Creativity check, October 2026

Please bear with me as I begin the process of "catching up" on our life over the last few months in blog post format. Writing blog posts has not been my highest priority, because sharing little anecdotal posts about "things I'm loving lately," or "life lately" felt rather flippant for awhile, honestly, in the face of deep familial grief. So this is my imperfect attempt to share about something that I've continued to do everyday, because it brings me immense joy and comfort.

The last time I shared a dedicated post about what projects I've finished or spent time working on was in May. Creativity fits into the margins of my life: a few rows knitted on a sweater while Cooper reads aloud to me, a few stitches knit in the car on the way to church. More rows knit during longer car rides to visit family or go on a family trip. I keep a project tucked in my purse if we have to wait for order pickup, or if I want a way to keep my hands busy while we visit with friends.

And so while it's a large part of my daily life, I don't often write these big round-up posts. When I do get around to writing them, I'm often surprised by what I've managed to work on and what I feel inspired by.

Finished projects

To begin, here are a few projects I've finished since I shared my last check-in:

Gradient vanilla socks

I started these in April and finished them in June. This yarn worked up beautifully, but it is a very thin fingering weight yarn, so I knit it on US 0 needles and it took some time to knit these. After I completed the second sock, I realized that the leg of one sock was 12 rounds or so longer than the other. Rather than ripping back nearly an entire sock, I did some knitting "surgery" to remove the extra rows, and then grafted the fabric back together. It was very fiddly, but worth my time.

A hat and blanket for our niece

A crocheted baby blanket and hat for our sweet baby niece, Avery. If you haven't read my post about her, I will link it here. We love you, Avery.

Frog and Toad socks (two pairs)

I had a mini sock set of a self-striping yarn colorway in my stash that I wasn't sure what to do with. I did like the colors, but I found they didn't look like "me." Cooper had been asking for a new pair of socks and when I glimpsed this yarn again, I saw it in a completely new light. The colors were extremely reminiscent of the Frog and Toad books cover artwork. And thus, I named them the "Frog and Toad socks," and all parties were excited. When Cooper's pair was done, I cast on a pair for Finn with the remaining yarn, pairing it with some other leftovers. I had just enough yarn to eek out a pair for him as well. Both boys love their socks and have worn them many times already.

The Shop Around the Corner socks

I cast this pair of socks on in June and finished them in mid-July. I love the colors in this self-striping yarn and I really enjoyed knitting these. I knit them concurrently, each on their own 9" circular needle. The stripes were fun to knit and I think they turned out so cute. I just gifted them to a friend who shares my love of You've Got Mail, because I had to knit them for her, of course!

Mavis baby hats

Many special people in my life had or are having babies this year, so I knit two other versions of my favorite baby hat pattern. Here is a link to my Ravelry project pages for the oatmeal-colored one and the burgundy colored one.

Sophie shawl

The largest of my completed projects was a very impromptu cast on. I had a cardigan that I knit three(ish) years ago, which has sat on the shelf, unworn, save for a handful of times. One day, I grabbed it off the shelf, found all the woven-in ends and pulled them out, and unraveled the sweater. And almost immediately, I cast on a pattern that I've wanted to make for a few years, the Sophie Shawl. I knit it at a slightly denser gauge, since that felt more forgiving with my crinkly yarn, and I think it will be very warm this winter. This project was an ideal project to have closeby when the grief surrounding our niece first hit us hard. Lots of rows of garter, an easily-memorized pattern, and no need to study a complicated pattern when I wanted to occupy my hands, but not my mind.

Works in progress

I find myself with several projects "on the go" right now, which isn't very typical for me. I tend to feel overwhelmed when I have more than two projects in progress, but apparently, I decided to ignore that when I kept starting new projects. Also, I do notice that my projects fit into the "deadline" and the "non-deadline" categories, the former of which always take priority. All that to say, I'm going to mention several projects in this category.

Another family cowl (improvised)

This is slow-going, background project. Every once in awhile, I'll get some extra motivation to work on it and I'll add an inch or so. It's compact and highly portable and I know that the finished project will be so wearable for almost the entire family (because I made one previously that everyone wears). I brought it along on our recent family camping trip as my one and only project and managed to double it's length and nearly finish one 50g skein. And now it feels like I have momentum to finish the project.

Finest Kind sweater for Nicholas

I'm working on the body of Nicholas' latest handknit sweater, using the Finest Kind sweater pattern by Alicia Plummer and a new-to-me yarn, Briggs and Little Heritage. I am really enjoying this yarn. I did not enjoy swatching for this project, but I find I do enjoy the all-over textured moss stitch when it's worked in the round. It's definitely slower than plain stockinette stitch, but the texture is beautiful. I am knitting the body of the sweater for a second time. Fifteen inches into my first attempt, we realized it was too small. I felt annoyed with myself, but I'd rather frog one third of a sweater than a whole sweater! I am somewhat more confident on fit this go around (I went up a size to get more ease for him). I've knit past the armholes and completed the back short rows. Now onto the front panels through the shoulders and we'll get a true idea if it fits better this time (I really, truly do hope so).

OLE mittens

This was a spontaneous cast-on, after I got it in my head that I really wanted to knit a matching set of some variety: a hat and mittens, a headband and a scarf, etc. After knitting the Sophie shawl (see above) with yarn reclaimed from a sweater I never wore, I impulsively cast on a mitten pattern I've wanted to knit for years. It's beautiful brioche and so much fun, but I did set it down to prioritize Nicholas' sweater and some gift knits. I do love knitting mittens and once I pick these back up again, I think they'll move quickly. And then I will have my matching set!

Block stitch Lettlopi lap blanket

I haven't touched this project in awhile, not for lack of interest. But I do foresee myself reaching for it as the weather continues to cool down and I wrap up some knits for other people. I do so enjoy the color play in a project like this.

Future project planning

I am feeling incredibly inspired by knitting at the moment, so there are countless patterns I have saved in my favorites. But I'll share just a few top contenders now:

• The August Sweater by Ozetta. I would love to knit this in Knitting for Olive heavy merino, and I do believe a birthday present from my parents is a sweater's quantity of that yarn. Very excited to cast this on after I finish Nicholas' sweater!
• A small, red scarf in a very special yarn. When Brooklyn Tweed announced their discontinuation of their yarn production, I bought a few skeins of Brooklyn Tweed Arbor (the DK weight) in the most perfect red. I plan to make another Scarf No. 1 by My Favourite Things Knitwear or perhaps the Saltwater bandana, if I want something simpler. Either way, I'm picturing wearing this with a neutral sweater for a pop of color in the winter months (Christmastime included).
• Jaunty, by Andrea Mowry. I love this pattern and I have some yarn in my collection that would work well, since the gauge is adjustable.
• And when I feel ready to tackle another adult-sized sweater, I'd love to use some Purl Soho Good Wool for either a Klipsan or a Harriet Sweater.

The significant theme in my upcoming knitting projects is to use the yarn that I already own. So I am hoping that will be reflected in my next project update post, whenever that may be!

Sewing

After thinking about it for well over year, I finally found the time to adjust the armhole depth on my Orchards Dress. I scooped out the armholes lower, made new bias binding and facing and sewed it all back together. It's now so much more comfortable!

I am always bookmarking sewing or quilting patterns that I'd love to make, but I do find it more difficult to find time to sew these days, especially without a dedicated sewing space that's free from tampering little hands (or little feet, pushing on my sewing machine pedal...).

And I think that's all for today! Hoping you're finding inspiration and comfort and satisfaction in whatever creative pursuits you partake in. What a gift it is to make things with our own two hands!