Te Whēnua

 Another one from the long overdue WIP pile. Late last summer, I thought it was a good idea to do 3 MKALs at the same time. I finished one of them, and then the others went into hibernation. 

When I pulled this one out, I found that I had only about 16 more rows and the bind off left. I mean, they were 400+ stitches in each row, but still. It seems silly that this sat unfinished for so long. Especially because the yarn and pattern are beautiful. I need to be better about finishing things.

Project Info:

Pattern: Te Whēnua by Francoise Danoy

Yarn: Lady Dye Yarns Superwash Fingering in Umbrella

Started: August 15, 2020

Finished: June 12, 2021

Rebel with a Cause kit

Got this pretty kit and started knitting right away, earlier this year before getting sidetracked. In my quest to clear out some space from my WIP basket and find all of my knitting needles, I got this one finished.

Project Info:

Pattern: Holly by Nancy Ricci

Yarn: Lady Dye Yarns Superwash Sock in Women's Suffragette

Started: Sometime in March 2021

Finished: June 13 2021

Digging out old WIPS

 Starting things is always a lot of fun. But then you end up with a basket (or 3) full of unfinished projects.  This weekend I decided it was a good time to go through some old projects and try to finish them up.  I bought this yarn maybe 2 years ago to make a hat as a special request.

I made the hat and then got frustrated with the design elements, so into the basket it went. When I pulled it out and looked at it with a less critical eye, I decided I was satisfied with the design and should just forge ahead. So, here is my finished hat:

 

Because, yes, I am an adult. 

Project info:

Pattern: Improvised

Yarn: Red Heart Reflective in Aran, Neon Yellow, Neon Pink, Peacock and Purple

Started: Unknown

Finished: June 13, 2021

Summer knitting

Started this top last summer, with no real plan, other than doing something similar to the Cancun Boxy Lace Top, which I had just finished. Got through 2 stitch patterns, pulled from my trusty stitch dictionary, before getting sidetracked by a mystery knit-along. Now that we had a few super hot days in a row, I felt inspired to finish a summery project.

       

Project Info:

Pattern: Improvised

Yarn: Tahki Yarns Skinny Jeans in Light Denim

Started: Aug 18, 2020

Finished: May 31, 2021

A home for my CSM

 Last year, when it became apparent that I was going to be working from home for the indefinite future, I decided to move my "home office" from the bed to a desk. I had previously been using the desk as a home for my circular sock machine, but there just wasn't the space for it. Since it is still unclear when, or if, I will be permanently returning to the office, I finally decided to purchase a cart with storage space to be the permanent home for the csm. Gave myself a giant blister on the palm of my hand putting this together, but am excited to get back to cranking.

Now I just have to re-learn how to use it.

Knights Who Say Knit MKAL

 Another fun mystery knitalong from Lyrical Knits. I bought this gradient set at Rhinebeck in 2016, with no real plan. Mini-skeins! Am I right? They sat in stash waiting for the perfect project. When I heard there was going to be a Monty Python and the Holy Grail themed knit, this set seemed perfect. Of course, I didn't have any yarn to be the main color, so I had to buy more yarn. Whoops. I call this my "Strange women, lying in ponds, distributing swords is no basis for a system of government" kit.

Very much enjoyed the knitalong and my finished shawl is delightfully soft. I love how these colors turned out.

Project info:

Pattern: The Knights Who Say KNIT by Mary Annarella

Yarn: Fiber Optic Yarns Kashmir in Coastal Gradient and Dolphin

Started: April 19, 2021

Finished: May 28, 2021

Caladenia MKAL

For this mystery knitalong from Ambah O'Brien, I used 2 yarns that I had purchased at a Webs tent sale, and combined them them 2 yarns from a mystery grab bag.

This was a great pattern and I love how it all came together.

Project info

Pattern: Caladenia Shawl by Ambah O'Brien

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Methanol Blue and 3 unlabeled OOAK colors.

Started: Apr 13, 2021

Finished: May 9, 2021

Birdwatcher

 More stashbusting. Bought this yarn on sale last summer, with the intention of making a summer top. The colors are WAY out of my comfort range. So much so that I had to buy a dress because I didn't own anything that would actually work with it. Was concerned that the yellows would not do anything good for my complexion, but love how this turned out.

Project Info:

Pattern: The Birdwatcher by Casapinka

Yarn: Knitpicks Lindy Chain in Rouge, Blush, Conch, Tumeric and Honey

Started: Mar 30, 2021

Finished: Apr 26 2021

Swingy Poncho

 Saw a post about this pattern and it was so cute, and I just happened to have the perfect yarn for it. 

I rarely knit the same pattern twice, but am thinking about doing another one of these, but with a cable pattern in place of the seed stitch.

Project Info:
Pattern: Swingy Poncho by Casapinka
Yarn: Knitpicks City Tweed HW in Jacquard
Started: Mar 10, 2021
Finished: Apr 30, 2021

Savage Gardens

 First pattern from this year's Miss Babs Book Club. The first yarn/pattern combo was inspired by Mycroft and Sherlock by Kareen Abdul-Jabbar. The yarn color was called Tobacco and came with this cute magnifying glass.

Loved how this turned out, but this was definitely a project I had to pay attention to. Normally I am pretty good at reading my knitting, but I had to refer to the chart on every row or I would get totally lost. Totally worth it, though.

Project Info

Pattern: Savage Gardens Scarf by Michael Harrigan

Yarn: Miss Babs Killington in Tobacco

Started: March 21, 2021

Finished: Apr 3, 2021