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Since my creative projects update in early February life has been kind of hectic. We had some friends staying, travelled to the UK for 10 days and in the last three weeks since we have been back someone has been ill at all times. So, I haven’t had as much time to work on all my projects as I would have liked. Also, my 100 Day project is currently on hold. (I am not ready to call quits just yet. But more on that below!) However, here’s what I have been working on!
The Sailor Swift Top
I started knitting this summer top about three months ago. At the time I was confident I would be done with this super fast! But when I was about half way done I tried it on and it was way too big. For some reason my first instinct in that moment is to think “Ah it will be fine, I’ll just carry on.” I have this tendency to cut corners with crafting. Sometimes that is fine but I am trying to break this habit. I am already investing so much time in this hand-made item, I then really want it to turn out as well as it can be! So, I resisted the urge to just march on and unravelled THE WHOLE THING. It was weirdly cathartic!
And I’m so glad I did! I was much happier with the fit when I tried it on, it just needs a bit more length. I put my stitches on hold at the bottom and am currently working on the i-cord edges on the neck and shoulder seams. This is a new-to-me technique and I really love it! Such a beautiful finish. Once those are done I can just add length until I ran out of yarn or think it is long enough but don’t have to worry about saving yarn for the i-cords.
I really love knitting on this project. The pattern is by Kutovakika aka Veronika Lindberg and the yarn I am using is Mandarin Petit by Sandnes Garn. It’s a 100% cotton yarn. In the past I haven’t made the best experiences with knitting with cotton – the garments stretched out width-wise a lot and shrunk length-wise. Which is why I want to make this one as long as possible and really didn’t want it too be too wide before I even washed it. I am hoping for the best!
A watch cap hat
For our trip to England I packed a bunch of embroidery and appliqué supplies but couldn’t bring myself to leave without some knitting. The Sailor Swift top was too big to fit into my case so I made a spur-of the moment decision and cast on another watch cap hat.
I have knit this pattern a few times before and I really love it. I am using some knitting for Olive Merino held together with one strand of Drops Kid-Silk. Together they create a beautifully soft fabric and are super nice to knit with.
A lovely project I don’t have to think about too much. It currently comes with me everywhere – the girls’ dance classes, the playground… and it brings me much joy!
Red and white stripes
I am sewing another jersey top using the same pattern as for my leo top. (I shared about it last month.) However, it will have a square neckline. I am rather excited to see how that will turn out. The neckline and the hems are all that’s left to do, so I will probably finish it next time I am at my sewing class!
My 100 Day Project
Right, let’s talk about my attempt at another 100 Day Project.
I have done this project a couple of times now with more or less success. All of the different iterations were so valuable to me, even if I didn’t manage to complete 100 days of whatever I had chosen to do. Progress over perfection always!
The most “successful” year was in 2023 when I did 100 days of blogging. It felt completely mad when I started and I was completely prepared to fall off the bandwagon or have missed days. But I actually managed to publish 100 blog posts on 100 consecutive days.
I have been reflecting on why that project worked so well and found a couple of aspects that made this project so fun and achievable for me.
- Having a finished thing at the end of each day was so satisfying. And amazingly motivating.!
- “Publish a blog post” is specific task but it is also broad. I could write about whatever I wanted. It could be long or short. Sometimes I worked on a post for 2 hours sometimes I typed for 20 minutes and then hit publish.
- I was able to do this anywhere. I typed the majority of posts on my phone. Often while sitting next to SJ while she was falling asleep.
- Writing a blog post was something I was already familiar with. By 2023 I had been blogging for fourteen years (can you believe that?!) so I was very familiar with what was required and how to go about writing a blog post and all the technical stuff around it.
- I really love writing and have done for a very long time.
When I decided on my project for this year I mainly considered the first point – finishing something each day and building up a collection of what I have created over time. So, my goal was to do take a 6 inch square and do something patchwork related to it each day.
In the first few days I mainly did appliqué and embroidery as we were traveling and my sewing machine was being repaired. I had thought through what I would do each day and pre-cut and prepped all my supplies.
However; only for the duration of our trip. When we got back and I was dealing with never ending piles of washing, having a bad cold and also looking after a sick toddler I didn’t have a clear idea what to do. So, nothing got done. Having to decide what to do on top of everything else was too much.
I still really love the idea of creating little quilt and patchwork blocks – learning different techniques and common block designs. But, I think I need a much better plan. Maybe a book with lots of different designs that I work through. Then, I can use a a day or two each week to pre-cut my fabrics. That way, I can just get started when I have a little pocket of time.
I have ordered a quilting book that I am still waiting for currently. This last week I had tonsillitis and was solo-parenting but I am hopeful that next week I have more energy to re-visit this idea!
Right now, I am completely fascinated with patchwork generally. I really want to make a patchwork garment – a vest or coat or dress. Preferably all of the above!
I shall keep you updated!
I want to hear from you
Are you working on or planning any creative projects? I would so love to hear about them. Please leave a comment telling me all about it, I really love hearing from you!
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