2024: A knitting year in review

At the end of each year, or most likely, in the beginning of a new year, I like to reflect on my creative works from the year previous. What I planned to make, what I actually made, and any trends I noticed along the way. I'll include links to projects that have previously been featured on the blog, as well as mention a few in this post that are most recently finished.

First, I'll start with some finished projects that haven't been featured on the blog, as of yet!

Finished projects

Most of these projects were finished in the latter half of the year, or were gift knits that I didn't want to share until after gifting them.

Crocheted potholders

I finished several crocheted hot pads throughout the year that never made it into blog posts. The orange- and sage-colored ones were made following a tutorial from Daisy Farm Crafts (I used the bobble stitch pattern in this blog post). And I crocheted a Turn on Itself (aka Magic potholder) following this tutorial.

September socks

I knit a pair of waffle-textured socks in the fall, utilizing a "peek-a-boo" cuff with a contrast mini skein and I knit them with a shorter leg length. I love the colors in this yarn! I gifted them to a friend. More details (exact numbers for how I knit them) are on my Ravelry project page.

Mixed rib hats for Nicholas and Finn

I couldn't get enough of this pattern in 2024. The fit and feel of this pattern and yarn combination is so perfect. I knit Nicholas one in the adult small size and one for Finn in the kid size as Christmas gifts. Both are knit in Purl Soho's Yonder yarn base. More details for both can be found on the Ravelry project pages for Nicholas' hat and Finn's hat. Both of them wear these hats daily!

Blue Christmas socks for Nicholas

I knit Nicholas a pair of DK-weight socks for Christmas as well. I held sock-weight yarn double for the entire sock and knit a garter heel. I held two blue yarns together for the majority of the socks and a blue yarn with a light grey yarn for a contrast heel, toe, and cuff. More details can be found on my Ravelry project page. These turn out so cozy! This is the third pair I've knit for him over the years using this sock "recipe."

Sydänmaa Mittens

I had some special yarn from a semi-local farm in southern Indiana that a friend gave me. And this year, I decided I wanted that yarn to become a pair of mittens! I chose a free pattern that I've knit previously (back in 2016, I think) and I knew it was a good pattern: cables and some interest and a really good fit. And they are surprisingly warm for how light they are. My ravelry project page has more details, and I blogged about them here.

Subtle self-striping Christmas socks

I knit a pair of self-striping socks in November, in anticipation of wearing them in December for Christmas. I loved this sock set – a 50g skein of the main self-striping yarn and a 20g skein of the ivory, which is just the right amount of yarn for a pair of socks (I typically wear a US 7.5 women's shoe). These were so much fun to knit, and I love how subtle the colors are. More details on my Ravelry project page.

Tiny crocheted turtle

And lastly, I made a little crocheted turtle for Cooper for his Christmas stocking. I used scrap yarn, and it is far from perfect (especially the embroidered face), but he lit up when he pulled it out of his stocking, and so that's a win for me. My first time crocheting something that isn't flat! More details and a link to the (free) pattern are on my ravelry project page.

It feels good to finally share all those months of knitting and making, now that it's all finished and/or gifted. Without further ado, I've listed all my 2024 projects (those finished in 2024, that is), sorted by type and recipient demographic (kids vs adults). All links take you to either a blog post or ravelry page with more details and photos of the given project.

Adult sweaters

Adult accessories

Align mitts for me (my first pair for myself)
Sydänmaa mittens (mentioned above)

Adult hats

Mixed rib hat for my dad
Mixed rib hat for mom
Mixed rib hat for Nicholas (mentioned above)

Home goods/other

Red crocheted moss stitch dishcloth
Green crocheted moss stitch dishcloth for my mom (not previously mentioned)
Orange crocheted moss stitch dishcloth
Blue double thick knitted potholder for my mom
Grey double thick knitted potholder for my brother
Mitered square dishcloth
Yellow crocheted bobble stitch potholder for my SIL (mentioned above)
Sage green crocheted bobble stitch potholder for my SIL (mentioned above)
Confetti colored crocheted magic potholder (mentioned above)
Tiny crocheted turtle for Cooper (mentioned above)
Tiny knit duckling for Cooper (not previously mentioned)

A few notes:

I knit 31 items and crocheted 9(ish) items in 2024.
Of the knitted items, 14/31 were socks of some kind.
Of the crocheted items, all were dishcloths or potholders (except for one tiny turtle). I used the dishcloths and potholders as an opportunity to try out different crochet stitches, practice more even tension, and make something useful in the process. And all that flat crocheting gave me some confidence to try crocheting something that wasn't flat (the turtle)! Crochet was a lesson for me in practice makes a difference, and it's good to be okay with not being great at something at first.
When I look back at my creative goals for 2024, I see that while I certainly did not make everything on that list, I did complete or at least cast on several things: Everybody cardigan, Traveler crew sweater, align mitts, a pair of mittens, the Nellie Neck Warmer, the Traveler Cowl, Heel Toe Do Si Do socks, the Crunkled socks, and crochet dishcloths. A sweater for Nicholas and Ollie's classic crew for Finn are both works-in-progress.
I knit through my grief of our miscarriage in February. It was soothing and meditative when I wanted to keep my hands busy.
And then I knit very little in the first trimester of my pregnancy with Arlo– just no energy or desire to do so. I am so glad that resolved itself as I entered into second trimester and I wanted to work on projects again.
I spent time knitting with friends (Molly and Kathleen) at parks while our kids played, or in our homes, alongside hot tea or coffee. These crafts are exponentially more fun when they're shared!
I knit in the car, at a campsite, at a minor league baseball game, on the front porch and back deck, at the beach, at the pool during swim lessons, and during homeschool lessons. This was the year that I really squeezed knitting and crochet into the margins of my life (it's amazing what a few stitches here and there can accomplish).
I taught my mom the basics of crochet on a long car ride together
I wore my handknit sweaters as much as I could with a growing belly, and already, I've found my Everybody cardigan and my Traveler crewneck sweater to be incredibly versatile.
I knit with a sleeping Finn on my lap a few times towards the beginning of the year, and with a sleeping Arlo on my lap in December!