Creativity check and several finished projects, fall 2022

I've written countless times about how organizing and planning my creative projects helps me ward off overwhelm and stay "on track," so that I actually finish projects. And much the same, a general outline of my projects in various statuses continues to be greatly helpful to me.

Finished knitting projects

August was the last time I wrote about my projects, collectively, so I have quite a few finished ones. I'll mention three here, and two are gift knits that I'm not quite ready to share.

DK Morrison socks

This pattern had been in my queue for a few years at least? Last summer, I purchased some cozy red yarn in a new-to-me blend (including wool, alpaca, angora, plus some nylon, etc.) I knew the pairing would make a very cozy pair of Christmas socks, and it did! Here is a link to my ravelry page with more info. Also, this was my very first time cabling without a cable needle, and found that worked very well.

Towns Sweater

I did finally finish the long-awaited sweater for my husband, Nicholas. It was a large project, that sat on the needles for awhile, and I did re-knit various parts of it a few times (that bottom ribbing, I think I knit three times, ugh). But, it's done, it fits him really well, and we're very both pleased with the fit! I'll write a post with more details (and more photos) very soon. In the meanwhile, here is a link to the ravelry project page. (Edit: here is a link to the full post about his sweater).

Marled cowl (self-drafted)

I've already written a post dedicated to this knit, but I wanted to mention it here, since it was an idle project last time I did a creativity check in. I've worn it a few times, seeing as the weather is gradually growing cooler and we are entering handknit season.

I've finished two other projects that I won't share just yet, since they are gifts, but once the recipients have them, I'll share.

Works in progress, knitting

• Habitation throw (in my head, I always call this a hibernation throw, anyone else?) This was an impulse cast on, but I've had the pattern for over a year and knowing I would use stash yarn, it's not entirely impulsive. This has been a very fun knit! I roughly organized my yarn by color, and then, since I didn't have the yardage necessary, ordered an additional skein. I striped the first half of this throw (knit diagonally) and will knit the second half in a single yarn color. Since I am knitting the second half, every other row has decreases, so the pace should pick up when I devote some time to this.
• Musselburgh hat, a new cast on in a grey marled yarn. I realized today that I've used more marled yarn in the last year than ever before. I love a good marl. Knit top-down, the cast on is fiddly, but now I'm onto simple, don't-need-to-look-at-my-knitting stockinette stitch, so it's a great project to work on while the boys play, or in the car.

Future plans, knitting

These lists are very apt to change, but I do reference these posts when I want to cast on a new project, in case I've forgotten a pattern that caught my eye, or want a reminder about a stash yarn I would like to use.

• Cardigan in Knit Picks simply wool worsted (yes, this yarn looks familiar, since it's the same colorway, just a different weight of the yarn I just used for Nicholas' Towns Sweater. I bought this sweater quantity first, and then we decided it was too lightweight. I still love the color, of course, and I'll use it. Thinking either a Champagne cardigan by PetiteKnit or Georgetown cardigan by Hannah Fettig.
• Lopi colorwork mittens. I checked out a Swedish mitten book from the library and have felt so inspired! Plus, I have a lot of Lopi in my stash that my family bought for me when they visited Iceland.
• A few pairs of socks or slippers. I have yarn earmarked for a pair of Hibernation House socks.
• Perhaps a Kled cowl with a skein of DK weight yarn I have in stash
• I received two(!) sweaters quantities of Purl Soho Good Wool for my birthday, and I'm eyeing Plover cardigan, the Daily Sweater, Salty sweater, or the Field Day cardigan, or even Kerti.
• A bandana cowl (Purl Soho) in a special skein of their Plenty yarn (another birthday gift)
• And my family also gave me a few skeins of yarn that I could use to make an Ollie's Classic Crew for one of the boys.

Finished sewing projects

About a month ago, I entered into a whirlwind of sewing. I do this: spontaneously decide to try a pattern, work on it while Cooper plays/I wear Finn, or some combination, and if it is a satisfying project, repeat. The following projects were all started and completed within a week(!) which is prolific for me. I do this in part because I don't have a permanent sewing setup, so when I have my machine out and ironing board set up (and I'm in the mood to sew!), I like to take advantage.

Petal pouch

I was browsing my collection of knitting and sewing pattern books and zines, and came across Making Zine No. 1 FLORA that I've had for many years. It's a beautiful publication, and I decided to use the included Petal Pouch instructions and some stash fabric I bought back when we lived in Austin. I love how it turned out, and it was very satisfying to use a pattern and materials that I already had.

Reversible fabric baskets (times three)

Following a thoughtful and thorough free YouTube tutorial by Sotak Handmade, I made three little baskets, back to back. I use one of the small ones for my sewing clips, and Cooper has one for the little odds and ends of childhood. I also made a larger one housing some Lopi yarn. All use either 100% cotton or linen fabrics, just paired together as I saw fit. The tutorial gives some very clever tips on the sewing and assembly to help you get a professional finish, too.

Tiny lined drawstring pouches

I wanted to make a small, drawstring pouch to house my darning and cable needles, and having enjoyed her other tutorials, I came across Erica Arndt's Five-Minute drawstring bag tutorial. Using tiny bits of fabric, this tutorial shows how to make a very tidy, lined, and functional drawstring bag. I made one for my knitting notions, and one for Cooper to use for his marbles. Great tutorial.

Quilted project bag

And lastly, I had an itch to do just a little quilt piecing, so I thought it would be fun to make a Christmas-y/wintery quilted project bag with a pieced front. I just made the front with HSTs (half square triangles), and then bordered it with a linen fabric. Once I had my front panel, I used Erica Arndt's (again) Drawstring Squishy Bag with Pocket Tutorial , a tutorial I've used two times prior to this. I decided to omit the pocket. Thrilled with how it turned out– definitely felt like a project that came to life as I hoped it would in my mind. Fabric was from Hobby Lobby or from my stash.

And that, after several months, is quite a lot of creativity squeezed into one post! I share because it's fun for me to document, and also, I like to look back at what I enjoyed making and managed to complete in various stages of life. Stay tuned for a more detailed post about Nicholas' sweater, as well as a few other projects hopefully wrapping up soon.