2020 Year End Review

Howdy, friend!

How was your holiday season?  Was your busy season even busier than normal like mine?  I rushed to get things bought and made and shipped with plenty of time — but it didn’t matter since 2 of 3 boxes didn’t arrive until last week! LOL Oh well, c’est la vie right?

Anywho, I figured we’d do a quick post-mortem on 2020 in HB&W Land.

Year in Patterns

When I went back through all of the new patterns released this year on the blog or on YouTube, or in the case of the Christmas Flower Ornament + Earring pattern, my Etsy and Ravelry shops, I was super surprised to learn that I released a total of THIRTEEN patterns in 2020!  That’s not even including patterns that got facelifts this year.  Just for a little perspective, only 6 patterns released in 2019.  I told my hubby I was going to spend 2021 napping! Ha!

Here’s the list of patterns released in 2020:

1. XOXO Cup Cozy
2. XOXO Cold Cup Cozy
3. Bumble Puff Beauty Biscuit (Face Scrubbies)
4. Lemon Peel Washcloth (YouTube)
5. Cozy Fireside Wrap
6. Alpine Dreams Cowl
7. Alpine Dreams Ear Warmer (included in Alpine Dreams Cowl PDF found on Etsy + Ravelry)
8. Alpine Dreams Cup Cozy (included in Alpine Dreams Cowl PDF found on Etsy + Ravelry)
9. Basic Ribbed Crochet Pumpkin (YouTube)
10. Merry + Bright Wine Sleeve
11. Winter Wonderland Coaster (released and included with the Winter Wonderland Trivet)
12. Winter Wonderland Trivet (released and included with the Winter Wonderland Coaster)
13. Christmas Flower Ornament (found on Etsy + Ravelry)

Year in Books

Between virtual school and all the patterns I released in 2020, my book count is the lowest it has been in years.  Even so, I managed a respectable 25 books this year.  I didn’t review all them on the blog, though I posted about most of them on either Instagram or Goodreads or both, but here’s a rundown of HB&W’s year in books.

Five Star Reviews:
The One and Only Ivan, The Woman in the Window, Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, and A Man Called Ove

Honorable Mention:
Killers of the Flower Moon, The Lost Child, Patient H.M., With the Fire on High (read 2019, reviewed 2020)

Kept Me Up Late:
The Good Daughter, The Girl From Widow Hills, The Woman in the Window

Entertaining:
Crazy Rich Asians, My Lady Jane, The Elemental Thief

Least Favorite:
Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe, The Little French Bistro, The Perfect Stranger

DNF (Did Not Finish):
The Goldfinch, On Mystic Lake

Read in 2020 – Reviews Coming Soon:
The Poet X, The Last Story of Mina Lee

Year in Wandering

I know I’m not alone when I say that Covid put a damper on our travel plans, but we did the best we could and made the most of it, carrying on because what else are you going to do?  We took a lot of hikes around Saint Louis in various state parks, and after buying our first pop up camper, we were able to get a couple of late-season camping trips in too.  Getting out into the great outdoors was just what the doctor ordered, and now that we have our camper, we’re excited for all the new adventures that await us.

Whew, that was a busier year than I originally thought!  But as awesome as 2020 was, there are lots of exciting things in store for you in 2021, so stay tuned!

xx

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