100 Days … of Colorful Knitting

Have you heard of the 100 day project? It’s been on my radar for years, but I’ve never taken part. This year, I saw some inspiring posts well ahead of the kickoff and started thinking about how I might join. I quickly landed on a knitting project I cast on last spring and put down and thought, maybe this would be a good chance to finish it. But I also wasn’t sure if it would see me through 100 days, or, given it’s a project that requires some concentration, whether I could reliably work on it each day (because, #toddlerlife). So I started thinking about how I could broaden the parameters to make an achievable challenge. I realized I had quite a few colorful knitting projects planned, all using stashed yarn, and that committing to 100 days of colorful knitting was not only achievable, but a lovely way to leave behind winter and welcome spring. I resolved to finish my current knitting project (an Ursa sweater) in time for the start of the project, which I was sure was February 16th.

Yesterday though, I thought it’d be good to double check I had that date right and I realized, to my chagrin, that I did not! That the 100 day project started on the 13th. Doh! I thought I might just start my 100 days a bit late, until I realized the sweater I’m finishing up fits my colorful knitting brief nicely … and I had spent a bit of the 13th working on it. Perfect! The joys of a flexible plan.

So want to see what will be keeping my knitting needles busy for the next 100 days?

That sweater is Ursa by Jacqueline Cieslak. It’s a fabulous, chunky knit, size inclusive sweater with squishy half brioche detail. I’m knitting it in Hot Butter Yarns bought with friends at a little pop up yarn festival at Port Sunlight a few years ago. This is the project that I was hoping to finish before my 100 days started, but nevermind. I’ve got a sleeve and a bit left to do and, with a fair wind, it’ll be finished by week’s end. (Famous last words.)

The other WIP I want to work on, the one that kicked off my whole 100 day project plans, is Lucky Pieces (that’s a Ravelry link). I cast this on as a mini KAL with my mom when the pattern came out last spring, and it’s the first time I’ve knit entrelac. I’m obsessed with the colors of Jamieson & Smith 2ply I’m using and really love the way the pinwheels come together. It’s just a bit slow going, especially as I’m splicing all the ends to avoid having to weave them in at the end of the project. I set it down at some point last year, but I would really like to be able to wear it this spring and summer. Hopefully, with some focus, that can happen!

In an ideal world, I would probably just focus on Lucky Pieces as there’s a lot of knitting to be done, but as I mentioned, I don’t know that I will actually manage to work on it each day … I need some plainer knitting on the go. I’ve wanted to knit a Wolf Moon vest for my little one since the pattern was released. I have a lovely grey skein of yarn leftover from Piosa cardigan that will be perfect for the body, and then these beautiful naturally dyed skeins sent to me from New Zealand by my friend Kate quite some time ago which I’ll use for the moon. I’ll only need small bits, and probably won’t use every color … I’ll let the recipient pick which ones she likes best.

And last but certainly not least, I’m hoping to get started on another special project. Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been lucky enough to have regular Zoom knitting sessions with a group of friends, and we organized a little mini skein swap at Christmas … the challenge is to create something wearable that incorporates as many as possible. Everyone else has already started (and in some cases, finished!) their projects. I’ve gathered a few extra minis and tweedy laceweight and am hoping to make a marled, short-sleeved riff on the James Sweater (Ravelry link) by Amy Miller.

I really like the idea of working with lots of color over the next 100 days, and also of working on yarn and projects that remind me of distant friends and family. I’m not aiming to finish all these projects in the allotted time, but wanted to create a challenge where I was sure of not running out of things to knit. So you’ll find my #100daysofknitting over on Instagram, and if I’m organized, I’ll do some check ins here too … perhaps quarterly!

Are you participating in the 100 day project? Even if you’re not, I’d love to hear what crafty plans you’re making at the moment in the comments.