My #MakeNine2021 was kind of “catastrophic”. Well, it wasn’t after all because I didn’t really care. It was my first Make Nine, and I made the list in just a day. So it’s no surprise I finished only two planned designs. That’s why I wanted to choose wiser for my #MakeNine2022 and started thinking and rethinking a few months ahead. The result of 6/9 finished designs is an achievement compared to the previous year! How did it go, and how do I like the finished projects?

From #MakeNine2022, I finished Amrum sweater by Katrin Schneider, two Oska hats by Orlane Sucche, Sea Mist shawl by George Cullen, Sionnach Mitts by Nina Pommerenke, Sagostad mittens by Sofia Capelle, and Wool & Honey sweater by Andrea Mowry. On the contrary, I skipped Badger & Bloom sweater by Anne Vetzel (I couldn’t choose the yarn and the colour, and meanwhile, I changed my mind), Into the Wild sweater by Tania Barley (I wanted to knit a “wolf” version but couldn’t choose the body colour, so it wasn’t sad), and Sian sweater by Elizabeth Doherty (I just lost the interest).

Most favourite

My favourite design from #MakeNine2022 was definitely Oska Hat by Orlane Sucche. I already wrote about this pattern in this post, but since then, I managed to knit another one!

I used yarns I brought back home from our hiking trip to Denmark. I bought two 100g skeins of Hjelholts Uldspinderi in terracotta and charcoal colours. I had 78 grams of the terracotta one and 43 grams of the charcoal one left, and because I loved the design so much, I knitted an inverse version for my husband. We wear them occasionally when we are together, and it’s so much fun!

I like the colourwork, but I love the yarn choice probably even more. The yarn is fluffy and has a halo, so the colourwork itself is not even that much clear. The colours are also excellent. Overall, the yarns were a brilliant choice for this design!

Here are my projects on Ravelry for the first one and the second one.

Biggest fail

I cast on the Amrum sweater on January 1 but knitted it through the whole of January and finished just in the middle of February. I chose BC Garn Bio Balance which I got for Christmas 2021, but it wasn’t the best match for me. I didn’t enjoy using this yarn – maybe if I used smaller needles, would it be better? I just don’t like the knitted fabric.

And I probably chose the wrong size. I knitted M2 size, which is 116.5 cm / 45.9 in. In the beginning, it was intended to have 20cm positive ease, but I lost some weight in 2022, and now it is more than 25 cm, which is a lot. I barely wore it, so in the end, I gave the sweater to my mum, who likes it more.

So the failure here is not the cause of the pattern; it’s me. I would like to knit this sweater again as I still like the look. However, I would choose a different yarn (but still don’t know which one) and definitely a smaller size (probably XS (100 cm / 39.4 in) or S (105 cm / 41.3 in) with 10–15cm positive ease).

Here is my project on Ravelry.

Took the longest to finish

I cast on Sionnach Mitts on February 13 (I guess it was sometimes around me having covid), but finished it half a year later, on August 16. But I wasn’t knitting it the whole time, of course, I knitted the first mitt in winter and the second in summer.

Fun fact: the first one and second one probably have a different gauge (didn’t measure) because each is slightly different in size. But it doesn’t matter, as I blocked them to the same size.

And why it took me so long? Because I had to pay attention. As there is one big colourwork, no repeats, it’s not a TV knitting. Or there are repeats in the cuff, but I couldn’t see the pattern there. One could say I don’t like the mitts when I finished them in long 6 months, but it’s not true. I wore them frequently in autumn, and I know I’ll wear them again a lot in spring.

Again, here is my project on Ravelry.

#MakeNine2023?

The problem with Make Nine for me is that I want to knit various projects as the year goes by. Some designs are must-haves even at the end of the year (this year, it was definitely Sagostad), but I lose interest in others (for example, the Sian sweater). I plan to approach #MakeNine2023 in different way, and I’ll introduce you to it very soon. And what’s more, I will do Make Nine for knitting as well as for sewing as I sew more and more.

What about your Make Nine, both for 2022 and 2023? Are you taking part?