Make Nine 2025: A Gentle Guide Through the Creative Season!

If you’ve ever mapped out your fall knitting plans, only to feel them shift mid-season — you’re not alone. My Make Nine 2025 list began as a soft framework for the year, built around intentional knitting, mindful making, and joy-filled progress.

Some of those projects are now part of my handmade wardrobe. Others took unexpected turns. A few, I’ve decided to lovingly let go — and one, I’m giving away the yarn for.

This is my knitting update: what I’ve finished, what I’ve changed, and what’s quietly taking shape on my needles. If you're dreaming of a slower, more meaningful making year — welcome in!

Finished Knitting Projects That Found a Place in My Wardrobe

There’s a special kind of joy in wearing something you’ve made yourself — especially when it fits both your body and your lifestyle.

Let’s start with the Venilia Tee. Airy, elegant, and full of quiet detail, this piece has become a year-round favorite. It’s light enough for warmer days but layers beautifully too — a true knitting for joy moment.

Next is the Dori Vest. Rich in texture thanks to brioche, this was definitely a slow knit — but one of the most rewarding. It adds instant structure to any outfit and reflects the thoughtful approach I’m bringing to my slow fashion knittingjourney.

And then, the project closest to my heart: my hand-knit wedding dress. Designed entirely from scratch, it was a labor of love — and a celebration of knitwear design as something deeply personal and emotional.

Knitting Progress: What’s Currently On My Needles

Right now, my knitting basket feels balanced — one project that grounds me, and one that sparks pure creative play.

The first is the Diona Tee, a clean and modern design by Sari Nordlund that somehow manages to be both elegant and approachable. The delicate cables flow down the front and back like quiet streams, giving just enough structure to feel polished without losing that soft, handmade ease. I’m knitting it in a silk and Bluefaced Leicester blend from The Wool Kitchen — yarn I picked up at Edinburgh Yarn Festival years ago and have been saving for the “right” moment.

This feels like that moment. The color is a silvery blue with tiny coppery speckles that glint when the light hits them — subtle, but luminous. The fabric has this gentle drape that makes every row feel intentional, and the rhythm of the cables has become my favorite kind of meditation: slow, steady, deeply satisfying. It’s mindful making in its purest form — a project that asks for presence, not perfection.

And in true creative fashion, I couldn’t resist starting something new. I cast on a romantic, improvised blouse using Fuwa Fuwa and Moonspun yarns — a pairing that feels like knitting with air. The colorway, Lichen, shifts between olive green and golden light, like sunlight filtering through moss. There’s no pattern, just an evolving idea: a soft collar, puffed sleeves, maybe some tiny buttons down the front. It’s whimsical, a little unpredictable, and it’s reminding me why I love this knitting lifestyle — because sometimes the best projects are the ones that simply ask to be made.

When Popular Knitting Patterns No Longer Feel Like the Right Fit

There’s a quiet freedom in realizing that not every pattern you love on paper will fit your hands, your wardrobe, or your energy in the moment. That’s been one of the biggest lessons in my Make Nine 2025 journey.

Take the Poetry Pullover and the Auguste Sweater. Both are stunning — full of texture, drape, and detail — but both were planned in shades of white. And after months of knitting my wedding dress, my heart (and eyes) needed a break from pale neutrals. I started craving warmth and softness: gentle colors, tactile yarns, projects that felt more like rest than discipline. So, they’ll wait for another season — when I’m ready to fall in love with them again.

Then there’s the Diamond Jumper. I still admire Anne Ventzel’s elegant minimalism, but discovering that the size range stopped at a 112 cm bust shifted something in me. It didn’t align with the inclusive spirit I want to nurture in my own making. Supporting popular knitting patterns that embrace every body feels far more important than finishing one that doesn’t.

In their place comes the Pearl Sweater, a design that feels like a warm exhale. It’s a cable-rich pattern full of movement and depth, and I’m knitting it with leftover yarn from my wedding dress held together with a silk-alpaca blend from a local indie dyer. The yarn itself has a story — inspired by the Chronicles of Narnia and dyed with the softest shimmer. It feels like magic in fiber form.

And because I can’t resist a creative challenge, I’ve started sketching a drop-shoulder sweater design of my own — something classic yet personal. Think twisted rib, diamond-inspired cables, and shoulder shaping inspired by saddle construction, all knit in Vidde wool. It’s the kind of piece that feels timeless but distinctly mine — born from letting go of what no longer fits and stepping into what does.

Projects Still in the Planning Stage — But Not Forgotten

Some projects might not be on my needles yet, but they’re simmering quietly in the background — waiting for the right moment to bloom.

The Dartā Sweater by Inese Sang is one of them. I was drawn to its blend of softness and structure — the way reverse stockinette meets delicate ruffles in a way that feels both nostalgic and fresh. I’m pairing La Bien Aimée Peaches & Dreams with a light mohair from The Wandering Flock, and together they create a fabric that looks like spun sunrise. It’s whimsical, feminine, and a little bit fairytale — exactly what I want when I’m craving something gentle and romantic.

And then there’s the Nordic Bloom Cardigan by Caitlin Hunter — a celebration of colorwork, tradition, and joy. The floral motifs are bold yet familiar, and I can’t decide which I love more: the modern silhouette or the heritage feel. I’m torn between Vidde from Hillesvåg and Rauma Fivel for the yarn — both rustic in the best way — and I keep going back and forth between a blush-pink base with deep plum flowers, or the reverse. Either way, I know it’ll be a cardigan that feels like autumn — rich, cozy, and full of character.

These lingering projects remind me that knitting progress isn’t measured only in finished stitches. It’s also about nurturing ideas, letting them rest, and trusting that they’ll come alive when the time is right. Because sometimes, the most inspiring part of the knitting inspiration journey is the pause before the cast-on.

Yarn Giveaway: Win Holst Supersoft Yarn for the Iris Sweater

One project I’m officially letting go of is the Iris Sweater. As much as I love the crisp silhouette and colorwork design, the yarn contrast just wasn’t working for me. The joy disappeared while swatching — and that’s always a sign.

But the yarn? Still gorgeous. Holst Supersoft yarn in the original Iris colorway — enough for a cropped version — and I’d love to pass it on to someone who’s been dreaming of knitting this sweater.

Want to enter the yarn giveaway? Head over to my latest video and leave a comment telling me why you want to knit the Iris Sweater — I’ll pick a winner soon!

Make Nine 2025: A Living Plan, Not a Fixed List

That’s the beauty of Make Nine 2025. It’s not about ticking boxes. It’s about giving yourself a structure that supports flexibility, intention, and creativity. About making space for change — and following the spark when it arrives.

So — what’s calling to your needles right now? Are your fall knitting plans still on track, or have they taken a new turn?

Whether you're finishing your own finished knitting projects, experimenting with new knitwear designs, or just exploring what intentional knitting looks like for you — I’d love to hear what’s unfolding on your side.

Let’s keep creating with heart, with purpose — and always with joy.