For a few years I have been sharing my knitting projects on Instagram, including photos of my coffee table, often piled high with my Work in Progress projects.
With the launch of the new website last year I decided to write a monthly blog post listing my current projects, many of which go on to be shop samples and end up in the Gallery on the website.
I've really enjoyed listing the projects each month. I find it very motivating to see the progress I've made, especially on larger projects that seem to go on forever.
It is also evidence of how my knitting 'mood' changes over time.
I've found that sometimes I can power through a project, working on it exclusively from start to finish. There were several projects finished within a month including Infitude Cowl and Kellister hat and Llariega cowl. Sometimes they are finished so quickly they don't make it into a WiP update (like the Wendy Husky jumper).
Other times I may knit a few rows of many projects, making slow progress until one month I have several items finished at the same time, like in January 2021.
Sometimes my knitting mojo deserts me completely and I spend time 'collecting' patterns, tidying my WiPs, yarn stash and needles. But mostly I start multiple projects ignoring the WiPs already on the coffee table 😆.
If you can I'd highly recommend trying it yourself. Whether through a blog, social media or a notebook.
Given the travel restrictions etc we've faced recently, doing a monthly round up has also been a good way to share ideas and techniques that would have been part of the chat on a visit to the Pittenweem shop.
It's also been lovely to hear what readers have been working on too. You can send me an email or share in our Facebook group.
The first blog post was October 2020. In the year since, 38 projects have passed over (or under) the coffee table and 32 have been finished! Although I should stress that several of those projects started before October 2020.
I should also say that knitting is both my job and my hobby. So I knit samples for the shop and items for me or my family. I also like to have a project to suit my mood and location - so something large and something small and something simple and something absorbing. This means I have a lot of projects on the go at any one time. I firmly believe, and I say this often in the shop, knitting can be what you need it to be, whenever you need it to be.
So whether you like to work on one project at a time or to juggle lots or whether you always make simple blankets or love complex and absorbing garments... that's ok.
To mark the first WiP anniversary I've collated all the coffee tables and added some links to the projects... I hope you enjoy browsing them, perhaps you missed one month or forgot about a favourite project?
October 2020 - The beginning! First outing for several big projects including a Garter Squish blanket, Playground shawl, Dandelion jumper and Plume poncho. It also included chunky hats which I was knitting to relaunch the free shop pattern. This has still not happened (although I have now added matching fingerless mitts).
November 2020 - Two Opal mini ball projects, including the start of our Scrappy Scarf and some sock surgery (don't look if you're squeamish). This month also mentions the most projects... 9!
December 2020 - A dark and moody photo of the coffee table (there's not a lot of daylight hours in Scotland in winter). There are two finished projects, including the Playground shawl which I think was started in October 2019.
January 2021 - 5 finished projects! Perhaps because the coffee table had to make way for the Christmas tree so I had to limit the amount of projects lying around.
February 2021 - The perfect combination of finished projects and new starts - the delicate Wildwoods sweater and Double Edged Shawl. It also includes my favourite self striping sock idea.
March 2021 - A tidy looking coffee table (and my favourite hot water bottle cover pattern)
April 2021 - Looking quite spring like - a new shop sample (and free pattern) in a new hand dyed yarn (Side-to-Side Shawl) a self striping jumper called Sami and lots of pom poms! These were for the letters that sit in the Pittenweem shop windows... but they have now been co-opted for a new display.
May 2021 - Wildwoods is finished and there's a new baby jumper too.
June 2021 - first appearance of my Jessica Jones cowl and City Block Shawl. Despite the City Block shawl being HUGE it was completed in less than two months but the small cowl remains (albeit getting larger) in every photo since!
July 2021 - A new fluffy cast on for the shop (Arvia Shawl) and a new cowl for me (a longer version of our free Simple Cowl pattern). I also extol the benefits of magic looping.
August 2021 - The start of a chunky cropped jumper (Aquamarline) and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it super chunky jumper. Oh. And a simple garter stitch shawl that is still waiting for it's ta-dah moment!
September 2021 - a very sparse looking WiP pile. Although in this update I did have two finished projects (Aquamarline and Bolton Pass hat) and I did document my 4 ongoing sock projects, not all on the coffee table which is perhaps why they have been neglected!
