Ideas for a year long or long term craft project

As the end of the year approaches, like many people I start to think about the things that I want to accomplish over the following year, and my crafting plans form a big part of that. I love to do lists and I enjoy seeing how doing one simple thing daily can achieve great results in the long term.

I few years ago I completed my Sky Blanket. Every day I crocheted a simple row based on the colour of the sky that day. It was a very satisfying project and I remain very proud of the result. Although to be fair it is enormous and used a lot of yarn - next time I would scale the project down a bit and perhaps make a scarf!

I got to thinking of different crafty projects that can be achieved with just a small amount of work each day. Not only that, they also serve as a reminder of the year, acting as a visual diary and reminding you all all the things that you've seen, done and experienced. 

So here is a big list of ideas for craft projects which will last a whole year and leave you with a satisfying result which will serve as the reminder of the year just gone. At the bottom of the post you can find a link to my Ideas for a year long craft project Pinterest board which is packed with inspiration, ideas and tips.

Visual diary blankets and scarves

* Sky blanket or scarf - Knit or crochet a row or square each day to represent the colour of the sky.

* Temperature blanket or scarf - Base your row or square on the temperature for the day.

* Weather blanket or scarf - Use the weather for that day to choose your row or square.

* Mood blanket or scarf - Track how you are feeling each day by choosing a colour to represent your emotion that day.

More random blankets and scarves

* Roll of the die blanket - roll a die each day to choose the colour of your row.

* Granny square blanket - make a different granny square each day and sew them together to make a blanket. You can find some fantastic inspiration in this 365 Days of Granny squares blog post.

* Activity themed blanket - choose something else to theme your blanket on each day, for example a colour that represents something that you've done, something that you've watched on television, a book that you've read and so on.

Photography and video

* Daily photograph - take a photo each day and at the end of the year you can turn them into a video or print them out as a collage or album. Many people share their daily photos on social media.

* A year in seconds video - I did this in 2017 and although it was a bit of a faff I was really pleased with the result. I put mine together in my video editing software, but now there are apps that make the whole process much easier.

Sewing and embroidery

* Daily stitch challenge - learn a new embroidery stitch everyday and display them in a sampler. 

* Embroidery hoop daily stitch challenge - each day add a small piece of embroidery to an embroidery hoop. You could sew small pictures to represent something that you've done that day, or add in buttons and sequins.

Other daily craft challenges

By spending a few minutes every day working on a craft or technique you can easily chart your improvement over time. Last year I completed the 100 Day Project where I drew or painted each day for 100 days. It wasn't always easy to fit it in but I managed it and I had a great time learning how to use watercolours and improving my skills. 

There are all sorts of craft challenges about if you have a search online, and plenty of supportive communities too which you can get involved with.

Finally a great crafty plan for the year is to list all your unfinished craft projects and aim to complete one each month (or each week if you are feeling keen!). I did this last year and you can read about all the things I was able to accomplish here - A year of completing my unfinished craft projects.