Ten months into the year, my Create Daily Tracker offers an interesting snapshot of my creative life in 2026. I’ve been knitting, quilting, slow stitching, making art, and have sewn a couple of garments.
 |
| Create Daily Tracker, October 31, 2026 |
Here’s the breakdown of my creative activities so far this year:
- 39% Knitting
- 22% Patchwork
- 20% Slow stitching
- 12% Art making
- 5% Free-motion quilting
- 2% Garment sewing
Below is the analysis of the percentages.
Knitting: One prompt, lots of mittens!
Knitting—at 39%—accounts for nearly two-fifths of my creative activity this year. No big surprise here as the response to my Make Nine “Yarn” prompt has evolved into a year-long mitten-knitting charity project that started in January during the Winter of Care and Repair challenge.
 |
| Knitted mittens. Make Nine “yarn” prompt. |
My mitten knitting is a project with a purpose! It’s wonderfully portable and easy to pick up whenever I have a few spare moments. I’ve worked several mitten patterns (thanks, Ravelry!) enough times that I’ve got the basic construction down and only refer to the patterns for hand decrease techniques or row counts for thumbs. Knitting a few rows here and there keeps this project moving… no matter where I happen to be.
Patchwork and free-motion quilting
Patchwork (22%) and free-motion quilting (5%) remains a significant part of my creative practice, accounting for a total of 27%, the second-largest time-spent category. Projects contributing to the quilt-making activity have been multiple charity quilts for my guild’s community service project and for local animal centers. I’ve been able to take a few on-line quilting workshops for myself, and I’ve also taught two quilting workshops at the Folk School. These classes contribute to my time spent quiltmaking.
 |
| Charity quilts for the animals. |
Slow stitching and my 100 Day Project
Slow stitching comes in at 20%, nearly matching patchwork. A significant part of this activity is my 2026 100 Day Project, a fabric Stitch Book. Mending also falls into this category.
The 100 Day Project this year was a sustainable stitch project that used stash fabric as well as yarn and fabric scraps. It provided time for mindfulness and slowing down, and offered opportunities for experimentation with fabric bits, threads, and stitches.
 |
| Pages from my 100 Day Project Stitch Book, 2026. |
Like knitting, slow stitching is portable. It’s another valuable companion while traveling. I hadn’t necessarily planned for knitting and slow stitching to account for such a large proportion of my creative time, but their portability is undoubtedly part of the explanation. These projects don’t require a lot of materials, tools, or space, making them easy to pack.
Together, handwork represents 59% of my tracked creative activity.
Art Making: to keep exploring
 |
| Junk journals for 2026. |
Art making accounts for 12% of my time. This category includes slow drawing, book arts, and the Junk Journal challenges (January and July). I enjoy experimenting with collage, hand lettering, drawing, and painting in junk journals. These activities use different materials—paper, paint, glue, ephemera, and interesting art supplies—which complement the time spent creating with fabric and thread.
Garment Sewing: wanting “something new” to wear
 |
| Cottage Shirt, a Make Nine “Wild Card” project. |
Garment sewing accounts for 2% of my tracked activity. A Make Nine “Wild Card” prompt was fulfilled with two colorful tops: a Wiksten top and a Cottage Shirt. I wanted something new and fun to wear while teaching my Intro to Improv Quilting class at the Folk School, and they were made from stash fabrics and two go-to patterns. Also sustainable projects.
 |
| Wiksten top, a Make Nine “Wild Card” prompt project. |
These tops were quick makes, supported concepts in my Improv course curriculum, and received several comments from my students and the Folk School staff. A winning effort all around!
Do the numbers tell me something?
The numbers don’t imply whether I should spend more or less time on any specific activity. They simply show me which creative practices shaped my year.
Overall, it appears that knitting, patchwork, and slow stitching accounted for 81% of my creative activity. The prominence of knitting and slow stitching had specific projects behind them, and both are easy to take along when I travel. My tracker reflects not only what I enjoy making but also how I fit time for a little creativity into my schedule.
 |
| Work in progress: a scrappy patchwork quilt. |
The activities with smaller percentages aren’t necessarily signs of neglected interests. Art making and garment sewing still have a place in my creative practice. I suspect the art-making and book arts category will increase with a holiday card-making project on the horizon.
The numbers also remind me that a single prompt can have a surprisingly large influence on how my creative time is spent. My Make Nine “Yarn” prompt has become an ongoing project that will continue up until the holiday season.
Finishing out the year
With two months left in the year, these percentages may shift slightly. But the real value of my Create Daily Tracker—which I’ve used since 2020—is that it keeps me accountable to my practice. Yes, it’s a record of what I’ve done, and I can notice the connections between topics I’m interested in and how I fit them into a my practice.
 |
| A page my 2026 Junk Journal July. |
The Create Daily Tracker, as well as my annual Make Nine challenge, helps me find ways to include creativity, and making things with my hands, into daily life.
