2024 Knitting Resolutions

It’s that time of the year again that I absolutely love, when we get to make plans for the new year ahead and focus on the small things that we would like to adjust to make our daily lives a little better. Although I don’t like to put too much pressure on myself about sticking with my resolutions, I do like to evaluate what I am doing and see how I could do better. With all of the plans I have for Ode Knitwear in 2024 I wanted to dedicate some resolutions for 2024 specifically to knitting and how I can improve my practice. I hope you are inspired by my goals and might even want to share in the challenge with me!

Keep my stash smaller

This feels like a very typical resolution for many knitters, but this year I want to continue working on this goal. It is both a financial decision and a space decision that makes me want to be conscious about the yarn I am buying and when it is going to be used. In 2024 I hope to only buy yarn when I have a project in mind and I am going to cast it on next. I often get hyped on trends or a new yarn that I just need to buy right now! that ends up with me having a lot of yarn on hand and not enough time to keep up with knitting all of that stash.

Now that being said, I do want to be able to take advantage of sales, because financial health is important, and I want to be able to use yarns I wouldn’t normally be able to afford if they weren’t on sale. I will allow the exception that IF there is a yarn that I have had my eye on for some time, or one that I love and is tried and true for me, I may buy a sweaters quantity if I can score a good deal. Then I know I will definitely use it in the future, but I will feel better knowing I was able to save some money on the purchase. Girl math!

Actually do the gauge swatch!

This is incredibly controversial and probably the resolution I am least likely to stick to... But this year I want to hold myself accountable to actually knit a gauge swatch for my projects. I will always do this for my designs, but when it comes to knitting a pattern for myself, I am much more lenient since I usually knit my sweaters oversized anyway and can always fall back on blocking.

I think that being able to perfect your gauge really helps to elevate the professional craftsmanship that shows through with your finished piece. After all, it is a small price to pay when you are going to spend countless hours knitting a sweater, to ensure that it will come out as intended.

Knit within my wardrobe’s color palette

I have found that I am more likely to wear my hand knit garments a lot if they are in a color that fits nicely with the rest of my wardrobe. Since I want to get as much use as possible out of my knits after the time and money that goes into making them, I would like to stick within one color palette that matches both what I already have in my wardrobe, and my vision for my dream wardrobe.

I have put together this palette that consists of mostly neutrals, with some faded blues for a pop of color. I plan to stay within this palette for all of my 2024 knits and will see by the end of the year how cohesive all of my knits look together.

Knit garments that my wardrobe needs

This goal is similar to the previous one, but instead of color it is focused on the silhouette and design of the garment. I get so excited browsing Ravelry and Instagram for new patterns to knit that I often always choose patterns that have all the bells and whistles (cables, lace, textured stitches, fair isle, etc.). These are all great and I love to support those designs, BUT it is also important to knit garments that are more basic with nice finishing details so that they are still special, but you can wear them everyday and get good use out of your hard work.

This year I want to make a list of all of the knit garments that I think my wardrobe needs, and start working on pieces that fit within those categories so I can move closer to my dream wardrobe, and have a bunch of knitted pieces that I love to wear all the time.

I wish you a safe, warm, and love filled new year and look forward to knitting with you in 2024!