The State of the Stitches: What’s On and Off My Needles This Month
One of my favourite things about reading knitting blogs is getting a peek behind the scenes.
Not the polished finished-object photos.
Not the carefully styled pattern launches.
The real knitting.
The projects living in project bags.
The works in progress that are taking longer than expected.
The things we're excited about, and the things we've quietly ignored for several weeks while pretending they don't exist.
So, with that in mind, here's a look at what's currently on and off my needles this month.
On My Needles: The Never-Ending Scrappy Blanket
My current comfort project is a scrappy blanket based on the Northeasterly Blanket pattern.
I'm holding a neutral grey yarn alongside fingering-weight scraps and simply knitting until each scrap runs out before moving on to the next colour.
It's wonderfully low-pressure knitting.
No complicated decisions.
No worrying about colour placement.
Just knit until the yarn ends and see what happens.
The eventual goal is a colourful lap blanket for my desk. Something cosy to pull over my knees while I'm working on patterns, writing blog posts, or spending far too much time staring at charts and wondering whether a motif needs one more repeat.
One of my favourite parts of this project is that it has become a family affair.
Rather than choosing the next colour myself, we're playing a lucky dip game. When a scrap runs out, someone reaches into the yarn bag and pulls out the next colour.
Sometimes the combinations are beautiful.
Sometimes they're surprising.
Either way, it's adding an element of fun that I probably wouldn't have created on my own.
And honestly, I can't wait to see what it looks like when all those random choices come together.
Still Waiting Patiently: My Scrappy Cardigan
You know those projects that you're still excited about even though you haven't touched them in weeks?
This is one of those.
I'm attempting to create a scrappy cardigan inspired by the concept of the Cozy Memories Blanket, using individual squares to create rectangular panels that will eventually become a garment.
It's very much an experiment.
At the moment, it's less "cardigan" and more "collection of promising knitted pieces."
Life has pushed it down the priority list recently, and I haven't worked on it for a while.
However, I'd really like to make some progress this month.
Even if it's just another couple of squares.
One of the lessons I've learned through knitting is that projects don't have to move quickly to move forward. A few squares added here and there still count as progress.
Almost Finished: A New Sock Design
The most exciting project currently on my needles is a new sock design.
And by "on my needles," I mean it's so close to being finished that I can practically hear it calling my name from across the room.
I have around the toe left to knit.
The toe.
That's not even a full evening of determined knitting.
Yet somehow it remains unfinished.
I'm sure I'm not the only knitter who reaches that strange stage where a project is close enough to finishing that it should be done immediately, but instead sits waiting because life gets in the way.
My goal for this month is simple:
Get that toe rounds finished.
The design is nearly there, and I'm excited to finally move it into the next stage.
The Car Project: Compostela Blanket
Every maker needs a project that can travel anywhere.
Mine is currently the Compostela Blanket from Knitting with Chopsticks.
This project lives permanently in my car and comes out whenever I'm waiting in a car park, sitting outside an activity, or finding myself with an unexpected pocket of time.
The interesting thing about this project is that it's crochet.
While knitting will always be my first love, I've been making a conscious effort to stretch my skills and spend more time learning crochet. The Compostela Blanket has been the perfect project for that.
It's simple enough to pick up and put down, but still gives me the opportunity to practise techniques that don't yet feel as natural as knitting.
There's something wonderfully humbling about being a beginner again.
As designers and experienced knitters, it's easy to forget what it feels like to learn a new skill. Crochet has reminded me that making mistakes, ripping things back, and figuring things out one step at a time are all part of the process.
The blanket is growing slowly, built from all those little waiting moments throughout the week.
And honestly, I quite like having a project that doesn't demand perfection.
Off My Needles: The Writing Pile
While I don't have many recently finished projects to show this month, I do have something else sitting patiently on my to-do list.
Four pairs of completed socks.
The knitting is finished.
The samples are done.
The designs are ready.
What remains is the part that many knitters don't see: writing the patterns.
As much as I love the design process, turning a finished sample into a polished pattern requires a completely different set of skills.
There are notes to organise, charts to check, instructions to write, sizes to verify, and all the tiny details that transform a personal project into something another knitter can successfully follow.
At the moment, I have four pairs of socks waiting for me to sit down and do exactly that.
It's exciting because it means there are new designs on the horizon.
It's also slightly intimidating because pattern writing isn't nearly as much fun as casting on something new.
Still, it's a good problem to have.
After all, having too many finished designs waiting to be written up is a far nicer challenge than having no ideas at all.
Looking Ahead
My knitting goals for the month are fairly straightforward:
Finish the toe on my sock design.
Add a couple more squares to the scrappy cardigan.
Keep making steady progress on the scrappy blanket.
Continue working on the Compostela Blanket whenever I'm parked somewhere waiting.
Start tackling the growing pile of pattern writing.
Nothing dramatic.
Nothing ambitious.
Just steady stitches and a little progress wherever I can find it.
After all, that's how most knitted projects get finished.
One stitch at a time.
What's currently on your needles? I'd love to hear what projects you're working on this month.