This has been my third year taking part in the Make Nine challenge hosted by Rochelle from Home row Fiber co. The idea is to plan nine things you want to make for the year and share your progress on Instagram (or keep it to yourself if you’re not into that sort of thing!).

I love taking part because nine items is relatively realistic and keeps me focused on what I need/want to replace in/add to my wardrobe… rather than going off piste and casting on ALL the things!

This year has been really good because instead of choosing specific patterns - my plans were pretty vague!

Filling the squares also felt like playing bingo so I was motivated to aim for a full house!

Back in March (pre-lockdown and therefore pre me cutting my own hair…) I made the Merry jumper dress by Kim Hargreaves from Winter Blooms. Knitted in Rowan Kid Classic, Mulberry… this has had a LOT of wear.

In April I finished making a denim Peony dress by Colette (with a few adjustments). The fit isn’t perfect as the darts sit a bit high… but it’s really comfy to wear.

Then I lost my making mojo. I had a few things on the go but was really struggling to focus so I just kept starting new things and didn’t finish my third garment until August. But it’s one of my faves!

This summer dress is roughly based on one I had in my wardrobe and like the shape of. Made with atelier brunette fabric from Guthrie & Garnie - the elastic waistband makes it really easy to wear whilst also feeling a bit fancy.

In October I made some Evja Mittens by Skeindeer Knits and a Twisted Headband by Mirella Moments. The headband hasn’t had much wear since it turned colder because I’ve been wearing my Triangle Hat a lot - but it’s nice to have a different option (especially if I haven’t washed my hair because it works well with hair-up). I love the mittens so much! I think they’re getting better with wear as they’re getting a bit fluffy.

The next thing I finished was my Darcy Cardigan - but that wasn’t on my Make Nine plans so adding it to my nine would be cheating!

In the last month I’ve finished a couple of things that I’ve been working on for a while. My Festive Top which I wrote about last week…

And my cropped Burnt top from Indigo by Kim Hargreaves. I’ll write a separate journal about this soon!

I was also very close to finishing my shirt dress! This has been slow progress and I’ve been procrastinating whenever I hit a scary bit: the collar, the box pleat, the yoke… most of it. But I’m taking it step by step and nothing disastrous has happened so far. I just need to finish the collar stand, add the cuffs and make the button holes… eek!

I’m really happy with how my Make Nine 2020 has gone. I haven’t quite completed all nine - but I wasn’t far off! It’s helped me to stay focused on what I want to add to my wardrobe, but the vagueness of my plans made it a lot more flexible and more enjoyable than previous years. I’m still narrowing down my 2021 plans… I’m excited!