I’ve been a busy bee this month, so I thought I’d do a little round-up of what I have been working on!
My first finished project from my Make Nine 2026 is this Fibre Mood Soraya Sweater, and I could not be happier with it! The star of the show is definitely the fabric – it’s the most snuggly, swishy merino sweatshirting, which is the perfect match for the pattern. This is one of the 5 cuts of fabric that my lovely mum brought me back from The Fabric Store in Australia – how lucky am I?!
Three of the cuts she got me were lighter weight merino jersey, which I requested specifically to make some more True Bias Nikko tops. I already have a Nikko made in the same fabric and it’s one of my favourite winter layers, so I know these will be worn a lot. I made a cutting mistake with the Evergreen version (eye roll) which is why it ended up with 3/4 length sleeves – not ideal, but better than a total disaster! I’ve had a great idea for what to make with my last cut of merino, so watch this space…
I finished the Semper Sweater that I have been working on since December and I am absolutely THRILLED with it! I’ve been knitting (mostly small projects) quite a lot since I got back into it in 2024, but I am still very much a beginner and have a lot to learn, so the fact my sweater looks this good and fits so well is amazing to me! I test-knitted it for the Knit Purl Girl as she is updating and re-releasing her pattern in March, and having the support of the other testers in a WhatsApp group was brilliant. I struggled to get gauge and I think I might have given up without their help and advice, and knowing there was a deadline for the project really kept me motivated, too.
This is not the only knitting project I finished in January! I needed a more portable project for the train when we popped to London for the day, so I cast on a hat. I used the last of the yarn I bought in Berlin when we visited in November 2024, and it was lovely to work with – it’s incredibly soft! The pom-pom was a Christmas present from my husband and came from a sheep farmer I follow in Devon, who has a flock of the cutest Greyface Dartmoors. Her lambing updates on Instagram during the spring are wonderful, and I look forward to them every year!
As well as sewing and knitting, I have also done some reading this month. I’m aiming to read 12 books this year, so I’m off to a good start! I had a nasty case of food poisoning a couple of weeks ago and spent quite a lot of time in bed recovering. While I was unable to do much else, I read This House of Grief by Helen Garner and was gripped from cover to cover. It’s a true crime story I am familiar with as it has been featured on the Casefile podcast, but it was fascinating to learn more about the trial. I still can’t decide whether I think it was an accident or he’s guilty of murder!
I have one last thing to share this month! I have just picked up my tapestry from our local framers and I’m so pleased with it! I thought about framing it myself to keep the cost down, but it was definitely worth spending a bit more to get it done professionally as it looks fantastic – I can’t wait to hang it up in our hallway!
I hope you’ve all had a productive month of making, too, and I will be back soon with another round-up!