winter knitting plans
my seasonal hobby returns for another year
Winter! My least favourite time of the year. Although Australia doesnβt get as cold as many places do, since moving states to a much colder place, for me itβs comparatively FREEZING in winter here and I hate it.
I am someone who loves to be outdoors in the sun but I try to make the most of indoor winter time and one hobby I love to do in winter is knit. I rarely knit in the summer but every year the urge comes back around once the temperature drops, and it makes sense given knits in general are more of a cold climate thing.
I wanted to talk about some patterns Iβd love to knit this winter, and some of the media Iβd like to consume as well while doing it.
1: Daisy and Peace, βVest no. 13β
My current project Iβm working on, and some things Iβm currently watching. This vest Iβve started and stopped so many times, Iβm determined to finally finish it. Iβm knitting this reverse of the image, so white where the greens appears, and with a green trim. Iβm halfway, the back panel is finished and Iβve done a nice chunk of the front panel. Itβs pretty simple but I just keep getting bored in the middle section which does require a a lot of back and forth knitting which can feel mindless.
Luckily this time Iβve had The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives to entertain me, since the second season just released. Iβm actually not much into reality TV but this one hooked me. I think itβs just because the premise is absurd but I also find it sort of fascinating. The first season, in particular, really looks at the hypocrisies of Mormonism and the behaviour of members of the church. I found some of the feminist commentary interesting - the first season really delved into how the income the girls were earning undermined the roles of their husbands in their marriage and the roles of women and men in the church in general, and how this undermining of the social norms was impacting the relationships on the show. It was also just really funny and dramatic.
The second season Iβm not liking as much - I feel itβs turned up the petty drama for the sake of it a little too much and lost sight of what made the first season fascinating, and itβs also being a little too kind to these evil men for my liking, but Iβll finish off the season regardless. It has at least made me want to personally fly to Utah and FREE Jen Affleck.
2: PetiteKnit, βThe Sophie Hoodβ
In book terms, PetiteKnit is like the Colleen Hoover of the knitting world. Every person who gets into knitting has to try a PetiteKnit design.. theyβre basic, theyβre beginner friendly, and theyβre everywhere. This is my first time knitting her patterns but I do absolutely love this scarf/hood. I think itβs so cute and it will be perfect for the walks into the office in winter. Itβs also a lot more involved so I usually prefer to listen to something when working on it rather than watching something.
At the moment, Iβm listening to three main βpodcastsβ. Night Games: Sex Power and Sport by Anna Krien is a book but it follows a journalist account of a sexual assault case in Australia so it feels more like a podcast at times. This is quite a heavy book and you can tell itβs a little dated but I do think itβs a valuable insight into how sport and privilege protects people in Australia and also, I think the fact itβs dated really shows how ideas of rape, consent and justice have shifted in Australia, positively and progressively in my opinion.
Iβm also listening to the ABCβs podcast βMushroom Case Dailyβ, which is recapping daily the outcomes of the ongoing trial of Erin Patterson, an Australian who allegedly killed three members of her family via death cap mushroom poisoning. This only has short episodes (15-20 minutes) but itβs interesting and itβs had some nice info about how a trial works in Australia and some fascinating anecdotes from the case as it unfolds. This is sort of all anyone talks about at work at the moment too so I gotta keep up to date.
Finally for something more light, Iβve been listening to Books Unbound. Hosted by former booktubers Ariel Bissett and Raeleen Lemay, itβs a a book podcast which does have a nice chatty element too. I like that Ariel and Raeleen are real book nerds (they often do absurd challenges and talk a lot about the idea of reading books and books as a concept which I sort of relate to) but I also like itβs quite informal and not very structured like some book podcasts. Sometimes they come in and say we read nothing this week, sometimes they say they read 10 things and I relate to that.
3: Florence Miller/Handmade by Florence, βstep by step sweaterβ
One thing Iβd love to do this winter is knit a sweater and I have my eye on this popular pattern from Florence Miller. I love the stripes and think it would be fun to do a colourful one. It also has a few techniques Iβve been meaning to practice more (especially knitting in the round) so I think itβll be challenging without being overwhelming. Iβm thinking a pink/red stripe may be fun, but Iβll probably wait and see if a yarn that really speaks to me comes up (that is what happened to me with the sophie hood).
Iβve also got a few things Iβd like to listen to and watch to go with this. First, I really want to listen to Butter by Asako Yuzuki. Iβm going to be reading this for bookclub in June and itβs fairly hefty so Iβm sure knitting will be a great time to get through some of this.
Iβve also been really enjoying Youtube lately, but particularly videos around hobbies and reducing consumption while still enjoying your hobbies.
Beepworld is probably my favourite fashion creator and Iβve been loving her series on styling clothes she already owns. It gives me so much inspiration for my own closet and Iβve been able to put together some really fun work outfits inspired by her.
Iβm also really liking two lifestyle (with a book focus) lately. Hannah May (bottom) also reads and knits so I love following her content and Diaries of Creativity (top) has a lot of commentary/opinion videos on the book/hobby/lifestyle realm which I find really engaging. Iβve been out of the booktube world, finding it a little dry and bland lately, but have been really enjoying these hybrid creators who are sort of into booktube but not doing the full booktube content.
Those are my plans for knitting at the moment - unfortunately if you want things done quickly, you donβt knit them yourself so this is well enough to keep me occupied for some time.
If you are also a crafter, Iβd love to hear what youβre working on. You can also follow my Ravelry (though I donβt post update super often).