The first routine day

What have I been knitting through the holidays?  Well.  Let me see.  

I knit on socks and am pretty pleased with my progress.  

One side of the short row heel is done.  The only thing I regret on this sock is the toe.  I wish I had made my usual garter square toe.  But nope.  I will run with this.  I did a different toe because at the time I was looking for sock knitting MOJO help and to change it now might very well send the sock MOJO stealing elves back.  I like the yarn and am really happy with the colourway.  (Kroy in the Orchid colourway.)

I knit on my Musselbourgh hat.  

You can see how much I knit in the couple days I worked on this.  I am getting very close to half done.  Other than this being the longest time a Musselburgh has been on anyone's needles, I love knitting it.  I really love the colours.  It's everything I hoped this skein was going to be.  

 

And this sweater.  

This is my London Fog sweater.  After being the start of 2 different sweaters, I finally feel the simple Tolsta is the very best design to show off this gorgeous yarn.  It's exactly right.  Simple shape and comfortable knit for an everyday casual sweater.  

I thought about spending time with my blue sweater, but that project bag is large and was consigned to my room for the season.  I thought about doing a Christmas cast on, but really, as much as I would like to, I really want to get what is on the needles already,  done.  

I don't like to set 'goals'.  I just like to do stuff but the idea is and always has been, to get the things done.  I love the process of knitting, but without a product at the end to love and enjoy, it would all feel pointless.  It would be like watching a movie without watching the end.    I need the product as much as I love the process of knitting it.  I want my colourwork blanket.  I really want my colourwork vest.  And before I start more things, I would really, really like to have them done.  

That is my whole 'goal', plan whatever you want to call it, for the entire winter.  For knitting.  There are other things to do.  My miniature house demands a garden.  I would like to do some crochet.  And there is the inevitable need for pants.  Sewing has to be in my future.  

Speaking of miniatures, Cassie sent me a picture of her completed miniature project.  I love it!  

And that is it for my first routine post of the year.  Yea.  Routine.  Time to get to work on some very cool stuff.

2026

I have been thinking for a good long while about what I want to knit next.  My head is full of sweaters and yarns I want to work with and how I want to put them together for maximum fun.  So many things flit in and out on an almost daily basis that I am sometimes overwhelmed by all the dreams.  

Some things have moved into the realm of what I will knit in the coming year.  Of course these plans are always only realms of possibility and can be switched out for something new at the drop of a hat.  This is a short list of what I would like to do this year.  

I want to knit a Staffin sweater using some of my Ultra Alpaca stash.  I still have not decided if it will be red or rusty Terra cotta.  

I want to knit a narrow stripes sweater with the two colours of Kauni 2/8 that I bought for a magnificent shawl.  I love the way the two colours flow in and out with each other.  

I want to knit a sweater using Kauni for a stockinette portion followed by a section of my Tove yarn collection in garter stitch.

I want to knit my glorious yellow from Arcane Fibre Works using the coordinating yarn for the patterned front.  

I want to use my collection of specific bright mohair yarns to knit with some of my Einband and create a patchwork looking sweater or vest.  

I want a simple vest from some BFL 2/8 and a couple other lighter weight yarns to make summer tops.  I would like to knit a top with some of my denim yarns.

I want to knit with Plotulopi.  I want to knit with some of my Cascade 220.  I want to knit with some of my Harrisville Shetland.  I want to knit with Madelinetosh and Midknit Cravings and make dreamy wearable garments for every day.  I want to do interesting things with laceweights and fingering weights and marling and ...oh so much more.  

I can't wait for this year and all the hours in it.

Onward.

And here it is.  The last day of 2025. Where did the time go?  

Well according to the blog, into a lot of projects.  Most completed and some not, but all sounded like good interesting knitting.  

According to Ravelry, nine sweaters and vests.  That's a pretty good number really.  I am content with that.  What there wasn't was small projects.  I completed only three pairs of socks and one other small project, my pretty cowl.  

I am a little disappointed in the sock production.  I had hoped for more.  I really could use the socks.  And, I had a vague plan in my head to knit more hats and possibly make one for each of my dearest grandchildren, big and little.  I have seven so that should have been doable.  Only I did not do it.  In order to knit hats and socks, you need to actually spend time working on hats and socks.  

What I am really proud of is the process I adopted to stop myself feeling bogged down by knitting on a single sweater, and tossing aside for months to knit on anything else.  I started setting a project to be knit on during the week and then knitting on something else on the weekends.  It was a breath of fresh air for my knitting MOJO and it really helped to keep my head and spirits happy with my world.  It was a sort of hard year for that even though I am pretty pleased with life in general.  

My WIPs bin was overflowing before I did this process.  It has been a very long time since I could come close to fitting all the projects in the bin and close the lid.  This year, there are only two projects that couldn't fit in the bin and the bin was easy to close for a change.   

That process might adapted to resolve my small project slump.  I think for 2026, I am going to gift myself one day a week, at least to work on small projects.  The other day can be knitting on anything like it was in 25.  Or maybe it should be that Friday's will be devoted to small projects.  Hmm, something to think about.  

I had hoped to get more of the really old projects completed.  I did not do that at all. Maybe this year.  

What I will do this year is keep trying to work on in the bin projects interspersed with new things.  There is a very pretty shawl, the Bridgewater shawl, that was started in 2012.  It had a lace incident and the reknit lace edging is about half done.  It needs so little work and I would love to see it completed.  My hands do shake a bit too much to work on it some days.  That fine lace can be difficult.  BUT.  But. I am going to finish it.

There is another project I want to turn into a sweater.  I had started knitting on a Starting Point shawl, and I love the combination of colours and yarns.  I want to keep the yarns together and I have a plan to turn it into a very pretty top like an old fashioned scrappy quilt top.  It will mean intarsia knitting but that's okay.  I don't mind seams.   I just don't see the need on most garments.  There us also some stunning yarn from Arcane Fibre Works to be knit into a sweater that is also going to be done using the intarsia technique.  

First thing in the new Year, I mean to knit on my current colourvwork projects.  I want to use and wear both enough that I am going to focus on them early in the New Year.  I am also craving a BIG DIG in the stash.  I have been craving a good deep dig for a few weeks now and knew I had to hold it off till after Christmas.  Indeed, I have to hold it off till after this weekend because I have New Years company coming.  

I am looking forward to 2026 and making all the good things that are busy taking space in my head.  I am looking forward to playing with my kiddies and young women and young men who I am so happy to have in my life.  I am looking for full hearts and good things for all of us and for you too.  

And that is enough chatter frome me for 2025.  Onward 2026.