For 2026, my New Year’s resolution is to complete one unique project each month (but I cheated on this one a little bit… because I started in November and did not expect it to take so long!). I’m hopeful this approach will help streamline my creative process and push me to stay committed to a project through completion. It also allows me to slow down, focus more intentionally on what I’m working on, and avoid juggling multiple projects at the same time.
Edited from my Instagram post:
In January, I completed my first knitting project. I had tried to learn knitting last year but couldn’t figure out how to cast on correctly or maintain consistent tension, which eventually left me frustrated and discouraged. I also struggled with knitting on a conceptual level because it just didn’t click in my mind. With crochet, it’s much easier for me to see how the chains and stitches build the pattern, and what the size of the piece is from the foundation chain. With knitting (because I don’t want to make a swatch :P), it’s harder for me to gauge and I end up redoing the piece multiple times.
This scarf follows the East Wind Scarf pattern by @sysfredens, found on @hobbii_yarn, with tassels added as a personal modification. I was looking for a very beginner-friendly scarf because I really want to learn how to knit. A close friend of mine, decompressedtiff, inspired me to give knitting another try.
I realized that I’ve been casting on incorrectly (despite watching several tutorials), but this tutorial helped me to understand one method of casting on. Once that clicked, I could move past that first barrier and actually get to the project. One thing that I found confusing in knitting is remounting stitches back onto the needle after they’re dropped/frogged. I knew the position of the stitches mattered, but didn’t know how to place them back on correctly. After frogging a few rows, I learned how to do this (but I would like to avoid this at all costs because it’s a pain). With crochet, it’s much easier to pick back up from a mistake.
Overall, while I’m now more comfortable knitting, I wouldn’t pursue anything more than an intermediate project unless there was a video tutorial. I still prefer crochet and Tunisian crochet for my textile projects, but the option to use more techniques is nice to have. One of my goals is to create my own patterns and hopefully add them to my store (if I ever join a market… and do the other documentation required to sell), and so far, I have created one!
SUMBI STUDIO 