This Sarah Stitches

Tag: Autumn Plans

  • Year of Projects 2026-2027: Weeks 10 & 11

    Year of Projects 2026-2027: Weeks 10 & 11

    I had every intention of posting an update last week but before I knew it, the week had gone by in a flash! So, recap time!

    I am pleased that I am still continuing to find some time for some of my cross stitch projects. For the last couple of weeks, I have been gravitating towards a few of my other WIPs.

    I have been having fun documenting what I am working on each week as part of this challenge. It really does show me what I manage to achive in a week.

    Onto the WIPs for the past two weeks!

    Giant Harry Potter

    I have been really enjoying stitching on Giant Harry Potter. The pattern is by Clouds Factory.

    I have worked on this a little bit at the start of this year but then it was in hibernation, like all of my cross stitch WIPs. Now, I’m at 58.8% completion mark. I only know this thanks to Markup R-XP. I started this on 22 February 2017.

    Project Details: stitched on 28ct cloud blue evenweave from Fabric Flair using called-for DMC & Anchor, 2 strands over 2.

    Scrappy Slouchy Bag

    I completely forgot to share this the last time. I came across a blog post for a slouchy bag from Jessica of Mama in a stitch. Her pattern is called Mohave Slouchy Tote Bag. I decided to use 4 strands of DK yarn, 2 colours at a time. I love how this has turned out & I just have a bit of finishing to do but I am calling it pretty much done.

    My plan for this bag is for it to be a WIP project bag to stay at the side of the sofa. It is huge & very difficult to photograph!!

    I started this project on 24 August 2026 & I cast off on 29 August 2026. It was on the needles for 6 days. Total yarn usage was 519.2g from stash.

    Project Details: knit on 9.00mm (US 13) needles using various stash DK acrylic yarns.

    Advent Banner

    You may remember that I had to pause this last week as I had run out of DMC 927. My skein arrived on Saturday which meant I could resume stitching the last 2 letters. I started this on 7 July 2022 & finished stitching on 6 September 2026.

    Project Details: stitched on 14ct plastic canvas from Darice using DMC thread 2 strands over 1.

    Happily Ever After

    I picked up another older WIP this week. Somewhere along the line I have repurposed the DMC threads I had for this, so my progress might be slower than I’d like.

    The pattern is by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery. I’m at 37% complete. I started this on 1 March 2017.

    Project Details: stitching on a linen (I don’t have the specifics to hand) using called-for DMC, 2 strands over 2.

    Stripped Swift Bag

    I started a new knitting project this week. I am on a mission to reduce my yarn stash & have been in the market to create a bag for my knitting swift. I did consider sewing one but then I can across a knitting pattern for one. It seemed kismet. The pattern is called Swift Sak by Knifty Red. I started this 12 September 2026.

    Project Details: knit on 4.50mm (US 7) needles using various stash DK acrylic yarns. I’m holding the DK yarn double.

    That’s it for this week. Hope your week has been a good one.

  • Crafting Plans: Q1 2026 Plans

    Crafting Plans: Q1 2026 Plans

    Happy New Year! I hope you had a good start to the year. We had a quiet but lovely NYE just the way we like it to be.

    Looking ahead to this first quarter & my crafting plans I have decided to split my time into sections. I would like to have some dedicated time for each of my current loves; knitting, crochet & cross stitch. In the first quarter of 2026, I have approximately 12 weeks available for craft. I can generally speaking, get some time most evenings to work on my projects. (unless we have plans)

    I am invigorated to participate in some challenges this year. Year of WIPs is a cross stitching challenge hosted by Melanie Watkins in Facebook. WIPGO is hosted by Jessie Marie on Facebook. Stitch from Stash is a cross stitching challenge hosted by Stephanie Kyle on Facebook.

    I have also been toying with the idea of participating in the 12 cast-ons challenge created by Ang of Yarn N Yarns.

    Knitting

    I would love to get some more squares done on my Cosiest Memories Blanket. I have most of the smaller mitre squares completed but just now need to mattress stitch them together to then knit the log cabin border around them.

    I would also like to cast on some socks. I have not attempted socks yet but would love to have at least 2 pairs in my wardrobe before the end of this year.

    I also would like to at least cast on the two cardigans I promised my niece last year. One of them will be the Arctic Coast Cardigan by Gabrielle Danskknit before she much older. For this project, I’m planning on using King Cole Anti Tickle Merino DK yarn for the colour stripes & complete a rainbow order for those stripes. The main colour choice as I write is between Gunmetal Grey & Storm Grey.

    The second cardigan for my niece is a WIP that I inherited from my Mum. She had started to make it but lost interest in it so abandoned it. I finished the front & back pieces last year but when I tried it on my niece , it was far too small. I purchased similar yarn last year with a view to starting it before the end of 2025. It’s a pattern booklet from Patons.

    I would also like to get the Painting Bricks shawl for my Mum finished this quarter.

    Top Row (Left to Right): Cosiest Memories Blanket squares. Squares constructed with log cabin stripes. Middle Row: Contrast colours for the Arctic Coast Cardigan. Main colour choice options. Bottom Row: Peplum Cardigan. Painting Bricks Shawl inspiration.

    Crochet

    I would love to make another version of the Seafoam Cardigan in grey. I love the one I made in burgundy & think my wardrobe needs one in grey.

    I got some lovely Jewelspun yarn for Christmas this year & have been thinking about what to make with it. I have picked out some potential patterns from the a modern crochet sweaters book I have. Once I have some more concrete plans, I’ll let you know.

    I would also love to try to finish the 2 Granny Square Cushion covers I’m making. The pattern is by Kirsten Ballering. I am modifying the pattern slightly to make a removable cover with an envelope style opening.

    Left to Right: Jewelspun Yarn for Christmas. Granny Square Cushions.

    Cross Stitch

    As I seem to have re-discovered my love for cross stitching, I would like to finish Spirit of Christmas by Lizzie Kate. I think this is my oldest cross stitch WIP. I started this in December 2017 when this was released as a 3-part mystery SAL (stitch-a-long)

    Looking at the remaining WIPs I have, I would also like to make some progress on Reflections of New York City by Ink Circles & Memories of Summer by Sarah Elizabeth Stitches. (me in a former life)

    Let’s see how I get on. What are your plans for the first part of this year?

  • Crafting Plans: Q4 2025 Plans

    Crafting Plans: Q4 2025 Plans

    I talked about my Q3 projects in this post, but thought I would dedicate a separate space for what plans I set out for myself for Q4 of 2025 in terms of my crafting projects.

    Knitting

    In the last quarter of the year, I would like to get my Stornoway Sweater by Cheryl Mokhtari (Coco Amour Knitwear) completed. I started this project on 8 October this year. It should be a relatively quick knit as it is being knit up on 5mm needles (US 8)

    I would also like to get a shawl started & finished for my Mum for either her Birthday or for Christmas. It seems unlikely that I will be able to get a shawl done in less than a month, especially considering it will be knit up in fingering weight yarn. At the time of writing, I plan on making the Raina Shawl by Andrea Mowry (Drea Renee Knits) as I love the look of this shawl. My hesitence comes from the brioche portions of the shawl as it has been a long, long time since I have done any brioche knitting. I just need to relearn that muscle memory a little first.

    Left to Right: Stornoway Sweater progress. Raina Shawl.

    Crochet

    In the last quarter of the year, I would like to make another Plant Coaster to use some of my remaining bulky scraps. The pattern I found on Ravelry is the Eco Plant Coaster by
    Krystal Amador. (Eco Minded Stitches) I would also love to try to finish the 2 Granny Square Cushion covers I’m making. The pattern is by Kirsten Ballering. I am modifying the pattern slightly to make a removable cover with an envelope style opening.

    Left to Right: Plant Coaster inspo (a previous make). Granny Square Cushions.

    Cross Stitch

    In the last quarter of the year, I would like to make some progress on Spirit of Christmas by Lizzie Kate. I think this is my oldest cross stitch WIP. I started this in December 2017 when this was released as a 3-part mystery SAL (stitch-a-long)

    Looking at the remaining WIPs I have, I would also like to finish Grandpa’s Pickup mini. This was part of the Farmhouse Christmas Series by Little House Needleworks.

    Let’s see how I get on. What are your plans for the remainder of this year?

  • Crafting Plans: Q3 2025 Review

    Crafting Plans: Q3 2025 Review

    As we approach the mid section of the final quarter of the year, I wanted to do a bit of review of what I have worked on, completed & started during Quarter 3.

    Let’s start with Knitting. From July – September, I completed a total of 2 projects. These were the Sweet Breeze Top by Veronica Lindburg (Kutovakika) & the Sea Glass Cardigan by Wool & Pine. The Sweet Breeze Top took me 126 days to finish whilst the Sea Glass Cardigan took me 165 days to complete. I did not start any new knitting projects in this quarter.

    Sweet Breeze Top
    Sea Glass Cardigan

    Moving onto Crochet. From July – September, I completed a total of 9 projects. These were:

    • Brown Butter Shawl
    • Movie Night Cocoon Cardi
    • Seafoam Cardigan
    • 4 large Eco Plant Coasters
    • 2 medium Eco Plant Coasters

    The Movie Night Cocoon Cardi took me 57 days to complete. The Seafoam Cardigan took me 55 days to complete whilst the coasters & the shawl took 1 and 2 days respectively to finish. I started the 6 Day Star Blanket (superstar version) in quarter 3 as well.

    Finished Projects L-R. Row 1: Movie Night Cocoon Cardi, Brown Butter Shawl, Large Eco Plant Coaster #1. Row 2: Large Eco Plant Coaster #1 modelled underneath plant pot, Medium Eco Plant Coaster #1, Large Eco Plant Coaster #2. Row 3: Large Eco Plant Coaster #3, Large Eco Plant Coaster #4, Medium Eco Plant Coaster #2

    And finally, cross stitch. I worked on zero projects in Q3 and therefore finished nothing.

    My observations of my crafting habits during the quarter have been influenced heavily by my desire to stash bust this year. A lot of the crochet projects I have started & completed this quarter have used yarn from my stash which I am pleased about.

    I think I would like to dedicate some of my crafting time to cross stitch in quarter 4 to have some progress on some of my WIPs. You can find out what my current cross stitch WIPs are in my cross stitch post.

    Whether I can actually achieve that, only time will tell. How do you manage multiple crafts? Do you dedicate specific time to each of your crafts?