Creative goals for 2024

Every year, I like to set a loose framework of "creative aspirations," if you will. Basically, I type out a collection of patterns for knitting, sewing, crochet, etc. that serve a purpose in being a match for materials I already own, show me a new skill or technique, fill a need or desire for a gift knit, or for many patterns I'll mention, they simply look enjoyable or inspiring.

To begin, I'll mention my two active projects that are on the needles:

• A Storm Sweater Junior for Cooper – this has been such an engaging knit! The stitch patterns, the smaller scale, the neckline finished and Italian bind off at the hem– all very satisfying. I just picked up stitches for the first sleeve.
• A pair of vanilla self-striping socks – this is my first experience knitting a pair of something concurrently. The yarn "management" and hand winding took some time, since I wanted to ensure that So I knit a bit on one sock, and then "catch up" with the other sock. I am on the gusset decreases for both, so they feel pretty fast! I am also trying out a different stitch count, since I aim to improve the fit of my plain vanilla socks.

Current projects aside, here, grouped by "fiber genre," are some creative projects of interest for this year:

Knitting

Garments

For all of these garments I'm mentioning, I already have sufficient yarn in stash, and since my goal is to knit with what I have, that's ideal:

• Ollie's Classic Crew for Finn, knit in Purl Soho Good Wool in the color Freshwater Blue.
• An Everybody cardigan in some marled yarn that I have. I don't need another marled pullover, so a cardigan could be a nice change, and I'm eager to try a pattern from the Seasonless: Patterns for Life book that a friend gave to me for my birthday.
• One of PetiteKnit's slipover patterns, pattern TBD, but I like the Lulu slipover, the Friday Slipover, or the Ingrid Slipover.
• a sweater for Nicholas, knit out of Lettlopi, either something very similar to his Towns sweater I knit him in 2022, or perhaps a Sweater No. 18.
• A sweater with another sweater's quantity of Purl Soho Good Wool in the color "Driftwood Grey." I really like The Traveler, but also the Field Day cardigan, And honestly, I enjoy my Kerti sweater so much, I could knit another.
• Another fingering weight pullover sweater. Perhaps another Slightly Sassy V, but I'm exploring other patterns, as well, like the Cumulus Tee, or the Brooklyn Raglan Lite, knit in the SQ of butter yellow yarn that I won in a giveaway from A Knitter's Homestead.

A few honorable mentions for garment knitting, for which I would need to purchase yarn, include the Stick Season sweater, the Eun sweater, and the Levitate Wrap.

Accessories

I have some yarn tucked away that I would love to knit into accessories this year: cowls or hats or small scarves, the like.

• fingerless gloves, most likely another pair of the tried and true Align mitts (this time with a slightly longer cuff) or perhaps the Everything November mitts.
• I am really in the mood to knit mittens, specifically ones made from Lettlopi, of which I have an abundance.
• I love the the Leith hat, and I'm sure I have something suitable in my stash.
• I also like the look of the Weekend headband, and that would be such a quick project.
• This chunky cowl could be knit in some colorful bulky weight yarn I have had for awhile.
• And this cabled cowl look incredibly cozy, and it could be a good fit for some blue yarn that Nicholas bought for me, if I feel like modifying gauge somewhat.
• And the Traveler Cowl pattern just came out, this could be fun with scraps or some yarn I already have in stash, as well.
• Another "little scarf," of some variety, perhaps in a bright color. I really like the brioche in the Double Espresso Scarf

Socks

I set aside some socks yarn that I would like to knit with, specifically, this year. I did this last year, and I enjoyed choosing from that selection, and actually knit through nearly all of what I set aside. Some will be vanilla socks or minimal ribbing, since some of the yarn is self-striping or self-patterning. As far as specific patterns, here are a few I'm eyeing:

• Heel Toe Do Si Do socks – but instead of a self-striping, I would likely knit them in a softly speckled yarn
• Another pair of Crunkled socks – just an irresistible pattern
• DK-weight Saari socks, for some beautiful seed stitch texture
• A pair of socks using up around 50g of some beautiful self-striping yarn leftover from a completed pair of socks a few years ago.

Crochet

I am really interested in honing my crochet skills more this year, and devoting more headspace to a new-to-me craft. I would love to crochet some hot pads/dish cloths (like this one) to try out new stitches, but also I love the idea of a lap blanket in V-stitch, made out of Lettlopi, with single row stripes. I also love this 4 Square blanket, made in moss stitch. And perhaps before I delve into a blanket project, I want to try my hand at replenishing my handmade dishcloth or potholder collection and simultaneously, learn and increase my proficiency in a few more crochet stitch patterns.

Sewing

After the success of my Orchards dress, I looked through some fabric I have in my collection and measured it out, in hopes of pairing each amount of yardage with a pattern. It was fun! And it felt good to envision each fabric as a finished project. So far, I'm just brainstorming, but these patterns caught my eye:

• Matcha top by Sew Liberated (I prefer the long-sleeved view)
• Estuary skirt by Sew Liberated
• And I keep seeing the Marlo Sweater by True Bias around (I especially like this one with a narrower button band), and I'm thinking I could use some grey knit fabric I already have for that. I just need to commit to doing a little bit of garment sewing.
• A Nikko top, sewn out of jersey. Such a versitile pattern, and the long-sleeved version would be a closet staple, and perhaps a good way to ease back into sewing with knits/jersey fabrics.
• Perhaps a portable project bag following a tutorial like this ; would be useful whenever I want to knit on a small project while standing
• I (still) can't get the idea of sewing a squeeze pouch (tutorial by Bookhou) out of my head. They look so fun!
• A throw-sized quilt using a charm pack of fabrics, paired with a significant amount of a neutral fabric. This is an idea I will need to plan out a bit more, but I'm excited about the concept, and this fabric collection is beautiful.

And finally, I want to be intentional about wearing the handmade items that are in my closet from the last several years of knitting and sewing. We've had some rather cold weather lately, so I find myself eager to reach for my handknit sweaters.

Of course, inspiration may ebb and flow and my making for this year could take a different direction, but for now, these are the potential projects that are the most intriguing and inspiring to me. Here's to another year of making things by hand!