• 2026 - Blanket - Cats - Crochet - Garment - Knitting - Socks - Sweater

    March 2026 Projects Update

    March 2, 2026 - By 

    It’s hard to believe it’s already March and I haven’t posted a finished project for 2026. I have been crocheting and knitting a lot this year, I just haven’t completed anything yet!

    I started off the year working on a crochet along with Attic24, the Wildshore Blanket CAL. The CAL takes about 2 months, with the border being released last Friday I should have finished it this past weekend, but I’m just not sure if I’m going to follow the border pattern, or pick something else. It’s the look of the final row that has me uncertain.

    I also started a raglan sweater for myself, that I have knit and frogged multiple times. I received the yarn and pattern as a Christmas gift and I started off knitting it from that, but it was a raglan sweater knit bottom up in pieces and I got frustrated with it. I thought I should switch to a top down raglan knit in once piece that I could try on as I went. Which sounded like a good plan, but then when I finished it, it ended up too big in circumference. When I told James about the latest fitting he said “you always seem to knit your sweaters a few times” I replied, “because I’m not good at it!” LOL I have the techniques down, but I really seem to struggle with garment sizing. So it’s in a time out right now while I think about how I want to fix it.

    I also started a loosey goosey sock knitalong with my friend Terri, I was meant to knit one pair of socks per month throughout the year. I started a pair in January but lost interest in the pattern and frogged it. So no January socks. I started a different pair in February, did I finish them? Also no. I am knitting them two at a time and have managed to knit the legs, do the heel turns and gusset decreases, so I think I am in the home stretch. But then I have to think of March socks…

    You’ll notice that the cats have been spending a lot of time near me as I work. Trixie is very good about leaving my yarn alone, but Miss Marple is a very naughty knitty kitty, she’s always keeping an eye on the yarn and trying to eat it, so that has contributed a bit to my slowness. Hopefully I’ll be adding a flurry of completed project posts in the next few weeks. 😉

    With that thought in mind, I have a couple changes to the blog for this year. I think I’m going to get back to the chatty blog posts I used to write, this past year of only adding projects hasn’t been as creative for me. So fair warning. I’ve also added a “spotlight” page you can access from the top menu, I’ll add photos I particularly like there. I also thought about changing the blog theme and appearance, I even purchased a new “pro” theme but I can’t get it to work the way I want. I need to learn more about working with it, maybe that will be a 2027 update.

  • 2025 - Cats - Knitting - Socks

    2025-30 Fang Socks

    January 9, 2026 - By 

    When I saw this pattern the first person I thought of making them for was my daughter Keely, who has a blank cat named Fang. The pattern uses a grey yarn for the cat, but black is in perfect contrast to the green.

    Pattern: Cat-astrophe from Biscotte Yarns

    Craft: knitting

    Made for: Keely

    Size: one size

    Needle: 2.5mm and 3 mm

    Yarn: Knit Picks Stroll – black, Sea Turtle Fiber Arts Ridley Sock – Meadow

    Notes: Turkish cast on, then knit one more round. Made shorties because I only had 50 grams of black.

  • 2025 - Knitting - Socks

    2025-21 & 22 Basic 64 Stitch Socks

    January 9, 2026 - By 

    I made two pairs of basic socks to keep my hands busy. The purple ones I added to my gifting box, the second pair I forgot to take a photo of before giving them to someone (I can’t remember), but they used up the yarn left over from a previous project. https://micheleleigh.ca/2025-10-11-socks-for-e-j/

    21 Basic 64 Stitch Sock

    Pattern: nothing specific

    Made for: ?

    Craft: knit

    Size 64 sts

    Needle: 2.5mm

    Yarn: Patons Kroy Sock Effects

    Notes: cast on 64 sts, worked 1×1 rib for 1 ¼” then knit stockinette stitch until leg is 6” long. Heel flap is garter edged eye of partridge as in Hermione’s Everyday Sock pattern. Knit foot until 7” ending after finishing sole stitches.

    22 Basic 64 Stitch Sock

    Pattern: 2×2 rib

    Made for: I forget

    Craft: knit

    Size 64 sts

    Needle: 2.25mm

    Yarn: Deborah Norville Serenity Sock Weight

    Colourway: Indigo

    Notes: Used the heel flap pattern from Hermione’s Every Day Socks.

  • 2025 - Blanket - Crochet

    2025-29 Storyteller Blanket

    January 9, 2026 - By 

    The 2025 fall blanket kit from Attic24 was the Storyteller Blanket, I didn’t really NEED to crochet a blanket, but decided I would make one if I had enough yarn in my stash, I know we are all shocked that I did indeed have enough yarn. I had to substitute a few colours, but I think they were good replacements. This one is in the to be gifted bin.

    Pattern: Storyteller Blanket by Lucy of Attic24 

    Craft: crochet

    Made for: ?

    Size: 48” square

    Hook: 3.5 mm 

    Yarn: Stylecraft Special DK

    Notes: using stash yarn for this, substituted some colours I didn’t have.

    Blue Sky

    North Sea

    Mallard Blue

    Leaf = Cypress

    Mistletoe = Meadow

    Pistachio

    Mushy Peas = Lincoln

    Toy = Cream

    Camel

    Gingerbread

    Copper

    Claret

    Pink Rhubarb = Raspberry

    Cinder Rose = Grape

    Milky Tea = Pale Rose

  • 2025 - Blanket - Cats - Crochet

    2025-28 Flowerpress Blanket

    January 9, 2026 - By 

    My co-worker Erika bought a new house and moved into it over the Christmas holiday’s. I let her pick a pattern for a housewarming blanket, she really liked the first one I showed her which was the Flowerpress from Attic24. I had bought three of the kits when it was released in the fall of 2024 because I loved the colours, I knew I wanted to make a larger version because I’m not usually a fan of square blankets, and I’d want to make a 2nd blanket one day. I switched it from 4 x 4 squares to 4 x 6 squares. I had made an excel spreadsheet with the extra colours planned out, so that saved me a lot of work! My friend Cailin is about to get started on one as well and was planning on making it larger, so I shared my spreadsheet with her. All that extra project planning at the beginning really does come in handy sometimes!

    I was supervised by Miss Marple throughout the process.

    The yarn is really nice compared to other recycled fibres I’ve used. It’s 40% Wool, 30% Acrylic, and 30% Polyester, from plastic bottles. It feels a bit rough like cotton when you are working with it, but washes up like a pair of soft denim jeans.

    The first time I crocheted this blanket I tried to use the pattern join, but found it too tight, I switched it out to the continuous flat braid join from The Patchwork Heart UK. It’s a very pretty join, just using single crochet and chain stitches, see the notes below for my adjustments. It is more of a yarn eater though, so I had to buy one more ball of champagne to make this blanket. I still have enough yarn left that I can probably make a lap or baby blanket with it.

    Pattern: Flowerpress Blanket by Lucy of Attic24 

    Craft: crochet

    Made for: Erika’s housewarming gift

    Size: 48 x 69”

    Hook: 3.5 mm and 4 mm

    Yarn: Stylecraft ReCreate DK

    Colourway: Avocado, Blush, Champagne, Cherry, Dijon, Grape, Pistachio, Rose, Sky, Teal

    Notes from 2024 project:

    3.5 mm hook for squares. 4 mm hook for joining and first round of border. 

    Blanket is 4 x 4 squares. I made 4 x 6 squares. 

    Switched out pattern join for continuous flat braid join with, chain 2s and 3s instead of chain 3s and 5s. After joining round, slip stitch into corner space

    Next round: chain 1, (sc, ch 2, sc) into corner space. Sc in first stitch, hdc in missed sc of 2 rounds below (last round of square done in champagne.) continues across side. Where squares meet, hdc in corner loop 2 rounds below, sc in corner loop of last round, sc2tog over both corner loops, sc in corner loop of next square, hdc in corner loop of 2 rounds below. There will be 5 stitches across this joining area. In corners work sc, ch2, sc.

    181 stitches across short side on round 2 of border.

    273 stitches across long side on round 2 of border.

    Plus 4 corner stitches.

    Broke into second kit to work joining and border. Final yarn amounts used in grams:

    Avocado 132 – Blush 120 – Champagne 155 – Cherry 120 – Dijon 75 – Grape 105 – Pistachio 118 – Rose 114 – Sky 137 – Teal 75.

  • 2025 - Hat - Knitting

    2025-25 Moose Cap

    January 8, 2026 - By 

    I made this hat in grey’s for my son Rowan a few years ago. When I shared a photo with my friend Terri, she asked me if I could make one for her husband for Christmas, I had enjoyed knitting it and I had the yarn in my stash so I said sure. This one is made in brown’s.

    Pattern: Moose Cap from Saltwater Classics book

    Made for: Terri

    Craft: knitting

    Needle: 3.5, 4.5, 5mm DPNs, 16” 5mm circ

    Yarn: Patons North America Classic Wool Worsted

    Colour: Natural Mix, Chestnut Brown, Aran

    Notes: use 5mm for colourwork portion.

  • 2025 - Baby Blanket - Blanket - Crochet - Hat

    2025-26 & 27 Crochet Easy Elegant Baby Blanket / One Row Repeat, and Baby Maude Hat

    January 8, 2026 - By 

    When my friends have babies and grandbabies, they get blankets! I’ve watched Robin’s kids grow up in the neighbourhood, so when her son and his wife had their first baby this year, of course I made a blanket and a hat. The yarn is the same I knit my cousin’s granddaughters blanket set with earlier this year, but in the colour sage. It’s a really lovely yarn to work with, knit or crochet.

    I followed the pattern from a video on YouTube, the border turned out so lovely! It’s very elegant as the name suggests.

    Pattern: Crochet Easy Elegant Baby Blanket

    Size: 35” square

    Craft: crochet

    Made for: Robins granddaughter

    Hook: 4 mm, 4.5 mm, 5 mm & 5.5 mm

    Yarn: Stylecraft Bambino DK

    Colourway: Sage

    Notes: Chain 174 to start with 4 mm hook. Switch to 4.5 mm for blanket. After 6” switch to 5 mm because my tension tightened up.

    Width of blanket before border is 29”, crochet till 29” long. 

    27 Baby Maude Hat

    Pattern: Baby Maude Hat by Daisy Farm Crafts

    Size: 3-6 months

    Craft: crochet

    Made for: Robin Wheatleys granddaughter Natalia

    Hook: 4mm

    Yarn: Stylecraft Bambino DK

    Colourway: Sage

  • 2025 - Hat - Knitting

    2025-24 Where’s Waldo Toques

    January 8, 2026 - By 

    My husbands co-workers decided on a Where’s Waldo theme for their office Halloween, I got recruited to knit hats. Five in total, took a week. Definitely a last minute project.

    Pattern: Last Minute Waldo by Robyn Wade

    Made for: James & coworkers 

    Craft: knitting

    Size: One size

    Needle: 5.5 mm

    Yarn: Loops & Threads Impeccable (White)

    Loops & Threads Colour Crafter (White)

    Loops & Threads Soft Classic (Red)

    Notes: use yarn doubled. 

    Used 63 gms of white and 36 gms of red per hat.

  • 2025 - Blanket - Crochet

    2025-23 Ripple Blanket Wedding Gift 

    January 8, 2026 - By 

    My son Rowan was in his friend’s wedding party in August, I offered to make a blanket as a wedding gift. Went with the classic ripple in many shades of blue and green, with some purples and white thrown in for contrast.

    Pattern: Neat Ripple by Attic24

    Made for: Rowan’s friend

    Craft: crochet

    Size: 48 x 66”

    Hook: 3.5mm

    Yarn: Stylecraft Special DK

    Notes: chain 212 for 15 pattern repeats

    I really struggled with weaving in ends, after doing it with the Attic24 instructions by doing it double stranded, I started a few rounds of a border. I realized I didn’t like the border colour I’d chosen, and the woven in ends were lumpy and unattractive. I pulled the border out. Then plucked out all the ends and wove them in single stranded, much happier, then also changed up the border idea.

    Border: followed instructions from Snufflebean Crochet on straightening up the end rows, then followed her ripple edging with first two rounds in Aster, then round 3 in Lapis with corners done as 2 hdc, ch 2, 2 hdc. No round 4.

    Colours used with amounts in grams:

    Aquamarine 69 – Aster 115 – Cloud Blue 69 – Empire 66 – Lapis 93 – Lavender 70 – Lobelia 65 – Periwinkle 65 – Plum 69 – Sage 69 – Sherbet 69 – Spearmint 66 – Tea Green 54 – Turquoise 64 -White 69 

  • 2025 - Knitting - Socks

    2025-20 Scrap Yarn Socks

    January 6, 2026 - By 

    Amy is my youngest sons girlfriend, who also happens to be one of my daughters best friends, we LOVE her! I thought it was time to make her a pair of socks, she is a big crafter, she quilts and makes wonderful articles of clothing with reclaimed fabric, so these scrap yarn socks seemed like the perfect fit for her. She loves them!

    20 Scrap Yarn Socks

    Pattern: from Leftover Sock Yarn Socks — Knitting Squirrel

    Made for: Amy

    Craft: knit

    Size: 64 stitches

    Needle: 2.25 mm

    Yarn: 10-15 colours of about 10 grams each of scrap yarn.

    Notes: First stripe is cast on plus 3. Then 5 stripes of each colour.

    I followed the advice in the pattern to weave my ends in as I went, because there were so many of them! To do this, I wove in the tail of the yarn of the previous section on the first round, then the tail end of the yarn of the current section on the second round. I wanted to make it feel a bit less bulky. I also followed the advice to do a jogless join, I used this method – How to do the Jogless Jog — Knitting Squirrel 

    15 stripes for leg.

    Work 32 rows for heel flap to end with 18 sts after heel turn.

    Pick up and knit 16 stitches plus one more in the gap for each side of gusset. Knit into the back loop for 2nd side of gusset.