What’s your first craft project of the year?

Hello, everyone,

the year is still young and easy to keep track of. Just three days old, so looking back is still easy.

Shall we perhaps gather here which craft project everyone made first this year? That would be a lovely cross-section of our creative ideas. Will you join in?

I’ve already started my craft project, but it isn’t finished yet. As soon as it’s done, I’ll show it to you here in this thread — promise.

I’m excited to see what a colorful mix comes together here. Please all join in; it will make this thread more fun for everyone.

Warm regards from Ina

Besides coasters, socks are the first thing I make by hand.

Love, Inge

I’m currently crocheting a hat.

I’m finishing the scarf I started last winter and trying my hand at a colorful curtain that’s supposed to keep out some of the cold. I’m not really happy with it yet, though.
I also bought some yarn for a hat.





An embroidered picture and a chair cushion are in the works. I wonder which one will be finished first? 

Does eating cookies count?
After the holidays, I’m kind of running out of steam…

What a lovely idea. Right now, I’m crocheting a shawl for a colleague of mine, and I hope to finish the last few rows this weekend. Can I show the finished shawl here, too?
It’s been a very long time since I’ve finally gotten back to crocheting, and I’m actually quite proud of my perseverance. LG

@ Akela, I really admire that. My grandma always knitted socks—and with reinforced heels, too. She’d sit in front of the TV, and her needles would clatter away without her even looking at her work.

January 1: A treasure chest 

Angels in a Snowstorm

My first craft projects of 2025: lots of delicate snowflakes (from Caitlin Sainio’s books) and two little angels (patterns by Zwergerlstrick and Elke Eder)

Oh great, you’re all joining in so well! And we already have a lovely, colorful mix of New Year’s crafts.

We have:
- warm socks with reinforced heels
- a hat
- a scarf and a colorful curtain
- an embroidered picture and a quilted chair cushion
- eating cookies to refill the energy reserves (breaks are absolutely necessary!)
- a crocheted shawl
- a crocheted treasure chest and
- lots of delicate snowflakes and little angels

All absolutely wonderful things! And not even anything duplicated—that shows our creative variety.

My first creative project this year is sewing high-waisted briefs. I’ve never done that before, so I first need to really get to grips with the topic and work out the details. Now I’m waiting for the delivery of colored, elastic binding tape so I can bind the leg openings. At the top, the fabric will be folded over and fitted with a wider elastic band. That’s the plan. Even though the test piece isn’t finished yet, you can already take a look.





@alle
Of course you’re very welcome to post your photos of started or finished New Year’s projects here. We all love pictures, don’t we?

Thank you for more comments and pictures of your projects.
Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the creative winter season.

Warm regards from Ina

Those are some really lovely pieces you’ve shown here.
I started a sweater in December. Now I just have a little bit left to knit on the sleeves.
I’ll definitely be knitting some more on it today.

@Ina. CONGRATULATIONS on daring to try your hand at lingerie!!! I took a bra-making class myself about 15 years ago, and you really had to make sure that the *double-barreled slingshot* ;-) fit just right. It helps if you have someone to help you measure, because when you measure yourself, the measurements are never quite right.

Love, Inge

• You’re already showing some great creations here.

I received an embroidery kit as a gift with my last order. I thought it would just be a little picture.
So I was quite surprised to find out it’s a card. I love winter landscapes and was thrilled, so I have to get started on it right away. Even though I still have some embroidery projects I’ve started.

I also have a sock on my needles right now. I’m currently looking for yarn and a pattern for a hat to go with my fuchsia-colored winter quilted jacket.
Best wishes, Carola

I actually started last year, but I’m working on a patchwork blanket. I’ve actually managed to use up all my leftover acrylic yarn—all the squares are knitted—and right now I’m crocheting around the edges with single crochet stitches, and then I “just” have to crochet them all together. I had to reorder some yarn for this, since it’s taking more than I thought. But then I’ll have a nice big, cozy-warm, colorful blanket made from the leftover yarn from the temperature blanket and temperature snake, as well as from slippers, a scarf, and a few other little things.

..... Forgot the picture ;-)

I’m back to knitting socks, too.

I’m in the final stages of crocheting a granny-style jacket for myself.

I’m knitting a slipover in shades of pink and green. One part is already done; I’m currently working on the back. It still needs to be blocked, because it looks a bit misshapen right now—the pattern in the middle is pulling together.

Just finished—made from super-soft mohair

I’m working on a pattern for an EASTER SWEATER, or just my first knitted appliqué.

Petra, that’s so cute! Too bad my grandchildren are already too big for that.

You’ve all made so many different projects again.

I adapted a pattern from here into a bunny.

The sweater is definitely going to turn out great.
I worked hard yesterday, so the first colors are already done.

Oh wow, you’re all so creative!

So far, here’s what our colorful mix looks like:

- thick, warm socks with reinforced heels by Akela
- a hat by CreatOwl
- a scarf and a colorful kitchen curtain by dievomdeich
- an embroidered picture and a quilted chair cushion by WollwunderPetra
- eating cookies to recharge your energy (breaks are a must!) by Fun-Design
- a crocheted shawl for a coworker by Kerstinshäkelschmiede
- a crocheted treasure chest by Petra Perle
- lots of delicate snowflakes and little angels by Wollbaerli
- sewn waistband panties by Schnuckelina
- A beautiful knitted sweater with an intarsia pattern
- An embroidered picture featuring an enchanting winter motif inside a globe by johansi
- A knitted slipover with a very interesting look and shape by Ruth
- A knitted Easter sweater with cute bunnies by ursulapetra
- A cute crocheted Easter bunny by Bastelfan
- a cozy, crocheted granny jacket by Zwergnasebär
- a few more colorful knitted socks in cheerful colors by Galadriel-60
- and a few more new favorite socks with a delicate pattern by carola-krämer
- a large, warm patchwork blanket by veronika-115

I notice that the socks and sweaters still make up the majority—after all, it’s winter, so you need warm clothes. But the other things that bring us joy and delight all year round aren’t left out either.

Today is Sunday, and there’s nothing to miss outside. That’s why I hope you’ll have plenty of time today to tinker away at your creative projects. After lunch, I’ll be retreating back to my sewing room.

Have a wonderful day!
Warm regards from Ina

I wish you all a happy and healthy New Year.

You’ve all been very busy in the new year, too. 🧶

On January 1, I started working on the “O zopft is” tunic using a pattern by WollholicClaudia. The Bobbel and sleeve Bobbel are from Nicje.

I wish everyone a wonderful Sunday.😉

My first finished sock of 2025:



I’m also working on a black sweater. 

Hi there,
I finished my shawl on Saturday. It’s all wrapped up now, and today I’m taking it to work for my coworker. I’m proud of myself because I hadn’t crocheted at all for over a year. My yarn vendor created a gorgeous skein. Best regards, Kerstin

You’ve made a really big and beautiful sock.

The shawl looks great—so many wonderful patterns.

I’m currently knitting the Big Flauschi, which is available here as a KAL. I started on January 2, and all that’s left are the sleeves and the neckline. I’ve never been this fast with a sweater before!

For now, I’m going to keep crocheting on a top from last summer.

We also bought some “new” old chairs from the ’60s that still need to be reupholstered. We already have the right upholstery fabric.
Let’s see what goes wrong this time…




Wow, that really is a colorful mix! Sooo many beautiful things here.........actually, every single one. Of course, I’m particularly interested in the embroidery, but I also love admiring the other crafts.

This year, I’ve resolved to finally tackle the crafts I’ve always wanted to make—and for most of them, I already have the materials lying around. I’d also like to learn how to sew. I’ve already sewn a few simple pieces—my long-term goal is to sew a project bag for my embroidery supplies. I’ve already found the sewing pattern/instructions for it. It’s a little pouch with all the bells and whistles: compartments, zippers, and bias tape edging all around. It looks so good. Before I tackle that, I’m going to practice a little more.

This year, I started by sewing dish towels. Don’t
laugh (well, go ahead if you want😄), I know it’s just the hem. But
I haven’t sewn mini-waffle piqué yet. And I need real
projects to practice on—I find it boring to work on test
pieces that you can’t do anything with later. I’ve been playing around a
bit with stitch length, presser foot pressure, needle position, etc.

Today I sewed a proofing basket cover. I’ve been baking our own bread for a long time. I used to have a proofing basket, but unfortunately it’s no longer usable. I didn’t want to buy a new one. I’ve often used the colander with parchment paper. With a cover, it’s better for the environment and easier on the wallet. And I received the fabric as a gift, so I don’t know if it’s linen or half-linen.

Warm regards to all of
you, Karola

Are you all busy crafting? I certainly was last year—4 long-sleeved sweaters, 3 for summer, and various other projects. But for now, I’ve dressed up the little dolls for a dear neighbor/friend and made a little bit of luck in the form of piglets. The little stable is for my friend; the big one is mine. And a few piglets I’ve started are still waiting to be finished.
By the way, the dolls are artist dolls by Laura Lee Wambach (porcelain) and they don’t move.

Too bad the post looks so “jumbled”—that wasn’t my intention.

Those are such cute little pigs!

I just took a picture of my current progress—I’m still diligently crocheting the pieces for the patchwork quilt.

@rusalki
Quick tip: always leave a blank line between images and text!

@ Karola, you’re doing exactly the right thing—practice, practice, practice—and you’ll get the hang of sewing: :-) That’s exactly how we started sewing back in our apprenticeship days, and we just kept working our way up from there :-).
So, my first sock is finished—the yarn is so soft and cozy; it’ll keep my feet nice and warm :-)

Love, Inge

You have such cute little feet. ☺️

That’s a lot of hard work.👍

Thanks, I’ll take that to heart

There’s really a wide range of techniques represented here—great!

Karola, it’s amazing how many of you bake your own bread.
By the way, I always use two covers when baking bread… I pull the second one over the floured dough as a protective cover.
I haven’t sewn one myself yet, though—I like the idea.

By the way, I made a beetroot loaf today. The dough always looks sooo great—it’s a shame the color usually fades during baking.

That sweater turned out absolutely amazing. I really love these Norwegian patterns. I like the red, too.

Last Christmas, the Christkind gave me a proofing basket, but I haven’t tried it out yet. So far, I’ve always baked in a Römertopf.

Can I also sew the cloth out of cotton (an old bedsheet from Grandma), or does it absolutely have to be linen?

  Claudia, do you put the cloth over the top to keep out dust or to prevent it from drying out? I let my dough rise in a covered bowl, so nothing dries out. I let it rise in the covered Römertopf for the last 5 hours before baking.

The two craft projects I started are still sitting there... but I started a new idea today... my bunny is almost finished

It smells deliciously like fresh bread in here.

Wow, Wollefaden, I love your sweater—I’d want to put it on right away; it looks so cozy. Great work.
Veronika, you still have quite a bit planned. By the way, my husband admired the ship in the window (he’s a model builder).

I’m still feeling under the weather; all my abdominal and back muscles ache, and this stupid cough is really getting to me.

Have a great week, everyone!

Yes, my husband built that ship. Ever since he’s been unable to walk, he’s been building models—the place is almost full! :-)

Petra, you just need to be able to wash it at a high temperature…

After the first rise, I shape the dough and place it in a proofing basket lined with a floured cover. Then I dust the dough with flour and put the second cover over it.
That’s enough protection against drying out for me, even when proofing overnight in the fridge. I find this method really convenient.

Most of the time, though, I bake in a loaf pan—my husband likes the uniform slice size… 
I also pull a cover from the proofing basket over it while it’s rising—I only have long ones, so the covers fit.

Andrea, get well soon.

This is such an exciting post—and it really showcases our diverse talents and interests!
Thank you all for participating with such enthusiasm and for letting us take a look at your work. Every single piece would be worth its own special post.

I quickly put together a collage from your photos.
Have a wonderful day today and make something beautiful!

Warm regards, Ina

My “Nenea” shawl, made with the yarn from the Advent calendar, will be finished soon, too.

The shawl is called Nemea. I made a typo. 

I think all the shawls shown in this thread are absolutely beautiful, too!
But my favorites are still the intarsia sweater by Wollefaden and the cute kids’ sweater by ursulapetra. All the other projects are really great, too!

Best regards, Ina

The little mice by ursulapetra are absolutely adorable. 

I just finished my pillow.

I currently have 2 socks on my needles.

That little white Easter bunny is absolutely adorable—and of course I love the rose-patterned fabric underneath, too! Without the rose fabric in those bold colors, the white bunny would look too pale. This way, all the colors harmonize beautifully, and the white bunny is the eye-catcher right in the middle.

Your socks, dear Brigitte, look very promising, too. And two at once—that’s great. That way, you’ll be done in one go, and both socks will be exactly the same size.

Love, Ina

Wow, you hard workers! These are all such beautiful works of art! I especially love Marion’s Norwegian sweater. That would be right up my alley, too. :)

I’m currently knitting a long cardigan—it’s more like a knitted coat. Tomorrow I just have to sew the side pockets together, and then I’ll show it to you. I started it right before the end of the year and it’s already finished.

Warm regards from Monika

I think the sweater is absolutely great—I really love Norwegian patterns. Back in my youth, sweaters with jacquard patterns were in style for a while, and I loved them.

To everyone who can knit socks: I’m so jealous of you. I wish I’d had the patience back then when my grandma tried to teach me.

So many beautiful and varied creations.

That sweater would be my favorite too—it looks great.
The shawl must be really fluffy if the kitty feels comfortable on it.
I’ve never seen anyone knit two socks at the same time before.

My picture has grown considerably because I was looking after my pet grandchild yesterday.

I’ve been knitting two socks at a time for years. The big advantage is simply that both socks are finished at the same time. It’s also a much better way to use up leftover yarn, since both socks end up being the same.
It’s a bit fiddly at first, but after a short while you get the hang of it so the balls of yarn don’t keep getting tangled.

I’m really happy about all the nice comments on my Norwegian sweater.
Apparently, they’re back in style lately.

I really like it too—it’s only the second one I’ve knitted.

I’ve seen that you can knit two socks at the same time, but I haven’t tried it yet. Knitting socks isn’t really my thing. I can do it, but I much prefer knitting sweaters.

I like a lot of the pieces here too, especially the little kids’ sweater.

Best regards, Marion

I should maybe try knitting two socks at once, too. Often, I don’t feel like knitting the second one once I already know how to do it after finishing the first.

That’s a good idea. 

I haven’t tried knitting both socks at the same time yet either. It might be worth a try.

Now I’ve finished my cardigan—or rather, my coat. This yarn is actually meant to be knitted with needles at least size 5. But I deliberately knitted it with size 4 needles so it would turn out nice and thick and dense. It feels fantastic.

This is the yarn—I really went all out after not buying any yarn this year. 40 skeins at once, because they were on sale. 20 of each type. These are the two types.



And this is what my long jacket looks like. It has inside side pockets, which I find really practical.



Now back to your amazing creations.

I also think Petra’s kids’ jacket and the knitted appliqués are absolutely great. I love colorful things, especially for kids.

And the doll clothes look very cute and cozy, too.

I’d already had the same idea as Ina with the underwear. The panties turned out great and are a fantastic way to use up fabric scraps. I’ll probably give that a try myself, since I’ve already had success making a bustier and an undershirt.

I also like Petra’s pillow. And of course, everything else you’re showing here is really impressive. I knitted a few pairs of socks in December and gave them to the whole family.

I hope you all continue to have fun with your crafts.

Warm regards from Monika

Monika, I like the cut of the jacket. It’s nice and long, so everything is well-covered and warm. The yarn has a really beautiful gradient. 

That jacket is a masterpiece!! 😀😃🙂

Best regards, Inge

Dear Petra, dear Inge,

thank you for your feedback. I’m really happy to hear that.
I’m totally in love with this jacket, too. I’m going to knit another, shorter jacket out of the red yarn combined with the orange-variegated yarn. But this one is just perfect for the cold days. I really like it this long. 

Best regards
Monika

Your jacket looks great. It would take me forever to make something like that.
I started a sleeveless jacket last year, but I just can’t seem to finish it.

Brigitte: What size needles are you using to knit the socks?
I always take notes, otherwise the second sock won’t turn out the same.
I could save myself that step if I knit both at the same time.
I’d really love to try that.

Hi Hansi,
I knit with the same needle size as for a set of double-pointed needles. The circular needle should be at least 80 cm long—for the magic loop.
I knit from the toe to the cuff, but you can also knit from the top down. There are various tutorials on YouTube.

Brigitte, thank you so much for your reply.
I’ll look into it then.

Dear Petra,

I’m already looking forward to the pattern for this beautiful sweater.
Best regards
Sigrid

So, the first pair of socks is knitted—cozy and warm, and just right for these cold days.

Love, Inge

Yeah, those come in handy right now! Have you put 2 euros in your piggy bank yet? :-)

Of course, Veronika, they went straight in😁👍

Best regards, Inge


Well, the slipover is finished. And I’ve already uploaded my first pattern for this year. On to new projects!

Ruth, that slipover looks absolutely great. And it fits you perfectly. 

Ruth, that slipover looks great and suits you very well!

I really like it!
Congratulations on the great sweater

My first two projects this year! The Big Flauschi KAL and the reindeer in a cup by RolisWollis.

Mel, that sweater looks really cozy. And the reindeer is especially charming.

In the meantime, so many beautiful creations have been made here. The new year is only 13 days old, and you’ve already crafted so many lovely things! Thank you so much for showing us all your treasures :-)

It’s such a blessing that it’s winter and we have more time for our crafts. I’ve been busy sewing, knitting, and crocheting. Actually, I thought the pair of sewn panties I’d started would be the first of my finished projects. But since the elastic for the leg cuffs was taking its sweet time, another project jumped the gun.

My first project of the year is now a sewn drawstring bag with a lining for my grandchildren. For an upcoming vacation, I’ve packed some small travel games, a puzzle book, and a few candies inside for them. The two of them love the drawstring mechanism and the fact that you can just toss all your treasures inside and nothing falls out.

Warm regards, Ina

Thank you, Ruth!

Hello, you hard workers.
Over the holidays, I worked intensively on the platypus.
It was finished in early January. I’m very happy with it.

Wow, that turned out great! I’m always amazed at how you manage to create such a wide variety of shapes with the hexagons.

Thanks, ruthk, but they’re not just hexagons. There are also pentagons, heptagons, quadrilaterals, and even octagons.
It’s basically a crochet puzzle 😁 😁 

Yeah, now that I’m looking at it more closely, I see it too. Are you just experimenting, or did you have a plan in mind from the start?

I have an idea and a rough idea of what it might look like. But things often turn out quite differently 😁. The only thing to do is give it a try. 

My cat socks are now finished, too. 

Those socks look kind of funny, though. : )

I made a mistake—after reading so much about socks. 😄
Of course, I meant gloves. 

You’ve all finished such great things again. Amazing work.
The sweater by ruthk looks great, too. Brilliant idea with the horizontal stripes, and lengthwise at the sides. It really flatters the figure.
And Ina has sewn another one of those pretty drawstring bags. Not everyone has one of those.
Triangular scarves and socks and gloves. Man, you’ve all been busy.

Of course, everyone else has created masterpieces too. I just didn’t want to list every single person.
I’m always amazed at how varied the projects are, and so pretty. Mine are usually little things.

Have a pleasant rest of the week, everyone, and a fantastic weekend in advance

Love, Andrea

The cat gloves look great—what a labor of love!

How long did it take you to make the cat gloves? That’s such a labor of love! The highlight is the little kitten on the thumb!

Those cat gloves look absolutely brilliant! Really great—I’m thrilled! As always, there are some truly wonderful creations here!

You’ve all been very hard at work and have finished some really beautiful pieces.👍👍

My scarf has already come in handy. At 190 x 40 cm, it keeps my head, neck, and chest/back warm.


My colorful curtains are finished, but unfortunately the hooks don’t stay on the window frame. I’ll have to get some others when I go to Stade in early March. I hung one on the kitchen window (which is wider).






I haven’t gotten around to the hat yet—I stumbled upon instructions for a door wreath...

Love, Marlies