5 min read
If you have spent any amount of time around here, you might have picked up on the fact that I enjoy a challenge. I have attempted and completed a few of them over the years: 30 days of daily yoga, 50+ days of creative play and 100 days of blogging. So it is probably not a big surprise that I embarked on another one: 50 days of WIPs!
WIP stands for “Work in Progress”. So, my goal is to work on creative projects that I have started but not yet completed. I am not being too strict with myself, and will also allow myself to count some baking projects toward the challenge that obviously haven’t been sat around my kitchen for the last few months. Also, I might be making some Christmas gifts as well.
The main idea is to do something creative everyday while I still can! From experience I know that looking after a newborn is a very consuming project that does not leave much time or energy for other creative endeavours, so I am trying to really savour this time of expectation.
Week 1
I thought I would share a little round-up of the things I have been working on each week. I am sharing pictures on my Instagram as well, but I thought it would be nice to record a few more details over here.
Day 1: Finishing the Fleuriste Cardigan
I kicked off my challenge with a very longterm WIP. I cast on the Fleuriste Cardigan by Sari Nordlund in 2020 (!) and also completed knitting it sometime that year or in 2021 at least. However, I then never added buttons. So this gorgeous cardigan just lived in a bag in a pile with my knitting.
Part of the problem was that I couldn’t decide what buttons I wanted. I know just decided that the perfect buttons didn’t exist and just used some cute woodden ones I had in my drawer. And I rather like how it turned out!
Day 2: Progress on my Moby Sweater
One of my favourite knitting podcasters is Inga from Knitting Traditions. She is running a knit along this year called “dream knits kal”, which encourages knitters to make something they have been wanting to cast on for a long time. This prompt encouraged me to make the Moby Sweater by Petite Knit. I love cables (how they look and to knit them) and this sweater has been on my list of things I dreamed of making for a while.
I have been working on it since May. Over the summer months I didn’t make a lot of progress because didn’t feel like knitting on something so warm whilst it was super hot outside. However, over the last few weeks I made a fair bit of progress! Currently, I am knitting on the second sleeve.
Days 3 + 4: A quilt for the baby
When I was pregnant with SJ I made her a quilt. Edd encouraged me in this pregnancy to make another one, as it would be nice for both our children have a quilt sewn by their Mama. I agree! I bought a bunch of fabrics for the quilt in September and cut the squares. On days 3 and 4 I started sewing them all together into strips.
I had forgotten how much I enjoy this process and definitely want to make more quilts in the future.
Days 5 + 6: Mini Sweaters
Last advent I planned to make a little knitted garland for our flat door but never got round it. I had started on the “M” in “Merry Christmas” but that is as far as I got. There are still 23 days until the first of December so I am hopeful I can finish it in time! That’s basically one mini-jumper every other day. We shall see how it goes!
I mixed two patterns, the “Mini Knitted Sweaters” by Crafty Cox and “Mini Merry Weihnachtsschmuck” by Hobbii. I am just using old scrap yarn. It’s a very enjoyable knit. Another bonus of this project is that it helps me practice my colour work. I hadn’t done stranded knitting from the purl-side and it took me a bit to get the hang of it, but I think I am getting there.
Day 7: Finishing the quilt top + making a crumble
I worked a bit more on the quilt and completed the quilt top! I am rather pleased.
I also made up a crumble recipe. I had some musli mix that I didn’t like very much (note to self – coconut in musli is weirdly gross). It had sat in my pantry for a while and I couldn’t quite bring myself to throw it out nor eat it, so I used it to make some crumble topping!
I could still taste the weird coconut flavour ever so slightly when it was done but after adding ice cream it was delicious!
Quite a productive evening – needless to say, I ended up going to bed rather late.
That’s week 1!
So far, so good! I am excited for week two and all the projects that will hopefully be finished in the coming weeks.
Have you got any works in progress you want to finish before the end of 2023?
No Comments