When I come back to this space after a period of time away, I always feel like I have to acknowledge my absence. But the long and short of it is this: I am inspired to write. I wasn’t before, but I am now. And that’s all there is to it. I’m certain that my renewed inspiration to write is in direct correlation with my renewed inspiration to knit. After finishing a project that I’ve been working on for months, I had to dig inspiration from somewhere to come up with my next cast-on and, in doing so, I’ve unearthed an excitement for knitting that I’ve not felt in a long time.
I don’t believe I can separate knitting out from everything else that’s been going on in my life, so it feels necessary to provide a bit of wider context. I’ve been feeling quite down lately – out of sorts, not my usual self, flat – and one of the effects of that (or perhaps a cause, who knows what came first?) was a complete lack of drive and motivation. I didn’t feel passionate about anything any more. I wasn’t excited. And I wasn’t being active. Time was passing by, and I was passing with it, but lately I’ve felt a shift. A big one.
In reflecting on the first half of this year, and looking ahead at the six months still to come, I was able to process some of what I’ve been feeling and reignite a little energy in myself to commit to the things that are important to me. I’ll be writing all about my mid-year review over on my personal blog if you’re interested in that, but the ‘Knits Please’ of it all is that I want to fall in love with my hobby again. I want to rebuild some of the community I found when I first got started back in 2016. I want this space to be a source of connection, of creativity and of fun! No pressure, just living and loving my knit life and seeing where it takes me.
Which brings me back to now. It’s only been a few days, but I’ve been excited and inspired in that time, and my needles have been busy! So I want to share what I’ve been up to and what I’m planning, purely for that reason – I want to.
First, of course, is my most recent FO, second only of the year, The Other Raglan by Ivy & Autumn.
This was definitely a labour of love, but I do love a long stretch of stocking stitch knit in the round so it was right up my street! I’ve got a real thing for high neck tops, and I’ve been looking for the perfect simple jumper pattern for ages, and this one totally fit the bill. The pattern also uses a technique that was new to me, working a line or purl stitches at all the points that would usually be seamed in a flat sweater, and seaming them all at the end to add structure. As someone who’s had their fair share or stretched out or twisted knits, I was keen to give it a go for the extra stability you don’t usually get when knitting in the round. I’ll be honest, I’ve not blocked or worn the jumper yet so I can’t give you a proper review, but it seems like a good tip from what I’ve seen.
I also picked up an old WIP that I’ve been slowly working on for months, if not years. I’m trying to use up my stash of yarn before I make any more purchases, and this design idea came about in an effort to knit up a pile of cotton DK that I didn’t want to use for garments. The idea started out as a table runner, but I feel like it’s completely interchangeable with a scarf so I’m not exactly sure what it’ll be when it’s finished! I love that it’s got a pattern and texture to it, but it’s just two alternating rows so I can still work on it while not having to pay too much attention.
Thirdly (and finally), a new cast on. I wrote up a short list of projects that I want to work on, and as soon as I saw the singular ball of Stylecraft Special DK* in black left in my stash, I knew which one was going to the top of the list – a new Roll Neck Vest. This is one of my favourite (and most popular) patterns, but the one I have in my wardrobe is the marled one in the listing pictures and it doesn’t quite fit with the rest of my clothes. Plain black is more my vibe, and I’m really excited to have this one join my knit collection. Progress so far has been super quick. I’ve been loving the DK yarn / 4mm needles / fewer stitches combination after working that whole sweater in 4ply, so I’ve been speeding through!
And before I sign off, a quick look forward. I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, or put pressure on myself to finish things when I really want to enjoy the process, but I do have a couple of projects that I’d like to work on soon. First, and with any luck in time to catch some of the warmer weather, is Kolibri by Johanna’s Georges Top. It’s all in those tie straps, and I just have all the heart eyes every time I look at it. Second is The Bomber dot com Jacket by Friday Knits. I’ve been wanting another cropped cardigan for a while, and I adore the texture of fisherman’s rib. Plus, it’s got pockets! What more could I want?
It feels so good to be excited about knitting again, and I’m going to embrace it for what it is – no pressure, just fun. I look forward to sharing more updates soon, and I hope you enjoyed reading this one.
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