Creativity check, August 2025

Whew, the last time I wrote out a little review of completed and current projects was back in April. I would say an update is overdue! Since that last project overview, I've finished several smaller projects. As I'll mention below, I've also had some false starts and plenty of re-knitting with larger projects.

Knitting and crochet, finished

All of my completed knitting projects are smaller scale. There are lots of pockets of time in my life for small, portable projects, so these projects see the most knitting time.

Garter rib socks for my dad

I have a go-to sock formula for my dad's socks: I always use the same heavier sock weight yarn and same stitch count, paired with a garter rib for a good fit. And this pair was no different – garter rib, knit in Paton's Kroy, in a self-patterning for the main color and a dark grey for heels and toes. They turned out great! I love knitting socks for my dad. For more project details, see my Ravelry project page.

DK Crunkled socks for my mom

I had my mom pick out her favorite colorway from Salty Blonde Fine Fiber's Hallmark collection. And we opted for a cashmere DK base, which is (as you may imagine) so very soft and very fun to knit. I love the Crunkled socks pattern, both at a sock yarn weight and at a DK-weight. For more details, see my Ravelry project page.

Seafarer socks

I finally reached for some special stash sock yarn that was a gift from my family a few years ago – The Fibre Company's Amble base in Scafell Pike. It's a Merino/Alpaca/nylon blend and it simultaneously feels so sturdy and luxurious. I wanted to knit cabled socks, and I landed on a pattern from Summer Lee's book, The Sock Project, specifically, the Seafarer socks. These were enjoyable to knit and the fit is very good. I have been adjusting my stitch counts lately for a slightly more snug fit. More details on my Ravelry project page. I would knit this pattern again, perhaps lengthening the leg a bit.

Mavis baby hat and Perfect Newborn socks

A friend of mine from high school and her husband are expecting their first baby! I attended her baby shower and of course, I needed to knit a little matching set for them. The Mavis pattern set (specifically the hat pattern) is a favorite of mine because it fits so well and the garter stretches to accommodate all the growth in that first year. And who can resist a tiny pair of cabled socks? The yarn is a beautiful organic merino from Poppy and Spruce Fibers and I got it in a mystery bundle. As always, more details and links in my Ravelry project pages for the hat and the socks.

Amble Knit-A-Long

I enjoyed the experience of knitting with The Fibre Company's Amble yarn base so much, and my friend Kathleen, a fellow knitter and crocheter, loved the feel of the yarn as well. I suggested we could do a mini knit-a-long (KAL), where we both used Amble and knit the same pattern. We chose the Jo socks from the Mix and Match March Girls Socks pattern, a clever, basket-weave textured sock, and we and opted for the color Isel, a neutral, heathered grey. I loved knitting along "together," sending progress photos, and ultimately, finishing our socks within a day or two of each other.

Mini crochet hearts and baskets

I crocheted a mini heart for our friends' two-year-old girl's birthday. And of course, kids love a good container (at least mine do), so I also crocheted a little basket for the heart. This turned into a mini heart crocheting extravaganza, because both my big boys wanted baskets and hearts. For the two-color hearts (I made these to loosely resemble "heart containers" from the Legend of Zelda games for my boys), I used this tutorial from Hooked by Robin, worsted weight scrap cotton yarn, and a 4.0mm hook.

The smaller solid color heart is sock yarn held double with a 3.5mm hook. The larger heart used worsted weight cotton and a 4.0mm hook. For both, I used this free pattern.

Knitting, works in progress

I have two projects "on the go," currently, and neither has been entirely straightforward, as they have both required some amount of reworking.

• DK garter heel socks – I've knit a few pairs of these for Nicholas over the years, using this free pattern. The heel is squishy and the 75/25 light fingering weight yarn held double makes such a dense and durable fabric. I did knit the entire first sock twice because the heel flap was to long for my feet and it resulted in some excess fabric around the gusset and foot. I have high arches, but I also have "low volume" feet, so I am focusing on knitting socks that aren't too big for me. I ripped out the sock back to the heel flap and reknit it, and now I'm working on the gusset decreases on sock number two. I'm so happy I made the modifications I did–worth it for socks that fit well. For more details and numbers, see my Ravelry project page.

• Yellow Cloud tee (modified) – I followed the pattern to a tee, until I joined the front and back in the round for the body. I was worried about the armholes being too small, especially since I am modifying it to be long-sleeved, so I cast on a few extra stitches under the armholes. And in a moment of haste, I switched to a larger size needle for the body. This meant extra stitches AND a larger gauge and the sweater looked too big, of course. So I ripped back the body to the sleeve separation. And I'm back to making forward progress with my same US 2.5 needle and a few decreases on the sides. I've also knit the collar three times so far, and I may need to knit it again, after blocking, but we'll see. I love the process of knitting most projects, but it is always my goal to make a well-fitting garment, as well.

Now, there is one large project that isn't on my list of completed or current projects – my Sonder sweater. Despite gauge swatching, I still had too large of a gauge and I cast on too large of a size. And by the time I actually tried on my sweater (after knitting the entire yoke and 5" of the body), I realized that the yoke was at least 5" too large. I'm all for an oversized sweater, but that fit doesn't really work with a round colorwork yoke and there was nothing to do but rip it all out. I was pretty disappointed, but as Nicholas said, "At least you enjoy knitting" (!) And isn't that the truth? Trial and error is part of the process, and mistakes can be unraveled and reknit. I will reknit this yarn into a colorwork sweater, but this time, I'll use a different pattern. I'm looking forward to casting it on again after my yellow sweater is complete. And on that note...

Upcoming knit and crochet projects

• A colorwork yoke sweater in my blue and undyed Good Wool. This time, I'm strongly considering the Azor sweater, which is a better match for my gauge with Purl Soho Good Wool.
• Both my big boys have requested "red socks," so that yarn has been ordered. I plan to hold two strands of a sock weight yarn together for a DK and do either vanilla socks or a simple texture.
• A slipover in charcoal grey yarn. I am thinking something super simple, could be crew or v-neck, I need to swatch some ideas first, but I'm eyeing the Friday Slipover, the Lulu slipover, or the Tuku Warmer Slipover.
• A pair of socks for Nicholas, perhaps the Comfort Core socks
• Christmas knits! Most of which I won't mention here until after they've been gifted.
• I still want to crochet a scrappy granny stripe shawl/throw, maybe one of these days, I'll actually start it.
• Finest Kind sweater is a new(ish) release and it's everything I love about a cozy, handknit sweater. My parents gifted me a sweater's quantity of Harrisville Designs Highland in the oatmeal color as an early birthday gift, and it's absolutely beautiful. This sweater is next in the queue after my upcoming blue colorwork sweater.

Sewing, finished

In May, I completed a very fun striped skirt and I wrote a post all about it. I have been wearing it a lot, dressing it up or down, and reaching for it on any one of the many hot days we've had this summer.

Upcoming sewing

• I'd love to make another skirt like that one mentioned above, out of some beautiful grey-blue subtle ikat fabric. I used this tutorial for How to sew a skirt with an elastic waistband by Bethany Lynn Makes.
• I may also want to sew another project bag (maybe the 'Lil Bucky bag) with some fabric I picked up from JoAnn during the first days of their closing sale.
• And I've been eyeing the Betty Dress or the Betty Dress Halter Top version by Rooney Clothing.
• I have a few Christmas gift ideas that are also sewn, but I'll keep those to myself for the time being.
• I would love to do a little bit of quilting, in some capacity, but I need to decide what direction to go with that idea.

And that seems like more than enough creative planning for the time being! As always, I make a loose outline of project ideas, knowing full-well that my plans will quite possibly change. Either way, I enjoy pairing yarn and projects and having a vision for the next several projects ahead. If you're still reading, thanks for following along with this wordy overview!