Creativity check and finished projects, October 2024

I haven't shared an updated post about my creative projects (namely knitting and sewing) since back in July of this year! I decided it was definitely time to give some updates.

Knitting, finished

This is the "genre" where I have been the most prolific, unsurprisingly. I will noted that this is several months of "work," so to speak, so the completion of these projects was staggered.

Nellie neckwarmer

I had three skeins of this beautiful, variegated bulky yarn in stash for awhile (maybe 2 years?), since I don't always reach for this heavy of a yarn. But I found a pattern I really liked the look of, and so I finally cast this on and used just under two skeins of it. I will say that my hands didn't love knitting on this at a tight gauge on larger needles (and I actually went up a needle size, which I typically never do), but the finished project is beautiful and should be extremely warm. More details can be found on my Ravelry project page.

Purl Soho Mixed Rib hats

When they were having a sale, I ordered one of Purl Soho's new yarn bases called Yonder, to try it. And I have been so impressed. With a blend of 50/50 Alpaca and merino, it's so soft and round and knits up into a cozy and warm fabric. And what have I been knitting with it? The Mixed Rib hat, a free pattern by Purl Soho, in various sizes. The pattern and yarn combination is so enjoyable for me; I love the blend of two different ribs and the tidy finish of the tubular cast on. Plus, the ribbed fabric and folded cuff make this pattern a great gift knit, since the finished hat stretches to the recipient's head size. So far, I've completed two adult hats and a baby hat, and I have plans for another adult hat and a kid's size hat before Christmas. Since we aren't finding out the new baby's gender ahead of time, I will make a blue and a pink pom pom and add whichever one suits, after the baby's arrival.

Mavis baby hat and Perfect Newborn socks

A dear friend of mine is expecting a little boy exactly a month ahead of me, and since she is also an avid knitter (and very accomplished crocheter), I wanted to make something for their newest family member. The hat from the Mavis Baby set is a favorite of mine – and from the recipients I've knit it for, a favorite all around. The shaping and stretchy garter stay well on a little one's head, and it's such a sweet style. More details can be found on my Ravelry project page. I also knit a pair of baby socks, opting for the Perfect Newborn socks pattern, modified for a DK-weight gauge (the original free pattern calls for sock weight yarn, but it's a simple modification, more details on my project page here).

Bright self-striping socks

I completed a pair of self-striping socks in a fun Paton's Kroy yarn. The bright pinks, blues, and greens of this yarn knit up rather quickly. I knit them in a basic sock "recipe," working on them at a minor league baseball game, at the beach, and on the go, during our summer. More details can be found on my Ravelry project page.

Scrappy pink and purple socks

These were a project that I simply could not put down. I weighed all my leftover scraps in pinks, peaches, and purple shades, and then just started knitting. It was so enjoyable to see the stripes emerge (and so satisfying to use up scraps!). I did worry about halfway through that they weren't looking cohesive enough for my taste, but then with the placement of peachy and purple yarns on the foot, I think they turned out rather balanced looking. And all knit from scraps! As someone who typically doesn't mind weaving in ends, I will say that they 72+ ends these socks had felt like an undertaking, but I spread it out over two days and got it done. I think they're so fun! More details can be found on my Ravelry project page.

Mitered square dishcloth

I had some cotton leftovers from recent projects and I wanted to knit another mitered square dishcloth, since I love the garter texture and we use them daily in the kitchen. I followed a free pattern and knit this up in a day. A quick, little project.

DK weight Crunkled socks

I've had "another pair of Crunkled socks" on my mental list of socks to knit for awhile now, and I decided to apply the texture from that pattern to a DK-weight yarn and sock. These were so much fun to knit. The texture is very "moreish," and it was tempting to knit "just one more repeat" every time I picked them up. I worked on them mostly in the lead up to and on our family camping trip last month. The yarn is speckled and on the upper threshold of visual "busyness" for a patterned sock in my opinion, but I think they turned out well. And I find the video tutorial that's included in the Crunkled Socks pattern for picking up gusset stitches to be very helpful in not getting a hole at the top of the heel flap. More details, stitch counts, etc., on my Ravelry project page.

Apart from those aforementioned finished projects, I have finished a few other Christmas knits that I won't detail here just yet, and otherwise, I've been knitting on my current projects.

Knitting, works in progress

Per my usual, I have two active projects that I've been working on. I like to have one smaller "on-the-go" project, such as a hat or socks, or small accessory, alongside a larger project (sometimes a garment or larger accessory).

• The Traveler (crew neck version) – I am still chipping away at this sweater! I have found that the texture works up slow (admittedly, it grows faster than expected when I set aside devoted time to work on it). Also, I am having a more difficult time doing fit checks with a rather large belly, and I know this fabric will grow significantly with blocking. I had a goal to finish the body of the sweater in September, and I did accomplish that, along with the collar earlier this month. I have a few inches left of the first sleeve, a full second sleeve, and an untidy tubular bind off of the neckband that I need to redo. Ideally, I would finish off both sleeves and complete the sweater before the end of October, but we will see!
• Autumnal socks – I bookmarked a 50g skein and a mini skein of sock yarn for a pair of autumnal socks a few months back, and I've been working on those as a more portable project. I opted for a folded "peekaboo" cuff (via this free YouTube tutorial), a shortie leg length, and I applied the texture from the Blueberry Waffle socks as well. More details can be found on my Ravelry project page.

Crochet projects

I have done a tiny amount of crocheting over the past several months. Namely, I have crocheted and frogged and crocheted and frogged and now I am on my third try crocheting a double thick potholder. I had several gauge issues (no one's fault, other than mine) and the "spark" of the project isn't there. I keep it in my purse, so it sees some stitching here and there, but it isn't a priority.

Also of note, I wanted to learn how to crochet in the round, so the boys each chose a yarn for a cotton coaster, and following this tutorial, I made a coaster for each of them and learned a new skill along the way!

Upcoming knit and crochet projects

As I suppose is the case for many knitters this time of year, my mind is bursting with inspiration right now with projects I'd love to make. I have an ever-running list in my head of patterns I'm eyeing, and there is still some Christmas gift knitting I want to complete. And I am also aware that I will be having a baby sometime in the next 8-10ish weeks, and so I'd like to have any "deadline knits" done by then, and have a few happy, mindless projects "on the go" for early postpartum. All that seems like a tall order, so I do have to remind myself that it's just knitting, and it's okay if it doesn't all get done. That said, here are some tentative plans and dream knitting (for all of which I already own the necessary yarn):

• Ollie's Classic Crew sweater for Finn – I have the (bright blue) Purl Soho Good wool set aside for this, and I already own the pattern. I just wanted to finish up my Traveler sweater before casting this on.
• (Two more) Mixed Rib hats – I want to knit one more adult sized version and a kid sized version, both for Christmas gifts. I will use Purl Soho Yonder again (I can't get enough of that yarn, or this pattern) These will likely be my next "on the go" projects (back to back)
• Self-patterning fall sock yarn for vanilla socks – I have a skein of German self-patterning yarn in autumnal colors that would be great for socks in November, but we'll see if I get around to knitting with this yarn this year.
• Another pair of men's socks for a gift knit for a birthday in January – I'd like to at least have these cast on before the baby's arrival. Knitting them in a new-to-me sock yarn base from Purl Soho called Fine Print (in the Blue Dusk colorway).
• I have been itching to knit some mittens and so I've bookmarked a few pairs knit at a DK-weight gauge. I'd love to use some beautiful farm wool that a friend gave me for these. Eyeing the Severnside mittens, the Snowdrift mittens, or the Alpaca Farrow-Rib mittens.
• Another sweater for Nicholas – Seeing that the yarn I used for (likely) my favorite handknit sweater ever was on a significant sale, I bought some to use for another sweater for Nicholas. This doesn't have a hard deadline (and he and I still need to settle on a pattern choice), but I'm thinking I would love to have it cast on before baby's arrival as my "larger" project. The yarn is sheepy and soft and dreamy, as ever, in a domestic Targhee/Columbia blend. I've already swatched for this project.
• An oatmeal-colored Musselburgh hat – A friend of mine picked up some Knitting for Olive merino, in the colorway "oatmeal," for me from a beautiful yarn shop in Northern MN. I am envisioning it as a perfect postpartum project (miles of stockinette stitch in a pattern I've already knit a few times) and I am so excited to try this yarn for the first time.
• A scrappy granny stripe shawl – I've mentioned this project idea previously, but it would be wonderful to use up DK or worsted weight leftovers (or sock weight, held double) in squishy neutral colors, with bits of color sprinkled in. I haven't attempted any crochet projects larger than a potholder, so this could be a fun way to wade a bit further in. I would likely use this pattern, or something similar.

Sewing, finished

I always feel like I will have very little sewing to share, and then I'll go on a sewing spree and complete several projects in a relatively short amount of time. That happened again! Here's what I've made:

Tiny sewn drawstring pouches

I had the itch to sew one day, so I batched sewed three of these tiny pouches (admittedly, I only have photos of two of them, the third was in the same sunflwoer print I used for one of the swift bags, see below). They are indeed quite fiddly to make, but they are darling. Perfect for gifts, and I love to use one to hold my darning and cable needles, along with a tiny pair snips. Finn has adopted one as well, filling it will all manner of treasures. I use this YouTube tutorial for them (she calls them "5-minute gift bags," but I think that is quite the stretch. The casing takes time, but they are well worth the effort.

Carrying cases for tabletop yarn swifts (two!)

A fellow knitter friend suggested the idea of fabric bags for our wooden swifts (she heard me complain and laugh about my beat-up cardboard box that I stored mine in for the last five-ish years, ha!). I couldn't find a suitable pattern, so I self-drafted one, pulling from my experience with zipper installation on various pouches and bags. A zipper closure seemed more practical, since the tabletop (Amish style) swifts have a few small dowel pieces. We picked out fabric for hers and I used stash fabric for mine, and after coming up with dimensions, I quilted them, installed zippers and side tabs, and finished them up. I am so pleased with how they turned out! Hers is the darling sunflower print.

Project bag, orange flannel

I saw some subtle orange flannel herringbone fabric on sale at JoAnn fabrics and couldn't get the idea of a quilted, zippered project bag out of my head. I finished this project most recently, just in time for cozy weather. It's lined with a beige linen and I added a tiny striped tab on the side. Perfect size for a hat or socks project.

Project bag, navy drawstring

Similar to the orange project bag, this was another incidence of me seeing a fabric and envisioning it in a project. I bought a small amount of this heavier navy cotton fabric from Hobby Lobby, and decided to sew it into a larger, drawstring project bag, suitable for an ongoing sweater project. I love it! I opted for no interfacing or quilting, so it has a less structured, squishy texture. I used a linen/cotton fabric for the drawstring casings and side tab, and I'm pretty pleased with my pattern matching on the side seams. It's currently housing my Traveler sweater project.

Another Christmas stocking for the new baby

And lastly, I realized that we would be one Christmas stocking short this year (even if baby arrives after Christmas). I sewed four "DeVries family Christmas stockings" back when I was pregnant with Finn in late 2021, and at that time, I purchased extra of all the fabrics at that time just in case. Thankfully, I took detailed notes on the construction I used for sewing them, since they were self-drafted. This came together rather quickly, and I'm so pleased that we now have a matching set of five Christmas stockings.

Amongst a lot of solo making time, knitting next to Nicholas in the evenings, or near the boys during the day when they're occupied, I have dome some making alongside a few local beloved friends. Ah, what a joy it is to share these crafts we love!

That wraps up my not-so-concise summary of all the knitting, sewing, and crochet I've done since July. Thank you for following along, if you made it this far! As we are well on our way into "cozy season," I am so excited to share what I end up making next.