Crafting Update – Steady Progress & Fresh Starts

February has been a lovely, steady month of making. No pressure, no big deadlines, just consistent progress across my crafts. It has been about steady progress rather than dramatic finishes.... although there were a couple of satisfying completions too!

My Project Keeper system is working beautifully, although I have changed it slightly to include the various projects under each craft. Having everything listed and visible makes it so much easier to pick something up without that “what should I work on?” pause. I can see what needs finishing, what’s newly started, and what just needs a little love.

Quilting

Yes, a new block that no one has seen yet (soon to be released as a pattern). My flower is a Snowrose. There will be more details about this next week as I blog about some new techniques I used to create it.

I’ve also been working on a fabric book cover for my journal. I've been planning, sketching, and making some of the elements I want to include. This is a fun, no-pressure piece for sure.

Spinning

Spinning is always my quiet, grounding craft. There’s something wonderfully rhythmic about it. No rush, no deadline, just fiber becoming yarn. I have continued with the roving I started last month - there seems to be a lot, well, two bobbins worth, but I'm nearing the end now... There really weren't many days I didn't spin!

Cross Stitch

My temperature project continues to grow, stitch by stitch. It’s fascinating watching the color shifts develop as the year unfolds. Even in just a couple of months, you can already see subtle changes forming a pattern, although the end of February was a steady range of 22-24 degrees (yellow bottles).... only 1 orange in the last 13 days!

I started a seasonal picture back in December last year, but it wasn't on my list of crafts for January as I had totally forgotten to include it. While I was waiting for my supplies to arrive for the temperature picture I had worked on it but only breifly because I had much to catch up on for the temperature project. Now that is caught up, I managed to add a few threads to it. Here are the before, January, and February updates.

Knitting

Although I had a slow start to the month, I did finish my test knit. It just needs buttons and embroidery around the yoke (more about that soon).

.....and after that was finished, I couldn’t resist casting on again… twice.

A small jersey for a 6-month-old, knitted from the bottom-up (unusual for me) and well on its way to being finished with just the yoke and collar to complete.

And, yes, another test knit. I cannot show this one yet as it isn't due to be released for a while, but I can show the yarn. I'm using one of my last year's hand-spuns and enjoying how it is turning out.

Embroidery

My stitch book is steadily filling with samples as I complete another couple of panels. I love having a reference that’s both practical and creative, but even more, I love learning new stitches.

I also started testing our wool weights for the embroidery on my cardie mentioned above. I have an idea of what I want to create so exploring texture, stitch combinations, and how different fibers behave has definitely led me down the right track. I have discovered I adore the wool with some silk in it (brighter red flower at the bottom right). I wrote a lot of notes in my journal about this as a great reference for later.

And of course, I started a new project, which will be added to my Project Keeper for next month. This little “egg house” embroidery continues to charm me. It’s one of those projects that feels playful and imaginative, and I’m enjoying watching the details build up.

Crochet

My crochet blanket has all its ends run in so officially finished and currently blocking! That always feels like the final deep breath before a project truly settles into itself. I’m excited to wrap myself in this through the winter months as it will sit on the back of my lounge chair, ready to grab as needed while I knit, crochet, or work on some other craft.

I currently don't have another crochet project started, but I'm sure you'll see something new next month.

Diamond Art

Slow and steady progress here. It’s my “sit and place a few” project... and when the grandkids visit, I'm very okay with them adding a few too. The image is gradually revealing itself, one tiny sparkling piece at a time. I'm including a 'before Feb' photo (left) to show the progress.

Painting

I didn't work on my painted trees this month, but I did paint. I played with some new techniques.... painting on fabric with Inktense paints.  After playing and testing, I painted a little scene to include on the cover of my journal. I included a photo earlier in the post showing some of the painting I did.... here is a closer look at the little landscape. This will be stitched before I add it.

I’m really enjoying this gentler approach for 2026, where I simply check in with each project and keep things moving. There’s definitely something deeply satisfying about seeing progress across multiple crafts without feeling rushed.

Now.... onward into March with needles, hooks, thread, fiber, and plenty of creative curiosity. I hope you'll join me next month for another crafty update.