Tag: sweaters

Saying Good-bye to 2025 and Another Year of Knitting in the Books

A look back at all the knitting projects I’ve completed over the year. Also, what is already in the plans for 2026.

The year of 2025 is coming to an end and this is when I look back to see what I’ve accomplished in knitting projects.

Because I list nearly all the projects I knit on the Ravelry site, all I need to do is go there and grab my list. They have something called the Ravelry Project Challenge. Each year I make a guess (they call it a goal) as to the number of projects I’ll complete before the year is up.

This year my goal was 10 and I’ve finished 11. That number will rise and be at least 12. I’m nearly done with the Magnolia Chunky Cardigan (It’s finished and I love it).

Knitting Projects Completed

This year I knit a few little neck-warmer scarves, a couple of beanies, and a few sweaters. Some knits were re-makes of a favorite pattern, and others allowed me to try out some new yarn.

rust red Sophie Scarf
Sophie Scarf
dual loop beanie
Dual Loop Beanie
Warm up pullover using Peace Fleece wool yarn
Warm Up #2
Ran out of yarn
Scarf No.4
Fair Isle tube hat knitting in navy blue and off-white.
Doublemassa Hat
Solvi sweater finished
Solvi Sweater
Warm Up sweater pullover in black tweed
Warm Up #3
Birthday61 sweater in beige hanging
Birthday61
Sophie Scarf in white
Sophie Scarf
The weekend Hat knit in beige camel yarn.
The Weekend Hat
Sophie Scarf knit in army green color
Sophie Scarf

I was on a roll with the Sophie scarves! I hope to be wearing this little scarf when the weather turns colder and I walk in the morning. The green one was mailed to my daughter in New Hampshire.

Scarf No. 4 – the name of the scarf – was lots of fun to knit, and I love it. I see another of those in my future.

The Dual Loop Beanie came out great, but I wish I’d used a different yarn. I’m knitting another one using tan Camel yarn.

The long, colorwork Doublemassa hat was also mailed to my daughter. She laughed at how big it is, but says it sure keeps her warm! I’ve wanted to knit that hat ever since I first bought the“Hat’s On” book (Amazon paid link).

I had fun knitting another Warm Up Sweater in bold stripes using Peace Fleece wool. Then, I knit a third Warm Up in black tweed. The Warm Up pattern is simple, and it is very easy to make changes to suit your wearing needs.

I did not have fun knitting the Birthday61 sweater … because it took forever! I would never knit that pattern again. I had to shorten the sleeves before I lost my mind. And, it came out small. So that (very long) project was a fail for me. But, because it was soooooo slow going, everything else I knit now seems FAST! So, there’s that.

This past year I also tried some new camel hair yarn. I also splurged and used cashmere for the little scarves.

For the new year, I plan to cast on a cable sweater pattern. I have not decided on a pattern yet. It’s between The Bookclub Cardigan, by Sari Nordlund, Auguste Cardigan, by Johanna Gehrisch, and a few others.

Cardigans are my favorite type of sweater to wear. Not necessarily to knit, because of the button bands. I plan to find a few more interesting patterns to knit in 2026, and of course I will share my finds with you, dear readers. Thank you for reading, leaving valuable comments and suggestions, and sharing your own knitting experiences.

Knit on… and have a wonderful Holiday Season! See you in 2026.

More to Read

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My Favorite Hand Knits Finished in 2024

Last year, in 2024, I completed three sweater patterns that I absolutely love.

During 2024 there were a few hand knits that have become my favorites. I knit four sweater patterns and a couple of hats. The hats are not worth mentioning. Three of the sweaters turned out to be favorite knits of mine. The links go to my pattern review blog pages.

Calliope 2

The Calliope pullover is so nice. This was my second time using this pattern. I love the gold color and the yarn makes a really nice fabric. It was my first time using Sunday Morning yarn by Sonder Yarn Co. and I ended up loving the result. I did make some pattern changes on the sleeves and hem.

Calliope pullover sweater
Cool camping day
Calliope sweater in gold
Calliope
Calliope sweater hand knit

Rebel Cardigan

This cardigan pattern by Ankestrick is definitely a favorite. I finished knitting the beautiful sweater in August. Once the weather turned cool in November (a few days at least) I pulled it out. I’ve been wearing it all winter. The Rebel Cardigan is very cozy and warm.

Rebel Cardigan
Rebel Cardigan
Rebel cardigan
Rebel cardigan

The Field Sweater

When it came to the Field sweater, I loved the look, but was unsure I could accomplish it. This was probably the most difficult pattern I have knit so far. The whole yoke was made up of special stitches that took a lot of time to complete. It turned out so lovely and it is a sweater I am proud of. The fit is perfect.

hand knit Field sweater textured yoke and ribbing
Wearing the Field sweater
Field sweater

New Techniques and New Yarns

In 2024 I knit two sweaters that used double yarns. I held mohair with merino for the Rebel cardigan and Field sweater. I also learned some new techniques and met some challenges. Each of these sweaters took a while to finish.

I did knit one other sweater called the Autumn Alpine. I am not super happy with it. The neckline wasn’t good, and I tried to fix it, without much luck. I ended up doing short sleeves just to be finished. I’ve never worn it.

short sleeve colorwork sweater
Autumn Alpine

Sweaters begun in 2024

The sweaters I have on my needles now, that were begun in 2024, are as follows. The links to my Ravelry pages for each. These sweaters should be finished in 2025.

  • Warm Up 2 – Knit using bulky Peace Fleece
  • Solvi – Bright blue yarn from Harriville Designs
  • Birthday61 – Size 1 needle, half-fisherman’s rib. A long project.

How did your knitting go in 2024? Have you made anything special, or learned any new knitting techniques? Maybe you have knit these same sweater patterns. I’d love to hear about what you made.

Taking a Break From New Knitting Projects

Gardening has kept me very busy lately, even though summer is a slower season for growing where I live. For that reason, I am taking a break from knitting. There are a couple of knitting projects I need to finish up, but I do not knit as much now.

The Rebel Cardigan is something I am still working on occasionally. I’m knitting the long version to use up most of my yarn, and I have a ways to go. This project is taking a while, but I am enjoying it.

Knitting on the Rebel Cardigan pattern

I’ve begun another Warm Up sweater but will not be knitting on that all the time either. I’m using three colors of Peace Fleece, and I changed the neckline.

Warm up sweater

Summer is not the best time to take on a knitting project. Here in Florida it is nearly always hot. I never take time off from knitting just because of the heat.

Maybe it’s the recent knitting projects that didn’t really please me, or maybe it’s the season. At the present time, I feel less inspired to pick up the needles. I do know that I have a pile of sweaters that need to be hand-washed, and that does make me wonder how many more I really need!

sweaters hand knit

I hope you are having a great summer – if it is summer where you live. If you are a sub-tropical climate gardener, check out my gardening blog.

ball of yarn divider

More from the blog….

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Sweater Knitting Projects in the Queue For 2024

Planning some new knitting projects for the upcoming new year. I’m still on the sweater knitting spree and these four patterns will be challenging in their own way for me.

As we close out 2023, I’ve been gathering some sweater knitting projects to complete in 2024.

Ravelry has a “queue” area for us and although I have not used it much, I’m beginning to. When one project is not enough (always) it’s nice to have an accessible list of knitting patterns to view. Find it in the “My Notebook” dropdown, if you are logged into Ravelry.

How to Use the Ravelry Queue

The queue section is meant to hold favorite patterns to knit soon. They can be listed in order of importance with information and ideas for the project. Any pattern found on Ravelry can be added to the queue from the pattern page, purchased or not. 

Each pattern added will list the suggested yarn with a space for the knitter to list the yarn that will be used. I find this helpful if I am buying yarn on sale (yay for year-end sales!) and need to match it up with my intended patterns. Also include any notes in a separate space.

Four Sweater Patterns in My Queue

This is my tentative list, in order of current interest, of patterns that have caught my eye over the last couple of months. Each section contains a link to the pattern page.

Number One

The first pattern in my queue is the Autumn Alpine colorwork yoke pullover by Boyland Knitworks / Caitlin Hunter. After knitting the Eva Cardigan in all one color, I had a hankering for some stranded colorwork. This project is in the works already. I’m knitting it along with my gold Calliope.

autumn Alpine colorwork sweater
Sonder Yarn Sunday Morning French press color
Color “French Press”
Knitting Autumn Alpine sweater

View the Autumn Alpine Pattern Page

Number Two

The pattern in the second position in my queue is the Rebel Cardigan, pattern by Ankestrick. It is a buttonless sweater with a unique shoulder construction. A worsted or DK yarn is used, or hold two yarns together for the gauge. I’m not sure yet which yarn I will use for this one.

View the Rebel Cardigan Pattern Page

Number Three

The third pattern in my list is the Sunday Cardigan by PetiteKnit. I chose this one while searching for a use for my Alafosslopi yarn. This sweater is knit top-down with wide ribbing at the yoke area. It calls for a bulky yarn, or combination of yarns to equal bulky. There is a button band but it is “knit simultaneously with the rest of the cardigan” so there is no picking up of stitches for the band… hurray!

View the Sunday Cardigan Pattern

Number Four

The last sweater in my queue is something completely different. The Clotilde Cardigan, by Pernille Larsen / Knitting for Olive, is knit in worsted weight yarn and is a lace pattern. 

This one will be a challenge for me, as I almost never knit any type of lace. The pattern is charted only. The sweater is really beautiful and I hope it’s something I can manage. The New Year should bring a challenge, right?

See the Clotilde Cardigan Pattern

More to come, including new yarns purchased for these patterns. Have you found any good yarn sales this December? Do you have some knitting patterns ready to go in January? I love to hear from fellow knitters, so please say hello.

Cat drawing (minus the tree which was added by me):Image by Richard Duijnstee from Pixabay
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