Everything I Made in 2023

As the year draws to a close, I find myself wrapped in the warmth of memories, each stitch a reminder of the places we’ve been and the experiences I've cherished. This year has been a year of exploration, not just through the charming streets and Little Yarn Shops of Europe but through the intricate world of knitting.

For my fourth year in this hobby, I continued pushing my boundaries and embracing challenges. Whether it was mastering the elegance of allover cables, experimenting with new techniques, or fixing mistakes that seemed daunting at first, every project has been a step forward in my craft. The joy of knitting is not just in the finished object but in the journey - the hours of contemplation, the triumphs over tricky patterns, and the occasional unraveling and starting anew.

In this post, I invite you to join me as I unravel the skeins of the past year. From the Billie Pullover that reminds me of afternoon tea in Edinburgh to the simple stitching of the Autumn League Pullover, each piece tells a story. They are not just garments but expressions of the journey, knitted with love, patience, and a little bit of adventure.

So, grab your favorite cup of tea, get cozy, and let's dive into a world of colors and textures, as I share with you everything I made in 2023!

Billie Pullover

Something I’ve embraced while living in Europe is visiting Little Yarn Shops (LYS) while we travel. It's the perfect souvenir, as it lets me recall our trip both during knitting and each time I wear the finished item. I picked up this yarn at Ginger Twist Studio when we visited Edinburgh in February and I knew it would be perfect for this pattern, which I had purchased months before.

Cables are one of my favorite knitting techniques because I feel like they look so classic and difficult, but they’re actually really easy to do!

This pattern had all. the. cables, repeating the same motif on both the front and the back. Just like my Eri sweater, I decided to add waist and hip shaping to give it a more fitted look. Since I made this design choice, I also tapered the sleeves more than the pattern called for.

Pretty early in the pattern I wasn’t paying enough attention and accidentally crossed all of my big cables the wrong way on either side of the honeycomb. Lacking confidence in ripping out, I opted to try laddering down to fix them for the first time, and it was a great success!

I'm also extremely pleased with how the folded collar turned out, as I often struggle to keep it from twisting when sewing it down. I think the key was that I bound it off first and pinned it instead of just trying to knit it down with the live stitches like I normally do. Someday I’ll learn that sometimes the more time-consuming way may be the better way.

This sweater has a tight gauge, so combined with the thick yarn, it is incredibly warm. I slipped a thermal base underneath it to stay warm during a chilly Christmas market season.

Details

Pattern: Billie Pullover by Sari Nordlund
Yarn: West Yorkshire Spinners The Croft Aran in Melby
Amount used: 1092 yards (998.5 meters) / almost 6 skeins
Needles: Metal US 7 - 4.5 mm
Size made: 2
Project hours: 81 hours and 48 minutes
New skills: Fixing incorrectly crossed cables
Dates worked: March 5 — May 4

Eri Sweater

This was my first garment of the year, and I decided to try multiple new techniques. It was my first time knitting lace, working both waist and hip shaping, and combining multiple sizes from the pattern.

What challenged me the most was keeping track of the raglan increases, the lace motif and cables all at the same time since they were all happening on different rows (i.e. the lace pattern was a 10 row repeat, the big cables were an 8 row repeat, and the outer cables were a 4 row repeat). It was so challenging that I missed several increases on one side of the raglan, leading me to completely unravel and start over after about 10 hours of work.

At first I was upset by the setback since I really wanted to be able to wear this sweater for our mountain adventure in Innsbruck for my birthday, but as you can see, she made her snowy debut even with the restart.

The second time the pattern clicked. I was more confident since I was more familiar with how the lace motif should look, and I was able to split the body and the sleeves in just 4 days.

With all of the shoulder increases out of the way, I decided to play with waist and hip shaping to give the sweater more of a fitted shape. Since I’m fairly curvy, this meant that I took in about 4 inches worth of fabric gradually until I hit my waist and then gradually increased it back out 4 inches to my hips.

Since my arms are a little thicker than the Craft Yarn Council standards for my bust size, I chose to knit the sleeves as a pattern size medium. The reason I didn’t make the whole sweater as a medium is because my shoulders are fairly narrow, thus corresponding with a smaller bust size.

Overall I love how the fit turned out and it’s currently my most worn sweater. I love how soft and warm the wool is while also being fairly lightweight. I also think the warm purple really pops with my eyes and hair color. I purchased the yarn at a LYS in Thun, Switzerland called wlw - we love wool on our drive home from our Interlaken hiking weekend. I was trying to buy something local and ended up with yarn from Munich. Oh well.

Details

Pattern: Eri by Isabell Kraemer
Yarn: Rosy Green Cheeky Merino Joy in Blackberry Sorbet
Amount used: 1075 yards (982 meters) / 3.1 skeins
Needles: Bamboo US 6 - 4.0 mm
Size made: Body - Small / Sleeves - Medium
Project hours: 64 hours and 34 minutes
New skills: Lace knitting, body shaping, combining sizes
Dates worked: December 13, 2022 — January 12

Waffle Sweater

I’m pretty sure this has been on my to-make list for a couple of years, and there were a few reasons I had avoided casting it on. First, I thought the lace work looked complicated. Secondly, I had never worked with mohair and had heard that it was extremely difficult to frog if you made a mistake. So, as per my usual, I just kept burying it further and further on the list instead of confronting my fears and taking on the challenge.

Fast forward to the beginning of summer. I had been regularly attending a crafting group (hearts), and had made some great fiber friends. One of them messaged me that Lana Grossa was having a huge sale on their mohair after I had admired her mohair project at the monthly meet-up. I decided this was my divine sign from the universe and it was now or never to make my Waffle dreams come true.

I love marled and heathered yarn, so I knew I wanted to do that with this sweater since you hold three strands together for the entire project. A knit influencer I follow on Instagram had posted a similar color scheme a while ago and I loved the romantic, sweet look of the pink and rust together. Where she had chosen light pink as her third color, I went with beige so that it didn’t get too pink and stayed a little closer to neutral. Once I swatched it, I knew I had a winning palette.

As I started knitting, everything felt like a fever dream. The mohair was like knitting with a cloud, and it slipped effortlessly across my needles. The lace pattern turned out to be incredibly easy as it’s only a 4 row repeat. The hardest part was making sure that I caught all three strands of mohair with each stitch and knitting mohair in the dead heat of summer proved to be entirely too toasty (probably not going to do that again). I never needed to frog, and the only mistakes I made were minor and caught early enough that I was able to tink instead of ripping out rows upon rows.

The only change I made to the pattern was knitting the body ribbing with a US 9, instead of sizing down since I wanted to make sure I would have enough ease on my hips. In hindsight, this wasn't entirely necessary, and if I make another, I would follow the original ribbing instructions. I loved this pattern and I wouldn’t be surprised if another Waffle sweater ends up on the blog again.

Details

Pattern: Waffle Sweater by Pernille Larsen (Knitting for Olive)
Yarn: Lana Grossa Silkhair in Rosenholz, Pearl Beige & Rost
Amount used: 818 yards (748 meters) each color / 3.5 skeins each color
Needles: Metal US 9 - 5.5 mm
Size made: Small
Project hours: 50 hours and 52 minutes
New skills: Knitting with mohair, balloon sleeves
Dates worked: August 1 — 25

Autumn League Pullover

I hadn’t expected to make two whole sweaters before my birthday, but this was such an easy knit that it just flew by. Also, after four years of testing out this hobby, I finally gifted myself a brand new set of interchangeable needles for my birthday. Up until this point, I had exclusively knit with bamboo needles and I was nervous I wouldn’t like how the yarn slid off the stainless steel. Friends, since getting my new set, I haven’t even touch my beginner set; I love them that much.

While this was an easy and straightforward knit, it was a little on the boring side once it got past the “x” detail at the collar. I did learn how to work the Italian bind off with this pattern and it’s now one of my favorite ways to cast off 1x1 ribbing since it makes it look so polished and professional.

I didn’t add any waist or hip shaping to this piece since I figured a looser fit would look more casual and match the “x” detail better. I did make it significantly less oversized than the pattern called for so it has about 3 inches worth of ease at the bust instead of the recommended 6 inches.

I wish I would have made it maybe a half inch longer in the body and about an inch longer in the sleeves. I had enough yarn left over that I totally could have, but based on the gauge swatch I did, I thought the yarn would grow a little more in the wash than it did. The folded collar is also slightly twisted but I don’t know how much a non-knitter would notice this.

Even though it wasn’t the most exciting knit, because it is just so classic and casual, I throw it on all the time and definitely want to make another one in a tweed or even in a different fiber, like cotton.

I don’t have a story for this yarn; it was just sitting in my stash forever since I got it on clearance when I was just a baby knitter. It plies a little more than I care for, so I probably won’t purchase it again, especially now that I’ve found wool that I love more.

Details

Pattern: Autumn League Pullover by Alexandra Tavel (Two of Wands)
Yarn: Hobbii Highland Wool in Peppercorn
Amount used: 1062 yards (973 meters) / 5.5 skeins
Needles: Metal US 8 - 5.0 mm
Size made: Small
Project hours: 45 hours and 21 minutes
New skills: Traveling cables, faux seams, Italian bind off
Dates worked: January 14 — 26, 2023

Zipper Sweater Light

Although unplanned, it seems that at each year's end, I decide it's time to knit Mark a sweater. Last October, I made him the Die Hard sweater of his dreams, and this year, he picked out this staple zipper pullover. I was somewhat nervous about this pattern due to the hand-sewn zipper requirement, and I'm growing increasingly suspicious that Mark only requests knits that challenge me with new skills.

He picked out an olive-colored yarn from the same brand as the scarf I knit for him earlier in the year. After an initial restart on the collar ribbing due to some miscounted stitches, I was humming right along on this project, though I often forget how much longer it takes me to make something to fit Mark instead of me. Since his chest size is about 10 inches larger than mine, that means every single row I have to knit about 50 more stitches, which really adds up. Regardless, the entire sweater only took me three weeks to knit over the course of 54 hours.

As expected, the real challenge presented itself with the zipper. First, I had to sew down the zipper facings which proved to be challenging since they were done in stockinette and were curling inward the whole time. If you look closely at the zipper, you can definitely tell which side I did first.

Using some borrowed thread from a sewing friend, I was able to hand sew the zipper in. Friends, this took me the better portion of the day. I had to take a pause for dinner and put on a headlamp to see my work better. The instructions said to sew the yarn as close to the zipper as possible, and I think I went a little too far in. There’s definitely a few places where the zipper catches a little on the yarn if you aren’t careful. As usual, as soon as I was finished I was filled with an overwhelming sense of disappointment in not being * perfect *. Mark loves it though, so I’m trying to treat myself with a little more grace and acceptance. It’s funny how humbling this hobby can be.

Even with the zipper difficulties, I loved making this project, so I ordered yarn and another zipper to make a me-sized version as well.

Details

Pattern: Zipper Sweater Light by PetiteKnit
Yarn: Wolle Rödel Soft Merino in Olivbraun
Amount used: 1483 yards (1356 meters) / 13.5 skeins
Needles: Metal US 7 - 4.5 mm
Size made: Large
Project hours: 64 hours and 10 minutes
New skills: Judy’s Magic Cast On, tubular bind off, sewing in a zipper
Dates worked: October 21 — November 18, 2023

Hot Toddy Hoodie x Autumn League

Oh, this hoodie. Surprisingly, this was my stressy knit of the year. I don’t know if my mental health was just not in a good place or what, but I decided to take it all out on this hoodie. I think I was going through periods where I felt a lack of control over the future and low self-esteem, so I decided that this hoodie was something I could control and I wouldn’t settle for good enough… until the very end when I just needed to walk away.

I purchased this yarn while we were in Latvia with friends. I had discovered Wooly Yarn earlier in the year and had vowed that I would make a purchase before we left Germany since they have a ton of merino and cashmere fibers for a great price, but since they’re located in Latvia, shipping to the United States is quite costly. When we visited the store, I was immediately overwhelmed because none of the yarn weights were listed anywhere! I loved how this one looked with almost a vintage, lived-in feel and I was pretty sure it was a worsted weight so it would be perfect for the Hot Toddy pattern sitting in my library. Once we left the store, I did some internet searching and discovered it’s actually a DK weight, a whole weight class smaller than what the pattern called for. I was dead-set on using this yarn for the Hot Toddy, so I decided I would adjust the math and make it work. Enter ways-I-made-things-harder-on-myself choice #1.

When I purchased the Hot Toddy pattern, I knew I wanted to do something to spice it up a bit, and I decided it would look so cute with the “x” detail from the Autumn League. The pattern also didn’t have any short row shaping, so I decided to add in German short rows, which was my first time calculating them on my own.

With all these changes, everything was off to a great start and I finished knitting the whole sweater portion in 15 days. The hood is where my mental health took a turn. The pattern has an oversized hood, but I hated how it looked on me. So I put it in timeout for a couple of weeks, finishing a fingering weight 1x1 double-folded brim beanie in the process (aka something I thought I would be working on for months), and ripped the whole hood out. When I reknit the hood, I knit less straight rows and added additional decreases so that the point would be more rounded. This was all successful and I loved how it looked the second time. But now that the hood was on, I noticed the body of the hoodie was a little short, so I undid the ribbing and added a little more length.

While the hood was a minor setback, everything unraveled (metaphorically, not literally) in the wash. As I laid it flat to dry, everything looked smaller than when I had cast off. I don’t understand. I measured everything. I gauged. I blocked the gauge. Was my math wrong? I stretched everything as much as something 40% cotton can (read: not much) and used the only round object I could find to block the hood: a decorative pumpkin.

Fast-forward a couple of days and everything was mostly dry, so I moved the pumpkin in order to flip the whole project and dry the back. The pumpkin freaking stained the hood! So naturally, I ran to Mark panicking. I tried everything to get that damn stain out. Oxiclean, baking soda… it lessened it, but it’s still there. Eventually I told myself this stupid hoodie has now been wet for three days and just needs to dry. I waited a few more days and noticed that there’s now this weird yellow staining sporadically throughout the whole project. At this point, Mark is completely over reassuring me and tells me I just need to let it live. I measure the dried hoodie and it’s matching the pattern schematics for the XS size instead of the S like I had intended, which is fine since the XS just means I have no ease instead of the two inches I thought I would have.

Also, the cord grew in the wash and it’s longer than I want it to be, but like Mark advised, I just need to move on from this one. I don’t hate this project, but I just have a feeling of overall letdown with it that’s 100 percent a product of my own making.

PS: I can’t even lie to myself. I’m definitely going to redo the cord. I can’t stop.

Details

Pattern: Hot Toddy Hoodie by Chantal Miyagishima (Knitatude)
Yarn: Wooly Yarn Alpaca/Mohair/Cotton in Lunar Rock / Wolle Rödel Soft Merino in White
Amount used: Wooly Yarn 1174.5 yards (1074 meters) / Wolle Rödel 19.7 yards (18 meters)
Needles: Metal US 9 - 5.5 mm
Size made: Medium
Project hours: 57 hours
New skills: Using a different yarn weight than pattern, knitting a hood, three needle bind off
Dates worked: September 13 — October 23, 2023

Destination Unknown

Every now and again, I tell myself it’s time to take a break from the big projects and make something smaller to cleanse the palate. What I always fail to realize is that while scarves are definitely smaller width-wise, they are significantly longer and usually take about as much time and wool as a full sweater (for the sizes I usually make at least).

Much like the Billie pullover, I had had this pattern saved for a very long time, but just hadn’t found the right yarn for it. Well, at the end of April we took a trip to Hamburg to visit some friends that were moving back to the states and of course I made my way to a LYS called mylys. The Zauberball looked so cool, I couldn’t resist getting it, but had little idea on what I could make with it… until I remembered this pattern. It was too perfect. I scooped up the black back home and got to work.

Normally when I make a sweater, I do a gauge swatch so I can make sure it will fit me correctly. With scarves and hats, I don’t really do them because I’m okay with the scarf ending up either a hair more wide or narrow, and hats are so small that if they aren’t fitting about halfway through, I just unravel and start over.

I definitely should have swatched this shawl, but I started it while I was on a long train ride to Prague. Since I didn’t, mine ended up being quite a bit smaller than the pattern dimensions (it should have a wingspan of 68 inches and mine is only 60). Other than being too small, which of course is all my fault, I loved working on this shawl. Mosaic colorwork is so fun to work and it was easy to get into a rhythm once I was able to see the pattern take shape. I also love the i-cord edging and I got to learn the Icelandic bind off technique, which was a little tedious for so many stitches but it definitely gives a professional looking edge.

Details

Pattern: Destination Unknown by Cheryl Faust
Yarn: Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball Crazy in Schokoladenseite & Rico Design Essentials Fine Fine Merino in 14 Black
Amount used: Schokoladenseite 312 yards (286 meters) / Black 228 yards
(208 meters)
Needles: Metal US 4 - 3.5 mm
Size made: One size
Project hours: 62 hours and 11 minutes
New skills: I-cord tab cast on, Icelandic bind off
Dates worked: May 4 — June 27

Cedar Falls Scarf

Occasionally, I’ll make things for other people and honestly there isn’t anyone I know more knitworthy than my partner. Not once has he ever said something hateful like “you’re buying too much yarn,” quite the opposite in fact. Any time I tell him there’s an LYS I want to check out, he always tells me to go nuts and usually expects me to bring back much more of a haul than I do.

Another reason he’s extremely knitworthy is he wears everything I’ve made him, like his Die Hard sweater and his cherished Home Alone Hat. So when he asked for a scarf, I said sure.

My guy loves all things plaid, so we picked out this simple mosaic stitch that reminded us of a woven plaid. Unlike me, he looks best in cool tones, so I went to the local yarn store and picked up my favorite German yarn. This stuff is so so soft and I’m itching to make more projects with it.

I also knit this to be extra long so he could do multiple wraps around this neck if he wanted to for even more warmth.

One thing I don’t like about this pattern and the fabric it made is that it curls a lot and I’m not sure why. I know that stockinette will curl, but I thought this would lay more flat since it’s mosaic. Some days I really want to frog the whole thing and redo it as a linen stitch scarf, which will have a similar look but lay better. I may one of these days, but there’s so many other projects I want to do and he hasn’t complained about it, so I might just be overly nitpicky on this.

Details

Pattern: Cedar Falls Scarf by Lion Brand Yarn
Yarn: Wolle Rödel Soft Merino in 37 & 48
Amount used: 355 yards (325 meters) each color/ 3.25 skeins each color
Needles: Metal US 8 - 5.0 mm
Size made: One size
Project hours: 29 hours and 52 minutes
Dates worked: February 2 — March 3

Seedy Top

When I first learned how to knit, all I wanted to do was make clothes. I made a few scarves to get comfortable with tension and was ready to move on. I found a pattern that was an easy tank top where you essentially knit two rectangles and sewed them together along the sides and shoulders.

Since I wasn’t overly comfortable selecting fiber yet, I went with the yarn the pattern used which was the LB Collection Superwash Merino. At the time, I was trying to replace a bunch of wardrobe items that had gotten lost in our move, including some kind of basic tee or tank to wear under this stunning burgundy suede jacket I have, so I chose a grey color.

I finished making the tank top and it just didn’t look good. It looked so homemade and like it was two rectangles slapped together. Now that I understand so much more about garment construction, I never would choose to make something like this for my body again. It looks super cute on the pattern designer, but I just prefer how I look in a garment with some shaping.

This tank top hung in my closet for almost 2 years before I finally frogged it (with my knitworthy partner’s help) and I chose to make two new summery tops with the reclaimed yarn. I made one last summer and this summer I made the Seedy Tank with what was left over.

I love the lines of this tank top and the shape it creates, which is so ironic considering the previous life this yarn had. The way this pattern was written was a little difficult for me to follow, but after restarting a couple of times, I was able to understand what the designer wanted me to do.

Even though this grey is the wrong grey for me (it’s way too cool; I look much better in a warmer beige-grey), I’m happy that I was able to repurpose something I was never going to wear with something that I will. This is another yarn I probably won’t purchase again because even though it wears beautifully and has great stitch definition, it is splitty as all hell and annoying to work with. Also, it grows like crazy when it’s washed which is such a gamble when you’re making fitted clothes.

Details

Pattern: Seedy Top by Clarissa Schellong
Yarn: Lion Brand LB Collection Superwash Merino in Ice
Amount used: 1747 yards (1598 meters) / 5.7 skeins
Needles: Metal US 6 - 4.0 mm
Size made: Small
Project hours: 36 hours
Dates worked: July 9 — 25

Accessories

Here’s all the little projects I worked on throughout the year, usually when I needed a break or something smaller to take on road trips. Prior to learning how to knit, I wasn’t much of a beanie wearer but now I love having them to keep me warm while I’m walking the dogs or spending hours outside at a Christmas market. Below are a few more details about each project, but there’s a lot less drama with beanies than sweaters… at least in my world.

Bittas Ribbelue

I picked up some beautiful hand-dyed yarn while we were in Iceland and I knew I had to make something simple that would let the yarn shine. Since the yarn was laceweight and a little on the rustic side, I paired it with some leftover mohair I had from the Waffle Sweater. I love the versatility and fit of this classic 1x1 rib hat. It’s super lightweight but warm and cozy and extremely water-resistant due to the Icelandic yarn.

Details

Pattern: Bittas Ribbelue by Bitta Mikkelborg
Yarn: Hespa Jurtalitad Einband in Rubia Tinctorum & Lana Grossa Silkhair in Rost
Amount used: Hespa 273 yards (250 meters) / Lana Grossa 266 yards (243.6 meters)
Needles: Metal US 4 - 3.5 mm
Size made: Largest
Project hours: 18 hours
Dates worked: October 7 — 17

Antler Toque

While my friend Bekah patiently waited out my yarn indecision in Latvia, she found a pom pom she loved. I promised to make her a hat for it, so we picked out this beautiful iced lavender yarn, which I barely had enough of to make this beanie double-brimmed. I literally only had about 8 inches of leftover yarn. This is also a great time to mention that I don’t surprise gift knit for people, but if someone asks and picks out the yarn and the pattern, I’ll absolutely make them a beanie.

Details

Pattern: Antler Toque by Tincanknits
Yarn: Rial SNC Morbidone Merinos Extra SW in 90
Amount used: 197 yards (180 meters) / 1 skein
Needles: Metal US 8 - 5.0 mm
Size made: Adult Small
Project hours: 11 hours and 29 minutes
Dates worked: September 30 — October 7

Icelandic Beanie

Prior to our own trip to Iceland, some of our friends did the Ring Road over the summer. As a thank you for watering their plants while they were gone, they gifted me a little beanie kit from The Handknitting Association of Iceland. Since Mark only has one hat, I decided this one could be for him. Mark doesn’t like rustic yarn, so I lined the inside of the folded brim with some leftover Wolle Rödel from his scarf project.

Details

Pattern: Included in the kit
Yarn: Ístex Léttlopi in Dark Gray, Yellow & Red / Wolle Rödel Soft Merino in 48
Amount used: Didn’t bother weighing each amount, but I could make a contrasting hat with the leftovers
Needles: Metal US 7 - 4.5 mm
Size made: One size
Project hours: I didn’t track this one, but it didn’t take very long
Dates worked: August 28 — September 11

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As we wrap up the 2023 knitting journey, I'm curious to know which project stood out to you. Do you have a favorite? Drop a comment below and let me know which piece you loved the most or how it has inspired your own knitting adventures. Here's to many more stitches in the year to come!

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