Things I've Been Making This Week Thursday // Feb 5, 2026
A blog of things I've been stitching, knitting, reading, and more.
Needlepoint:
I’ve been stitching this Feather and Fable self-finishing eyeglasses case I designed with Happy Stitching. It comes with everything you need to make a ready-to-go eyeglasses case and was inspired by my time studying art in the UK.
I’ve been channeling Medusa this week, and wanted to share with you a helpful tip!
If… you’ve been swapping colors, your canvas isn't perfectly aligned with your thread choices, or you find yourself stuck and confused, tie an ort or a trimmed strand to your color palette, as shown in the photo above. That way, if the colors are super close or you can’t remember what you swapped, you have a color key at the ready. Or! You can use this method to signal your brain that you’ve completed stitching that color as another way to see your progress.
Knitting:
I’m currently knitting a sweater for my niece, Sage. She loves the movie Frozen, so I’m pairing Sandnes Garn Sunday in a light aquamarine color with a Suri from a local dyer, The Dandy Doe. The colorway I chose is Blueberry Glaze. For the pattern, I’m using Pete Knit’s Ellen Cardigan.
Photo credit: Petite Knit
Designing:
I took a brief pause after sprinting through the holidays, and I am back at the drawing board. I am looking forward to sharing some sneak peeks with you soon, along with what I made for Spring Market! I’ve been tapping into what I’ve been reading lately for inspo.
For those seeking to become designers or to try their hand at painting from a chart they purchased, I will be releasing resources and mentorship options this spring. Stay tuned.
That Bag:
I’ve received a few requests to paint some of the notorious Fendi needlepoint bags, and while I am incredibly flattered, I am unable to do so due to current tariff regulations between the US and Canada. However, if you choose to splurge on this project and would like a tailored pattern, I’m happy to discuss custom charting for you to work from, or to hire a painter to render it. I remember when this bag was first released many years ago, and it’s wild that it’s made a comeback!
Fendi Needlepoint Bag affiliate link // $3,890.00 🤯🤯🤯
Writing:
I’m still ticking away at Project FMN and had a meeting with my writing coach, Tasha Suri, earlier this week! It was so nice to discuss channeling rage into our writing in a way that resonates with readers and might even prompt reflection. Many books talk about a better world, but what does that look like?
In the last few minutes, we dissected the romance arcs in Heated Rivalry and the new season of Bridgerton, as well as how I’m approaching research for the book. Hint: I’ve recently started taking a class on how to read Egyptian Hieroglyphics.
Reading:
Please note that I receive a very small commission when you buy books through bookshop.org. A non-Amazon option that directly financially helps support local indie booksellers. To date, they have donated over $45 Million to indie bookstores. I still have lots of books to add to the list, but for the link to my bookshelf (so far), click here.
I just finished listening to "I Who Have Never Known Men" by Jacqueline Harpman, originally published in French in 1995. Harpman (1929-2012) was a Jewish Belgian writer who fled the Nazi regime for Casablanca, Morocco. She later became a writer and psychoanalyst. Harpman wrote primarily in French and explored themes of identity, desire, and transformation in her fiction. Her works often featured complex psychological portraits and fantastical elements, with novels like I Who Have Never Known Men and Orlanda gaining international recognition. She won several prestigious literary prizes before her death in 2012, though she remained less widely known in the English-speaking world than she deserves.
While she never got to see how her writing has impacted readers around the world today, I’m really inspired by the fact that her trajectory shows that the seeds we plant today may take a while to bloom. I imagine her late-blooming success, thanks to booktokers and booktubers, is what is leading to her posthumously-translated-into-English book, “We Were Forbidden,” which comes out in July later this year.
I don’t want to give anything away, and I think it’s better to go in blind, so I’ll let you determine whether you would like to research it or not before requesting it from your local library.
This short, speculative read has sparked many fascinating conversations with friends, and I love that everyone has gotten something different from it. It certainly leaves you with more questions than answers. I immediately preordered her next book as soon as I turned the last page.
This is my favorite analog way to keep track of my books.
Since then, I’ve been reading “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler and “The Ministry of Time” by Kaliane Bradley. I’m only halfway through each, but I feel like I’m going to be bugging my friends to read them.
Octavia Butler was a groundbreaking American science fiction writer born in California in 1947, celebrated for her powerful explorations of race, gender, power, and human survival. Her works, including the Patternist series, Kindred, and the Parable novels, have challenged the conventions of the sci-fi genre while addressing social justice and human potential with a remarkable footprint. She was the first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur Fellowship and became one of the most influential voices in speculative fiction before her death in 2006. She won several other awards including the Hugo, Locus, and Nebula.
Published in 1993, “Parable of the Sower” takes place in 2025 under the regime of President Donner. The parallels to today’s world so far are chilling. It feels both prophetic and reflective of American History and resonant to the moment.
New Needlepoint:
Speaking of reading, I’m so excited to share with you my new self-finishing bookmark with Happy Stitching, a sister brand of KCN Designers.
This photo is from one of the gals at KCN!
Free Chart:
I have all the words and none at all in heartbreak for what is happening in the US.
If I can do even one thing each day to play my part, it is calling my Congresswoman and Senators.
If you have never called before and want to start, I can’t recommend the 5Calls app enough. Over the last week, we have seen that our calls do matter and are tipping the scales. There are 33 Senate seats and two special election seats open this year, and all members of Congress, so be sure to make sure you’re registered to vote and let your representatives know that how they perform will impact your vote.
If you’re fuming with rage, like me, I’m putting together a series of “craft circles.”
Joan Baez once said, “Action is the antidote to despair,” so I’ll leave you with this…
This pattern is 70 stitches wide and 31 stitches tall and works for any mesh size.
xo,
Brooke
P.S.
I’ve heard of many of you getting out your vote pins or making them for friends and family. If you would like to make your own, you can purchase the chart here and kits here.
