Reflecting on balance with the Fall Equinox

Today, September 22, is the Autumn Equinox, where the sun is directly over the equator and it appears to rise and set due East and due West from anywhere on the planet. In the northern hemisphere, animals are beginning to store food. Trees are shedding leaves. Plants are slowing their growth in preparation for less sunlight and the cold of winter. It's a gentle nudge to slow down, reflect, and find balance.

Stash buster crochet project.

As with most makers, I have many on-going projects... patchwork for kitty/charity quilts, several hand stitching WIPs [works-in-progress], a pair of jeans in need of mending, collage and slow drawing, and my stash buster crochet shawl. Each project brings something different to the table—in technique, materials, tools, set-up—and requiring a different kind of attention and energy.

Slow drawing in my junk journal.

Like the equinox—with an equal balance between daylight and dark—working on multiple projects is a balance. 

• Sometimes the portability of a project is needed. 
• Sometimes it’s the ability to leave the work in-progress, and not have to pack up the tools, equipment, and materials. 
• Sometimes it’s a question of needing inspiration to move forward, or if following an established pattern will result in progress. 

It’s a balancing act between the availability of time, space, and mental capacity.

Hand stitching project.

Collage in the junk journal.

With the fall equinox and the turn of the season, I’ve determined that it's a good time to lean into a slower, more mindful approach. To find whatever balance is needed at the time.

Collaging in the junk journal.

And reminding myself that there is no rush to finish, but to enjoy the process. Like the turning of the leaves, projects evolve and unfold at their own pace. 

Stash busting on-the-go: a scrappy crochet wrap

One of my favorite things about crochet (and knitting) is how easily it travels. Whether I’m on the road in a hotel room, or catching a few quiet moments outdoors, this small project has quickly become my portable, go-to project—and it’s made entirely from the yarn stash. 

Crocheted modular leaf blocks.

Fulfilling my Make Nine “yarn” prompt

Since early this Spring, I had been searching for a stash-busting project to fulfill my Make Nine 2025 “yarn” prompt. I wanted to use up a stash of odd, abandoned balls of yarn that I collected from a swap shop. I’m combining them with an “impulse buy” that never found a home. It turns out that when putting these stash bin finds together… something beautiful is happening. 

The collection of abandoned balls of yarns.

An “impulse buy” from the sale bin at a yarn store.

The Taos pattern

I modified a crochet pattern [Taos by Cristina Mershon, found on Ravelry] to make the leaf-shaped modular blocks. I’m also having to adjust on-the-fly to compensate for the different yarn weights/thicknesses—sometimes holding two yarns together, or crocheting and extra row around the perimeter to get size.

The format of the modular blocks is perfect for portability. The pattern is easy to memorize, and each block becomes its own little surprise when choosing different yarns. I’m especially intrigued with how the variegated yarns play out in these blocks—the color shifts in the skein produce a new color combination every time.

The leaf-shaped centers of these units were created from the same ball of variegated yarn.
They all look different.

My units finish at about 2.75”. While I don’t know the exact finished format and size or the wrap yet, I’m leaning toward a rectangular shawl that I can toss on around my shoulders in cooler weather—something cozy and full of color. The Taos pattern is an L-shape wrap, so that’s an option, too. Either way, my wrap will be a wearable memory of abandoned bits. The yardage of the odd balls, along with the impulse buy, should yield an ample size.

Portable yarn project: tools and supplies in a zipper pouch.

My crochet hook, yarn needle, and yarn stash are packed in a small zipper pouch. For now, I’m just enjoying the crochet process, exploring color combinations, and making bunches of leaf units.

Starting month 9 in my Create Daily Tracker

In January, I started another Create Daily Tracker (my 6th) with the continuous goal to do something creative with my hands every day of the year. No pressure for perfection—just taking a little time for myself, and carving out a space in the schedule for making. 

With over 240 days of making behind me, it’s interesting to see what the year entailed thus far. 

Create Daily Tracker 2025. September 6, 2025.

Over 8 months of creative endeavors 

My creative practice so far this year has included a wonderful mix of mindful stitching tasks, improvisational projects, and a few structured challenges. All were achieved with an assortment of daily short stints and longer inspired binges. Here is a breakdown of the percentages of time spent along with a comparison of the status check from June.

• 2% garment sewing (down from 5%)
• 4% free-motion quilting (down from 7%)
• 47% slow stitching and mending, including the 100 Day Stitch Book (up from 40%)
• 14% patchwork (down from 18%)
• 16% art projects—collage, mixed media, painting, art journaling (up from 11%)
• 17% yarn—knitting, crochet (up from 12%)

Thirty-three entries of patchwork and using scraps paired with 9 entries of free-motion quilting resulted in charity quilts. Sixteen kitty quilts were donated to two local vets early in the year, I’ve made two more this summer, and a few lap quilts got quilted and bound for my guild’s Cuddle Quilt project. 

Free-motion quilting a charity quilt. I attach the binding by machine.

Mending was the uppermost technique during “A Winter of Care and Repair Challenge” and my 100 Day Stitch Book entailed a lot of slow stitching. I found The 100 Day Stitch Book to be a very rewarding project. I learned the slot-and-tab binding method which resulted in the making of two additional textile books of stitched collage compositions from my 2023 100 Day Project. At the suggestion of my students and the urging of my cohorts, I hope to develop a class around soft bookmaking. 

Slow stitching compositions from the 100 Day Stitch Book project.

My art practice included 37 sessions of slow drawing, mixed media, watercolor, and participation in two month-long Junk Journal Challenges—Junk Journal January and Junk Journal July. Following daily prompts, the Junk Journals became tactile, expressive pages with layers of paper, paint, and hand lettering to convey stories and messages. 

Junk journals for January and July 2025.

A few days of garment sewing resulted in a Make Nine finish—a remake of the Siena Shirt using a fun fabric line called Perfect Points. 

Make Nine 2025 worksheet. September 2025.

A log of 40 entries creating with yarn resulted in the stack of hand knit dish cloths. Pattern research last month unearthed a scrap-buster project for my Make Nine “yarn” prompt, so lately, I’ve been heavily engrossed with crochet. I’ve completed 8 out of 9 prompts on my Make Nine list and the last prompt, “yarn,” is well underway. 

Why the Create Daily Tracker works for me 

My Create Daily Tracker is more than just a checkbox system. It’s a gentle accountability partner that helps me: 

• celebrate small wins that might have otherwise gone unnoticed, 
• stay focused on a daily practice—even when motivation wanes, 
• document my makes,  
• make space to honor the act of creating, one day at a time. 

If you’re on a creative journey or want to develop a daily art practice of your own—no matter what your medium—a daily tracker might be helpful. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Just a simple document to capture successes, new techniques, and creative risks, such as mine shown above will work. Ease of use is the key.

Reflecting on the Simplest Things Challenge: A 5-day drawing journey

This week, I took on the Simplest Things Challenge, a 5-day slow drawing Challenge with Amy at Mindful Art Studio. The Challenge encourages the exploration of making simple marks and seeing where the process leads. 

Day 1 prompt: Closer

Simple supplies

I’ve done the Simplest Things Challenge a couple of times. Sometimes I draw in a sketchbook, sometimes on small pieces of card stock or watercolor paper, and often the compositions become fodder for pages in my art junk journals. 

As I was traveling earlier in the week, I packed a small 4” x 6” sketchbook and a few Micro pens in my travel bag. This weekend, I opened a small palette of watercolors and pulled out a paintbrush. So, even the supplies for this Challenge are minimal! 

Day 2 prompt: Squiggle

Daily prompts

I like the low-pressure nature of the daily prompts. There are only 5 of them! It’s a short, easy Challenge to do. Responses to the prompts can go in any direction.

Another version of Closer (Day 1 prompt) with Dots (Day 3 prompt).

Another version of Day 2 prompt: Squiggle. Watercolor and line drawing.

Day 3 prompt: Dot

The prompts offer an opportunity to let the mind wander while interpreting them. The slow drawing makes you present and in the moment.

Day 3 prompt: Dot

Day 4 prompt: Branching

Day 5 prompt: Smash

The simplicity of the prompts makes the Challenge accessible to any skill level. If you’re looking to spark your creativity without feeling overwhelmed, the Simplest Things Challenge is a perfect way to dive into drawing and mark making. Use any art supplies you have on hand—pencils, markers, paint pens, watercolors, anything!

Day 4 prompt: Branching

This Challenge is a reminder that sometimes, art isn’t about complexity—it’s about slowing down, showing up for your art practice, and seeing the beauty in the smallest and simplest of things.