Yarn Along

Today I’m joining Ginny’s Yarn Along on Small Things.

I finally cast on my June socks last night—with just 10 days left in the month!  Gah!!  It’s doubtful I’ll finish them in time, but maybe I’ll come in close.  With so few days left in June, I decided to bag my own design inspired by my Indian Cigar Tree in summer and knit a pattern with leaves on it that would work with my yarn.  The pattern is Midsummer Night’s Dream, and the yarn is Knit Picks’ Stroll Tonal in colorway Canopy.

Let me tell you about the colors in this yarn. 

Overall, I’d say it’s emerald green, which is my favorite shade of green, but each of the seven tones in the ball is beautiful and striking on its own.  As my husband helped me wind the hank into a ball (he begrudgingly serves as a really good—and free—swift), I was transfixed by each color as it passed me on its way to the ball winder, shiny-pebble style.  WOW.  I could not wait to cast on.  I took these photos out on the front porch in hopes of accurately showing this yarn’s true colors.  The photo came close, but they're much better in person.

My market bag is coming along well, too, and I’m almost done designing and, by default, knitting it.  I came up with an interesting and useful way to make the handle so it’s not made of too-stretchy garter stitch but doesn’t have any roll to it—stay tuned!  I hope to release the pattern within the next week or so.

The bit I’m most excited about is today I submitted my Birds in Flight sock pattern to Knit Picks’ Independent Designer Partnership program.  If they accept my pattern, Knit Picks will sell it on their website and possibly in their catalog.  I have no clue how many catalogs they print for each run, but my pattern it would get in front of a lot of knitters’ eyes.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

I’m still reading EZ’s Knitting Without Tears, and I find myself reading it whenever I get a minute here or there, so I’m making better-than-usual progress.  I’m chuckling over some of her word choices—some of them completely unfamiliar to me—and I’m still savoring the experience.  I’m already dreaming up what Nathan’s winter sweater will be like—even though I haven’t even cast on his fall sweater yet.  It’ll definitely be a seamless raglan.  Now to figure out the colors and the details.  Intarsia?  Fair isle?  Cables?  This is the most fun part.

Good knitting,

Kelly