November 2025 - On and Off the Needles
Whew, the months of 2025 seem to be just flying by! I have been so inspired to knit lately - fall always seems to speed up my needles (maybe because I'm not sweating with every stitch). I'm really excited to have this blog to share all of my rambling thoughts about knitting!
Finished in October
My first finished object of the month was the sweet chevron baby blanket that I impulsively cast on at the end of September to use up some leftover yarn. I fretted in the last blog that I would need to buy more of the main color, but happily, as I was running out of it, I was pleased with the proportions of the blanket - more of a stroller blanket, really - and decided to cast it off.
My second finished object was the Christmas gnome. I don't like to leave knitted objects around the house because I worry that the cats will grab them, but I couldn't help but let this gnome sit on my desk for a few days because it is just so darn cute!
I also finished my Sea Whisper Silk Scarf, but whew did this one give me a run for my money. I'd intended it to be a quick one-skein knit, whipped up in a week or so; the pattern was pretty repetitive, so despite its being lace, I was sure I'd fly through it. Unfortunately, I ran out of yarn before it was finished. I searched high and low for another skein online - or even scraps from someone else's skein. I really only needed a few grams, but alas, I could not find the colorway in existence anywhere. The uniqueness (and beauty!) of this colorway offered some reassurance as I ripped out half of my knitting and restarted the second half of the scarf.
For another fun mystery knit-along, I knit a mosaic cowl that inadvertently ended up looking like Dad-70s-shirt-chic. It's like just on the edge of being ugly but actually being kind of striking. I had such ambivalence about it while it emerged from the needles, like I thought I should probably hate the color combo but kind of dug it.
The other mystery knit-along that I did in October was this super cute gnome. The legs were the first clue, and I was obsessed with their witchy wonderfulness. They were definitely giving "something wicked this way comes" vibes! I'm not very into Halloween, but it was really fun doing a seasonal knit during the month. She didn't even last twelve hours in the store before a smart shopper snatched her up! I bought a new needle set this month that I've had on my wishlist for the better part of five years, and the needles made knitting this an absolute dream. I am definitely inspired to do more gnome knitting to play with my new tools - and to use up the hundred leftover balls of yarn that I have in the bin.
October Works in Progress
I actually don't have a ton of projects still on the needles coming out of October. For a while there, I felt like I had too many works in progress, so I focused in October on getting things off of the needles and not letting myself start toooo many new projects (except for those two mystery knitalongs...).
I wrote last time about a pattern that I'd started last fall and kept putting off because I had to learn a new technique. Well, I couldn't be more thrilled that I finally learned the technique I needed because this cowl is even more gorgeous than I'd imagined,
I can't wait to finish it! Unfortunately, I ran out of yarn sooooo... this one is back to waiting patiently in a project bag. I usually do a big yarn order on Black Friday, but I'm not sure if I can wait that long or if I need to pull the trigger sooner, for this and also some holiday custom orders that I'd like to start sooner rather than later.
I have a shawl that's sitting neglected in its project bag, and I don't anticipate working on it anytime soon, so my only two other works in progress are both sweaters for me!
This one is mostly mindless knitting right now - sleeves, specifically, at the moment - so I'm only grabbing it when I might be knitting in the dark or will be otherwise distracted. I haven't had a lot of opportunity for that kind of knitting lately, so progress has been slow. I love the colors in this, though, and would love to finish it by Thanksgiving.
This one, though - swoon. I'm obsessed. It'll end up being an oversized V-neck. I'm knitting it as part of a knit-along that ends December 1, so now that I've cleared out a lot of other WIPs (works in progress), this one needs and deserves some undivided attention. I really hope I can show off the finished object in next month's blog (and that oversized doesn't end up being... too big to wear. There's a fine line there, and because this sweater is knit in pieces and then sewn together, I can't try it on as I go. I just have to keep knitting and hope for the best).
What I'm Thinking about Casting On
Well, I wrote last month that I'd be casting on two matching colorwork sweaters that are a custom order for brothers, and, well, I haven't done that yet. Those are definitely going to be my next cast on and a big focus of mine in November. They're low-key stressing me out because they have a deadline, so I'm eager to both start and finish them in time for the family's holiday photos.
This photo comes from the Ravelry project page for the pattern, Anders Baby and Anders Kids, both by Sorren Kerr. I wanted to knit this for my own son back when he was little, but I hadn't ventured into colorwork yet. This would have been a terrific early pattern to learn colorwork, though. I'm glad I get to finally make it for somebody! I've purchased the pattern and wound the yarn into a cake, so I am steps closer to making it.
I have a couple of other custom orders, too, although I need to order yarn for both, so I probably won't get to them until after Black Friday. (Psst! Wanting a special-order item for the holidays? Now's the time to chat with me about patterns and colors so I can get your yarn, too!)
I also have a few other smaller projects calling to me - another one-month mystery knit-along shawl that I want to knit out of a dusty blue-purple gradient. I want to knit a hat (or two!) with the same colorwork pattern from the Silver Frost poncho. I have so many leftovers from other projects that are crammed into the bin where I keep leftovers, and I'm feeling pretty inspired to find projects to use some of those up, which often results in some of my favorite finished objects.
Beyond the Needles
I've been thinking lately how much I enjoy the change of seasons. I tend to love variety in life in general but with seasons in particular. Just as soon as the annoying parts of one season start to get to be a little too much, poof! Another one comes around with its own charms. I really don't have a favorite season. Right now, I am excited about chillier weather. The cooler mornings mean that I am stepping up (ha ha, no pun intended) my walking/running mileage because I need to move faster to stay warm, but otherwise, I am happy for the quieter months and looking forward to lots of reading and knitting by the fire. We had our chimney swept this week, and my mother-in-law brought us a load of firewood, so I just need the temperature to drop a bit.
I've been settling into my new job and am enjoying celebrating small wins there - the times when I'm able to accomplish a big task without having to ask someone else a million questions, or the completion of a few projects. I started working with a coach (a perk of my new company is 20 free coaching session a year!) on my recent career transition, and some aspects of this moment of life, and, ultimately, how to build creativity back in. Knitting for me is many things, but it isn't creative in the ways that writing or - way back when - that scrapbooking was, and my inner artist is yearning to re-emerge. I've been thinking through what active recovery from my past stressful and honestly kinda toxic roles looks like. My coach is suggesting more unstructured time, which makes me twitch a little since I am so goal- and outcome-oriented. (She about fell off her chair when I told her I have a spreadsheet for my knitting...) For a step in that direction, though, I scheduled myself for a 90-minute massage next week, a bit of self-care that I've fallen away from as I ramped up in my new role.
How's it going in your world? What are you hoping to see in the shop in the next month or so? What blog entries would you want to read? I never know where inspiration will come from and am eager for your thoughts and ideas!