A Year In Books: 2023

 

I'm always delving into stories to escape my own life. I love to listen to audiobooks when I'm doing things around my house or tedious things at work, etc. I love being able to have the best of both worlds with reading great stories and still getting other things done. I was just shy of my yearly goal of reading 30 books, but 28 books is still pretty darn close. Here are the books I read this year:

1. Crossroads of Twilight by Robert Jordan
2. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
3. Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman
4. Knife of Dreams by Robert Jordan
5. New Spring by Robert Jordan

6. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
7. The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
8. Dying of Politeness by Geena Davis
9. Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
10. The Cloisters by Katy Hays

11. The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
12. A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
13. All the Beauty in the World by Patrick Bringley
14. Hooked by Sutton Foster
15. The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O'Farrell

16. Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell
17. The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith
18. Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
19. Piranesi by Susanna Clark
20. Pines by Blake Crouch

21. The Signalman by Charles Dickens
22. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
23. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
24. Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes
25. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

26. Wayward by Blake Crouch
27. The Woman in Me by Brittney Spears
28. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

I finished the entire Wheel of Time series in 2 years, which I'm pretty surprised by honestly, and it left a hole after I finished because I could always fall back on reading the next book in the series. I've never been a series gal, but I did like that I didn't have to think about what I wanted to read next because there was more to the story. I also read the first 2 books of Wayward Pines and I'm waiting my turn with the final book there. The only series I'm reading that is still actively going is the Cormoran Strike books and I anxiously await the next installment all the time. I just love Rowling's writing style and will read everything she does. Some of the books I read were duds, but overall I enjoyed most everything I read in 2023. Here's hoping that 2024 brings more insights and great stories to enrich us all :)

A Year In Thread: 2023

I'm seriously so stoked to be sewing clothes again! Because my weight was in constant flux the past few years, I basically didn't allow myself to sew any clothes even when I wanted to. Well no more! I've decided to just sew for the body I currently have and then worry about it changing later. Life is too short to ignore something you love doing, amiright? I started sewing again back in July of 2023, and this is everything I made from then until now. Each project is linked if you want to see more about it.

1. White Linen Cielo Top
2. Mustard Linen Fiore Skirt
3. Prickly Gable Top
4. Purple Roses Gable Top

5. White Gable Top
6. Khaki Linen Skirt Refashion
7. On Point Hollyburn Skirt
8. Yellow Eyelet Top

9. Natural Linen Fiore Skirt

10. Altered Thrifted Shirts
11. Altered Banana Republic Skirts

12. Toile Regency Stays

13. Regency Chemise
14. Black Linen Fiore Skirt
15. Witchy Gable Top

16. Daria Jacket

17. Starry Starry Skirt

I also have a few projects that I cut out but have not sewn yet due to the Christmas craziness. I'm very excited to sew my Black New England Dress, and I need a few more tweaks to have a wearable Altered Embroidered Skirt. I lost steam on my Regency project, but I had already cut out my Bodice Petticoat, so that will be the next piece I sew for that costume when the mood strikes me again. I have a lot of plans in my head for other projects and I can't wait to be able to make them a reality this next year.

Not bad for 6 months or so! I'm excited to see what I manage to make up next year.

A Year In Yarn: 2023

Knitting and crochet have always been my go-to crafts over the years, even when sewing went by the wayside. This year felt a bit more productive than the past several, so I think I'm really back in the swing. These are all the pieces I made with yarn in 2023 and each project is linked if you want to find out more about it.

1. Baby's First Toilet
2. Florist Bolero
3. Haruni Shawl
4. Hungry Snake

5. Baby's First Planet
6. Honeybee Cardigan
7. Stonecrop Tote
8. Gus Gus

9. Gingham Baby Blanket
10. Liesl Cardigan
11. Sock Week Socks
12. Playin' My Song Shawl

13. Minion Rattle
14. Pusheen
15. Susan Shaw Cardigan
16. Chuck Sweater

17. Pink Bear Hat
18. Ravenclaw Scarf
19. Ravenclaw Hat
20. Pikachu Scarf

21. Blue Bear Hat
22. Spiderman Scarf
23. Spiderman Hat

24. Pokeball Hat

25. Pan Handle Cover

26. Fuzzy Neon Beanies

27. Finger Knit Blanket

28. Belladonna Cardigan

I managed to squeak in the Belladonna cardigan just under the wire on the 28th. It's currently blocking, but since the knitting was done in 2023, it totally counts! This means I managed to make 6 sweaters this year, 2 of which were fingering weight, one of those was knit almost 2 full times by the time it was done. Seventeen of the 28 items I made with yarn were gifts, which is pretty impressive. Mostly I just knit myself sweaters and a few shawls, but I highly enjoyed all the things I made. The last 12 items were all made for Christmas and I will be posting about those in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for details on those if you're interested.

I do still have some standing UFOs to account for:

1. Irish Crochet Top - this one still upsets me, lol. I 100% plan to make this into a shirt yoke, but I have to either sew or find the right shirt first. This project was a lot of fun and I have now amassed a lot of colors of crochet thread to make lots of things, but this one has to be finished first. Hopefully I can decide on a shirt and it work out unlike the last one.

2. Hockey Socks - I started these the last few days of 2022 at a Solar Bears hockey game and I have hardly touched them since, lol. And what I did knit seems to have been done wrong at the decrease point, so I have to take it out anyway. I will eventually finish these - I just haven't really needed a sock project this year.

3. Cathedral Rose Window Afghan - I have completely lost steam on this project, sadly. I love the idea, but to be honest I didn't like the colors I had on hand to make it up and the whole reason I started this was to try and stash bust. I have the first several rows done, so maybe I can make this into a circular pillow?

4. Raffia Beach Hat - This one is annoying. I got the whole hat part done before the brim and it is just too big. One swift breeze and this baby would be gonzo. The paper yarn tends to not like being pulled back and the more stitches I make with each sections, the more prone to breaking it is. I do still want a beach hat, but I just didn't have the heart to start over this year. Maybe when it warms up again I'll go for it.

I also have several garments that I swatched for but then never got around to making, which now means I will have to swatch again if I pick them up. First up on the list to make is the Rose Street Cardigan from Squid's School of Vintage Knitting. I swatched this back in April when the pattern was released and I just wouldn't let myself cast on until I finished the Susan Shaw Cardigan, so this will be started very soon. I also swatched the Mudblood Cardigan and I've had the yarn purchased for this project since 2015 (oh my gosh, lol), but the idea of knitting all that stockinette ... it just feels so boring. I like the finished sweater and I feel like it would get a good amount of wear, but the idea of making it is less than thrilling. I also don't love the fit I've seen on others who made it with the too wide looking shoulders. Maybe I will just recreate this myself on the knitting machine? I also swatched the Solstice Top when I was majorly jazzed about knitting a linen shirt, but again I wouldn't let myself start until Susan Shaw was done. Now I probably won't start this until after the winter at least, but I still love the idea of this.

So that's 2023 in yarn! I'm excited to see what this round up is for 2024!

Top of '23: Next Year's Goals!

 

It wouldn't be a new year without some new plans. In truth, my plans are always ongoing, and I post about them all the time here, but I do always like to see what I was thinking about at the beginning of the year. So here are some of the goals I have right now that I hope to accomplish next year.

1. My Make 9 patterns - I have loved the idea of the Make 9 list ever since someone started it years ago, and while I have a hard time sticking to the list, plus I have a hard time narrowing it down to just 9 patterns, I decided to give it a go once again.

• Folkwear Austrian Dirndl
• Ora Lin Sophie Dress
• Vintage Simplicity 8498
• Deer & Doe Bleuet
• Charm Night and Day Dress
• Charm Gardner Top
• Anna Rose Blouse Paule
• Simplicity 8486
• Vintage Simplicity 5259

As I look at this I'm realizing how many dresses are on this list, lol. So I'll just call it now and say that a lot of these won't happen, like usual, but maybe this will be the year I surprise myself?

I also still plan on making these patterns that I had already planned for this year and didn't get around to. I have these already mentally earmarked for certain fabrics, so these will more likely be some of the first things I make.

• Wildflower Coquelicot Skirt
• Sew Chic Palazzo Pants Skirt
• Simplicity 8462
• Simplicity 9464
• Blue Ginger Doll Peggy Skirt

2. Knit a colorwork sweater - I've never been very good at colorwork. I've tried a few smaller projects over the years, but despite my best efforts I always knit the color sections too tight and they won't lay nicely. I really really want to get the knack of this though! This is the year! I'm feeling more inspired about this lately, so I'm going to use that momentum to buckle down and learn how to fix my issues with colorwork and make a sweater. These are my current contenders:

• Ixchel - I've wanted to make this sweater ever since its release in 2018, but the colorwork always felt out of my league. I got brave a couple of years ago during a sale on Knit Picks Stroll Tonal and I purchased enough in the Inverness and Poppy Field colorways, but I just keep picking other projects. So this is a bit of a dream project that I don't know I will end up tackling yet, but it's still always on the radar.
• Pocket Ride Cardigan - Can this really count as colorwork? lol I Adore this cardigan and I bought the book finally this past Black Friday along with Knit Picks Palette in the Comfrey colorway for the sweater itself and I have LOTS of colors of palette on hand for the kitty. I plan on making it look like my cat, Daisy, with gray yarn. 
  
• Carivel Colorblock Sweater - In truth, I think this will be my first colorwork sweater. I saw someone make this and steek it to be a cardigan and I can't get the idea out of my head. I love the color combination and I got all the Knit Picks Palette colors I needed to complete this. I went entirely by the color choices of the person on Ravelry I am copying because I couldn't find a list of the color names anywhere on the site, which seems a bit odd to me. But I love this design and I think it will be a good first colorwork sweater :)
  

3. Buying ban - When I say I have too much stuff, I think people greatly underestimate what I mean. I am not one of those ladies on youtube complaining that the one cubby hole in their Ikea unit is full of fabric and therefor they have too much stash. I have been extremely lucky with people wanting to give me things relating to my hobbies for years now and I have literal closets (yes multiples) full of fabric, yarn, patterns, and more. My sewing room has become so full that for one I can't find things I want to use, but it's also hard to even move around in there to make anything. Every surface is covered and I have to move things to do anything. I have constant avalanches of fabric when I pull a piece out of the huge stack. I'll want to make something and be missing just 1 piece I need but I can't find that in the mire. So this year I will be going through a good destash, but I also want to enact a buying ban. Will I be doing this immediately? Of course not, lol. I plan on going to The Sewing Studio sale on New Year's Day because there are some things I need for specific projects and the reality is I will end up with things I didn't plan on, but after that trip I will be implementing a full scale buying ban on fabric and yarn and most other things. I just can't keep so much inventory at this pace. I need to deal with what I have first. 

4. Knit more vintage designs - I enjoyed the challenge of sizing up a vintage sweater this year and now I feel more confident to try again on another design. The problem is there are so many cute vintage sweater designs that I can't choose! These are 2 that I purchased recently, but there are so many others on my radar I can't even gather them all.

• Bernice - This was a bit of a detective project for me this year. I saw Syndey Crabaugh wearing this design made up in an olive green with white flowers and yellow centers. I loved this top and I'm not sure if she knit it or if it was original vintage. Either way, I set about the task of finding what pattern this was, and Subversive Femme had it! She just names her patterns and doesn't tell what booklet they came from, but it was originally called a snowflake design, which it is that as well in the right colors. I plan on using the flower idea and making my own someday.
• #39 Bobble Jumper  - This one was a whim purchase because the pattern is already in a size 40" bust. Part of me really would like to see what the process of knitting a vintage pattern as written would be, so this may be the one for that. I have some Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud in the Zadie colorway that I think would be very cute for this pattern. We'll see.

5. Make a sweater on the knitting machine - Now that I've made official finished knit items on my knitting machine, I want to branch out into making sweaters. I have 2 knitting machines - a standard gauge Brother and a bulky Babylock (Bond) knitter. Since I just came off making a bunch of items with the Babylock, I feel pretty confident that I could make a sweater on that machine now. I have wanted to make this sweater for YEARS and I bought the yarn for it back in 2015 (holy cow). The Mudblood Cardigan is a worsted weight plain stockinette sweater and even though I swatched it last year to possibly make, I just have never wanted to knit such a boring design. I love wearing sweaters like this, but knitting them is just not very interesting. At some point in the last month or so, I had the thought that I could try to convert this pattern to be made on my knitting machine. It really should not be hard to do, so I'm hoping that I can finally get this sweater made up and the yarn out of my stash.

6. Embroider and sew a clothing project - I talked about this project several months ago and then never made it, lol. I want to recreate this polyester Walmart brand shirt I got in a thrift store a while back but make it in linen. I try not to wear synthetics, but this shirt is so cute that I just couldn't get rid of it. It has a simple embroidered panel in the center with insertion lace at the sides and bottom. I hate the flouncy hem, but all the more reason to make it myself. So I need to narrow down a base pattern for the shape I like and then hack it into these pieces to recreate this design. My Husqvarna Viking Ruby machine is more than capable of this, and I bought it from a quilter so I actually have all the large and rolling hoops that would make this idea possible, but I just haven't sat down and devoted the time to getting it all figured out and make a project. This will be the goal!

7. Learn to spin - Friends ... I'm diving down yet another fiber related crafting rabbit hole ... I got a spinning wheel! I find it funny that I remember saying years ago that I would never have the desire to spin my own yarn. Well ... here we are, lol. This isn't something that was actively on my radar because I have more of an idle curiosity about spinning than anything and the cost of getting into this hobby is ... prohibitive, let's say, lol. A new spinning wheel like this costs about $600, which for a hobby I don't even know I will like is just not do-able. I always figured I would get a wheel one day and try it out, but I wasn't actively looking. Then the weekend before Christmas this wheel popped up on Facebook Marketplace in my area and for a steal of a deal. I jumped immediately and now I have a spinning wheel. I'm working on getting it cleaned up and waxed now, but even my kids are super excited about the idea of helping me make yarn. So I want to learn to spin this year and produce a useable yarn and then knit it into a shawl. I feel like that's a great entry level project, so this will be added to the list of goals this year. I'm excited to play with my new toy I got for Christmas, lol.

I have other goals as well, but these are my crafting related ones and I'm pretty happy with this list as a starting point, lol. Plenty to keep me busy, for sure. Do you have any goals of things to learn in 2024? I'd love to hear them!

Top of '23: Reflections

 I had a hard time with this prompt this year, but these are some of the things that came to mind.

• Don't put off making things you love because you don't know the future. I haven't allowed myself to sew clothes since 2019 (I believe) because my weight has been changing so much since then. I've continued knitting because that's stretchy and forgiving, but sewing generally is not and I like for my work to last for a very long time. I tend to become very attached to the clothes I make, and even now I have a stack of favorite pieces I made when I was a larger size that I want to try and take in for me to wear now. Will this ever happen? Well, it hasn't yet, lol. So I hate to make things knowing that my body will change since I am still working toward that happening. This year I just said heck with it and started making things and I'm so glad I did! I love the pieces I made this year and have worn them a lot. I need to mentally get out of my own way and just spend my time doing things I love regardless of other particulars in my life. 

• I don't need to own all the things. This is a hard one for me because I have always been an acquirer of stuff. Generally I can keep things organized and it works out well for me to have the supplies on hand to make what I want, but these past few years have seen a lot of acquiring without a lot of using and it has created quite a backup. I now have too much stuff for the space I have and it is an imposition to me actually getting things made up because the stuff itself takes up too much space and even gets lost in the mix. This coming year I want to do a major overhaul of my entire craft room and get things functional again, but I know that also means I need to stop acquiring more. That's seriously so hard for me! lol I'm not one to ever say no to a free item someone gives me that I like or a 50 cent piece of good fabric at the thrift store. My motto is you never look a gift horse in the mouth. Those types of finds don't come by a second time, so if I like something I have learned to grab it when it comes my way. I'm working on a plan to curb this, including a buying ban this coming year, but the biggest thing regardless of that is that I need to clean things out and get them better organized.

• It's ok to just make things for yourself. This is a topic I mentally struggle with. As someone who sews and has kids, it's just kind of an expectation that I would want to make them lots of cute dresses and whatnot. I certainly have enough fabric for that. But just like I don't like making myself things that I know won't work for me in the long run, the reality is that kids grow quickly. They won't be able to wear the things I make for very long (sometimes just for one occasion or month), and that just makes me not feel motivated to make things for them. Also, kids are very ungrateful when it comes to clothing. It's not their fault - our society in general doesn't value the skills it takes to make clothing - but kids especially just want clothes with designs they like and they don't think much else about it. I do want to make my kids more things this year now that I'm sewing again, but I also don't feel bad about making things mainly for myself. It's my hobby that helps me feel productive and have fun, so I shouldn't add in guilt about not spending that time on someone else. It's not like I get a ton of time for myself anyway.

• Not everything I make needs to be practical. As a person who predominantly wants to make clothing to wear everyday, it's a bit of a mind shift to allow myself to make things like historical costumes. I like my sewing to produce workhorse items I can wear to death, but a historical costume doesn't get much wear at all and takes so much more time to make. Yet I love the challenging sewing, so I need to just get over it and occasionally make something that doesn't serve any day to day purpose.

Top of '23: Highlights

 

There are always some things we think of each year that define it for us, and this is that list for me. Some of these are crafting adjacent, and some are not at all, but all of these together make the highlights that stand out for me.

• Going carnivore and losing weight - This was a huge part of my 2023 and it has revolutionized the way I look at food and health. I feel weird saying this right now because I got a bug over Christmas, lol, but this is the healthiest I've felt almost ever. I feel like I've cracked the code for feeling great and losing weight effortlessly without feeling hungry or counting anything. I lost the weight that I had regained last year and I'm trying for a bit more still. I probably will not be 100% ketovore/carnivore forever, but I will certainly keep a lot of the eating habits of this time for the rest of my life. Protein is what you need! Don't worry about the other stuff. In this age with literally poisoned and fake food, meat is the healthiest option you can eat.

• Getting back into making clothes! - I am so so happy that I finally allowed myself to make clothes again. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I started making things again and now I'm back in the game completely. I'm constantly planning new makes and just wish I had more uninterrupted time to make them all.

• Embracing my love of linen - This was another mental hurdle to jump. I love linen. I love wearing it, I love the incredible properties it has for your health and whatnot. Magical stuff, linen. But I never experience sticker shock like I do when I'm looking at linen fabric. I'm generally very cheap, but cheap in the sense that I try to get the good quality stuff for as inexpensive as possible, not cheap meaning I buy all polyester. This year I decided to just get over the cost and embrace the fact that linen is so beneficial and it lasts a long time. I found a great source for nice quality linen on the cheap (fabrics-store.com) and I took advantage of their cycle of 38% off sales on various types of linen. I've been incredibly happy with all the linens I've bought from them and I while I'm still paying more per yard than I would ever usually consider, it's quite a bit less than if I go to Joann or The Sewing Studio or really anywhere else even online, so I feel good with that. I'm happy to have the ability to incorporate more of this incredible natural fiber into my life and I'm glad that I got over the cost as a barrier.

• Going back to therapy - Sometimes we just need someone to talk things out with. I've been in and out of therapy over the years and this past few years without it had really built up. I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go back this summer. 

• Trying new and intimidating crafty things - I'm a fairly adventurous crafter in general, but sometimes I get stuck in ruts and just do the same old thing because it takes less brain power. This year, I finally got a handle on my knitting machines, I made a corset, tried out hand knitting, learned machine embroidery, jumped into Irish crochet. I worked with lace weight yarn, which I've always sworn off before. I upsized a vintage pattern for the first time. On the surface, the things I made don't seem out of the ordinary, but in truth I was pretty brave in the things I tried and I'm pretty proud of that. I hope to expand further into some of these things next year and take on a few more as well.

Top of '23: Misses

They Can't all be winners, right? When you make things, you have to accept that sometimes things just don't work out in real life the way you wanted them to. Here is my list of misses from my projects this year.

• Altered Embroidered Top - This one was my own fault for cutting the waist a bit too high when refashioning this adorable dress. I love rayon, I love the embroidery, I love the ruffles... I have never worn this top because the waist is too high and it makes feel me huge. It's just not very flattering and while I've tried to make myself wear it, I always take it off and pick something else. Very sad.

• Irish Crochet Top - I'm still not entirely sure what happened with the fit on this one. I was making the same pattern as my Yellow Eyelet Top, which was a big success, and I guess I jumped the gun with how I did the shoulder alterations on this version because it just looked terrible. Also this blue broadcloth gave major scrub top vibes, and while I'm sure the crochet collar would have jazzed it up, it still just wasn't quite what I wanted once I got it into top form. This one was completely scrapped, unfortunately. I still have the crochet pieces and still plan on finishing my idea of an Irish crocheted yoke on a sewn top, but I'm just looking for the right fabric to make this happen.

• Khaki Linen Skirt Refashion - This is wearable and I have worn it, but it just isn't my favorite. The way I angled the top of the waistband where it joins the elastic in the back just really doesn't work. Also because I didn't remove any width, the back bunches up a bit more than is advisable in this fabric and it really isn't doing any favors for my butt, lol. So wearable, yes, good in the summer heat, etc - just not my favorite piece, and that's a real shame.

• White Cielo Top - This one is actually a lovely piece that I do wear, it just didn't turn out how I was hoping. I find the boxy shape prevents me from wearing it on its own, and the armscye is just entirely too low for me. It's so low that I don't find it comfortable because it limits my arm movement. I still love the idea of this shirt and I plan on trying to make something very similar in feel but with a body that fits me better.
  

• Sock Week Socks - These are just pretty ugly, lol. I'm glad I used up this orphan skein of yarn that was in my stash for a literal decade, but I just don't love the weirdly Christmasy vibes that the red accents give. If I had done a different color for the cuff, toe, and heel, then I think I would have liked these much more. I will still wear them in the winter since usually I wear socks like this in boots and other shoes that don't show my socks at all, but these were not the win I was hoping for. 
  

• Liesl Cardigan - I'm adding this one as a "will make changes" in hopes that I can improve it. This was my fastest sweater I've ever made, still pretty proud of that, but in reality I've only worn it once or twice out and I have never enjoyed wearing it. My body is just not shaped well for wearing a rounded yoke of any kind. The shape of the yoke makes this slip off my shoulders so much that it looks dumpy. I also keep intending to change out the crappy plastic snaps for metal ones that actually snap and hold, but I never remember until I go to wear it and realize the snaps don't work. I also think this would look better with at least one more button, but that means finding different ones that I like since I only had 2 of these. I think if I can get this to where it fastens securely at the neckline that it would prevent it from falling off my shoulders so much and I would actually wear it. 
  

What projects didn't turn out for you? I'm really not that mad at my misses because none of them were very drastic or high stakes. Most things worked out for me, which is a nice boost that I can only credit with me having made clothing for so long now. Here's hoping I can keep this trend going in 2024!

Top of '23: Hits!

 

I always loved doing the "Top 5 of ___" yearly wrap ups back in the day, so I decided to start one again for myself. This time though, I had a very hard time sticking to 5 in each category, so I'm just calling it "Top of '23". As ever, let's start out with the best of the best! My hits of the year. Considering I only started sewing clothes again in July, I'm really pleased with the bulk of what I made. These are the clear winners though.

• Gable Tops - It almost feels like cheating to make this shirt at this point. I made 5 wearable ones just since July, lol. The true workhorse here is definitely my White Gable Top simply because a white shirt goes with everything, but I really do love my Purple Roses version as well and I wear that all the time too. The cactus one is adorable and does get some wear (also that fabric is very soft), and I wore my witchy one probably 4 times during October, which I count as good. This has now become my go-to t-shirt pattern and when I see knit fabric I immediately envision it as this pattern. There will definitely be many more of these next year, I can promise that

• Mustard Fiore - I really loved the Fiore pattern in general, but the winner is certainly my mustard version. The black and linen version are great, but I made them a bit more snug at the waist so they aren't comfy for all times if you know what I mean. It's an easy change to move the buttons a tiny bit, but I like how snatched they make my waist when I want them to, lol. Anyway this mustard version is just a smidge looser and therefor very comfy while still looking put together. The only qualm with this is that the pockets definitely droop, but I try to avoid putting things in them and then I look good, lol. This fabric and pattern combo was just top notch and I will certainly make more of this version in the future.
  

• Honeybee Cardigan - this probably my favorite sweater I've ever knit. It was a hard won victory, but now that it is done I just love everything about this sweater. It fits perfectly - so much so that I use this length when I'm adjusting other patterns. The yarn is beautiful and this color is just exactly what I want most of the time. The lace design is adorable with the bees and also helps keep this a light sweater to wear, which is perfect for Florida. Just all in all a fantastic make. I really just need to sew more items to wear with this so I can wear it more.
  

• Hollyburn Skirts - This pattern is an old standby and I still love it. I can always count on a Hollyburn to be a quick win if I've lost my sew-jo or have been dealing with a challenging project. Any bottom weight fabric I find with a cool print and I can afford 3 yards is mentally earmarked for this pattern. I love both versions I made this year (On Point and Starry Starry) and wear them regularly.
  

• Altered Old Navy Top - This was the surprise win and my favorite alteration of the year. Does hemming something count as an alteration? lol Almost feels like cheating, you know? But this dress-turned-shirt is a lovely weight of fabric and looks very cute with my natural linen Fiore along with all my solid colored skirts. Super light and comfy, loose over the tummy without looking boxy. Love it.
  

• Regency Corset - This one makes the list simply because I made a freaking corset and it worked out! This was easily my most involved project of the year and I don't regret it at all. I was actually very surprised at how much I enjoyed the sewing process on this, and I have to admit that I love how it makes me look. It's quite the experience to put on a corset and actually look like the historical silhouettes we've seen in books and movies. Maybe that sounds silly, but going from a modern body shape to a historical one for the first time is a pretty magical experience. I didn't finish sewing the rest of my Regency outfit yet, but it's definitely on the list for next year. I started sewing this thinking it was a necessary means to an end, but now I'm excited to sew another corset from another era. I'm even toying with making one to try for daily wear. Maybe 2024 will be the year of the corset? We will see.

Tomorrow I'll share the not so great makes of the year and why :)