overwinter /ˌəʊvəˈwɪntə/ : to pass through, last through, or survive the winter season.
It’s been such a long time since I was here! I’m afraid my good intentions to post regularly melted away over the long winter - sorry if you came to check in on what I was up to. It feels really good to be emerging from the cold season now. It’s nearly mid-November, which is proper spring here in Wellington, complete with wild winds blowing four seasons through each day.
Even though it was a dark, long and sometimes difficult winter, I still found joy in keeping up my making practices. Above I’ve shared some of pictures taken through the gold-lit days of autumn.
I finished my Rosie sweater which proved to be a faithful companion through the winter - soft, warm and comfortable. My notes on making that are here on Ravelry.
I also knitted a raglan jumper for Tom, (the Hanstholm pattern by Petite Knit) in some soft recycled possum-merino yarn in a moss green. It was a lot of knitting but he wears it all the time, so it’s worth it! More info here.
A few other little makes:
+ a set of baby hats for a friend’s beautiful new granddaughter (the patterns for these are mostly improvised, but for the one on the bottom right, I used this free pattern which is called ‘Beloved Aran’.
+ an improvised hot water bottle cover, made from the starting point of a crocheted granny square. From there, I picked up knitted stitches in different directions then knitted a back piece to match.
+ a hat for my son Arlo, made using DK wool in a vibrant shade of green, and this pattern from Purl Soho.
I’ve also been lucky enough to teach a few embroidery classes this year, including a session at the annual Craft Camp in Te Awa Kairangi - Hutt Valley.
I developed a new class for this, ‘Sticker-book tattoo embroidery.’ This class is all about guiding makers through their choice of tattoo-inspired motifs to stitch on their clothes or a cushion cover.
I have another class like this coming up on November 22 at Mish Make Make in Lower Hutt. I’d love to see you if you’re a local who is keen to learn or continue embroidery! You can sign up here.
I hope you’ve had a good creative season of making, wherever you are in the world.