evening, I’ll hold the awards ceremony—I don’t want to put any pressure on anyone or anything. :-)

Please write here what you’ve accomplished, if you haven’t already, and whether you’ve qualified for “Leftover Yarn Champion,” “UFO King/Queen,” the “Yarn Diet / Yarn Empress” title in the final round for world domination, “Flower of the Month,” or an honorary title.

So I’ll write this up for now—the photos will follow on Wednesday.
I’ve used up lots of leftover yarn, for example, to make tissue pouches and the “Spring Meadow” set with egg cozies, a placemat, and little flowers. It would be great to be named Flower of the Month!

My UFO is still a work in progress and should be finished by Wednesday—the kids’ sweater.

The yarn diet continues until the end of April—so I’m also in the final round of the quest for world domination.

I’d already posted some of the photos, but I’ll dig everything out again by Wednesday.

Here’s my final report:

I’ve already shown some of my crocheted pieces above with pictures. Today, I finished the sweater I made in Tunisian crochet. I also finished a pair of baby booties.

All the pieces were crocheted using leftover yarn, i.e. diet yarn—a total of 1,125 g.
I definitely won’t be buying any new yarn until the end of April, or maybe even longer.
I didn’t finish any UFOs.
Here’s my photo.

Wow, that looks great, Marion!

Thanks, Monika.
It was really fun and went pretty quickly, too.

Marion, your summer sweater turned out great! I also think all your other projects are absolutely remarkable. I don’t know if I’d have the stamina for a blanket....
Compared to you, I can only hide behind my partly Tunisian-crocheted bag (see above) and my firefighter (made from about 140g of leftover yarn and 75g of new yarn—the red one). Unlike you guys, I was mostly working with “scraps”....
but I don’t have that many leftovers left either. If I add it all up (cotton yarn and everything else), I might get to 4.5–5 kg. So it’s still within the realm of possibility to use it all up this year.

    Here are the promised photos:

My finished UFOs: I only had to crochet around one side of the curtain, but it sat there for months.
Mrs. Rabbit must have waited two years (or longer!) for her little pink dress.
The jacket has a special story: I had already worn it in 2014 in Paderborn and Hamburg, but since I didn’t like the sleeve, I unraveled half of it... and there it sat! Without this challenge, it probably still wouldn’t be finished—thank you!

And from leftover yarn, I made:

a lucky charm bear for my husband, a snowman for my backpack, and a heart for a friend.

Also made from leftover yarn: the crochet hook case (approx. 56g), a washcloth (23g), and a dishcloth (21g).

Awards ceremony tonight. If you want to be there, you’ll have to hurry. :-)

I’ve conquered my UFOs and stuck to the yarn diet. I need to keep at it. I’d like to make a poncho soon. But first, I have to finish some other UFOs.

Christina, everything you’ve whipped up there is absolutely beautiful! Wow, sooo much!

Yay, I’ve finally finished my UFO—the child’s sweater in a long-pullover style, basically a mix between a sweater and a dress. I tried three different collar variations, and this one ended up being my favorite. If it weren’t for the UFO challenge, I probably would’ve waited until it fit my granddaughter… which would’ve been at least half a year from now.



In the second picture, you can see the yarn left over from 4 balls. It went a long way, and the sweater is nice and light.

Then today I also finished a floral placemat, which was actually another UFO. It’s part of the “Spring Meadow” set, which I crocheted entirely from leftover yarn. Here’s the new floral placemat, and next to it is the “Spring Meadow”—made entirely from leftover yarn and, of course, “diet” yarn.


This is what the yarn looked like before, and the second picture shows the leftovers.

I just noticed that the leftover yarn from the 4 skeins looks much bigger than it actually is. There’s maybe 1/4 of a skein of yellow and blue left...

And now the egg cozies and flowers—to complement the spring meadow—all made from leftover yarn. And also more tissue pouches made from leftover yarn:





I can’t reconstruct the leftover yarn exactly anymore, since I used some additional scraps in the meantime. I think it shows well enough as it is. I posted the original photo of the yarn here somewhere.

Is everyone done yet?

My comment isn’t there at all????
Did I post it somewhere else?
Then I’ll do it again. These are the leftovers. I think it’s still a lot, and such silly colors.


I made: 5 snails for a hearing clinic in Hanover. You can use even silly colors for that. I’ll be making more of those, too. 


Baby booties for a friend, Linus from Peanuts


And a hat for Anton that matches his collage jacket (unfortunately, it doesn’t suit him at all)
And a hat for me. This one isn’t made from leftovers, but from diet yarn. My ears were cold and I needed a hat.



Of course, I’m also still working hard on my quest for world domination 

Wow! You’ve all conjured up some wonderful creations!

Wow, Mowi, your days have more than 24 hours, don’t they? This all looks absolutely amazing. And the sweater turned out spectacular.
Christina, how on earth did you manage to get so much done?
Marion, those baby Chucks are really great. I’m in love.
All in all, I can only say to everyone: Great job. Together, we can do anything

Thanks, Caro. Yeah, I’m in love with that sweater, too. It’s sure to look cute when worn.
I actually stayed up late crafting last night.
Yes, together we really do get a lot more done here than we would alone. That makes me really happy.

Christina, you’ve gotten so much done, too—just great!
And Arni, your pieces are really beautiful as well. I don’t think the colors are so bad at all. You can do a lot with them. I’m sure you’ll come up with something lovely.

Okay, ladies, I’m starting to compile the info for the awards ceremony now.
The awards ceremony will take place at the very top of the first post in this thread; it might take a while for me to get everything together, but we should be done before midnight. :-)

Dear Josefa, as always, I’m looking forward to your special award ceremony. It’s such a wonderful and joyful surprise every time. :-)

Okay, ladies, I’m pretty much done here and waiting for your additions:
Who did I forget, and where?

Josefa, that was quick.  Thank you very much for all the work you did and continue to do with all these activities. 

They weren’t UFOs for me, but I’m still in for the final round of world domination.

Best wishes, and call it a day and sleep well.