Thankful for Yarn Therapy

Perhaps you may have noticed that I haven't been around much lately. Well, life threw me a major curve ball and things have been topsy turvy for the past few weeks. I was hit by a car on Election Day, on my way back from the polls. That'll teach me to do my civic duty!

Long story short- I had to have surgery on my knee, and I've been trying to slowly get back to normal ever since. I now have a couple of screws in my tibia, a mastery of crutch conveyance, and a whole new appreciation for modern orthopedics. Things could have been much, MUCH worse, and for that I am most grateful.

The one good thing to come out of this situation has been lots of time on the couch recovering, which means lots of time knitting. I managed to finish two Christmas gifts before Thanksgiving- pretty sure that's a new record! The Linnaeus Cowl by Kemper Wray- from the Junkyarn Podcast, and a test knit for Megan Sanders- who recently started the TV Nerd Knits Podcast.

For my Linnaeus Cowl I used Mrs. Crosby Steamer Trunk, which is a 100% Merino Worsted. Even though the pattern recommends DK, I knew this yarn would still work well- and the Peacock colorway was just too fabulous!

While I'm overall really happy with how this turned out- the pattern is great, and the finished object is beautiful- I'm less pleased with the yarn. In my opinion there are a lot more yarns out there that would have worked better for the price. As you can see in the picture, there's a pretty stark difference in color where I added the new ball- even though they are both from the same dye lot. I also had to eliminate one repeat in the middle tier because I knew I wouldn't have enough yarn for the picot bind off if I didn't. I actually had to use the extra yarn from the cast on tail to finish the picots, and there was about 1cm of yarn left after all was said and done. Sure, the color is nice, but I just don't think I'll be using Steamer Trunk anytime again in the near future- unless it's for something like a hat, where I know it'll likely be less than one skein and it dye inconsistency won't matter. Still, I think that a non-knitter wouldn't ever notice the difference, and I'm sure it will still be well received. I will post a better pic when I have it blocked out to my satisfaction. Keep an eye out for it on Instagram!

The test knit I finished for Megan, on the other hand, could not have been a more fun experience! The way the decreases work up is magical, and they absolutely MAKE this hat!

I hope that the pattern makes its official debut soon, because it's a quick and easy knit with stunning results. I used my precious skein of Cephalopod Yarns Traveller (which is now, sadly, discontinued) in the Gallifrey colorway, which I have been hoarding in my stash for quite a while. I think the color and pattern are a match made in heaven! I still have a bit of yarn left after knitting this hat up, but I'm still on the fence about adding a pompom- though I'm sure I'll decide before I have to give it away (or knit another one, since I've become rather attached to this one). When the cat is out of the bag for the test knit I will share all of the details.

I've started a few other projects from the couch, but haven't made much progress on them. I just wanted to keep my options open for when I (inevitable) get bored working on the same thing. I have a Christmas sock on the needles for a special someone that I'm knitting out of some new Arne & Carlos Design Line I scored from WEBS.

I love how it's knitting up so far, and I think they will make the recipient VERY happy! I just hope I can get the sizing right- definitely going to be using my trusty Sock Ruler for this one.

I started the Dryads shawl/scarf by Karin Michele (iknit2purl2) out of Seven Sisters Arts Meridian sock yarn.

The yarn is lovely- and works so well with this pattern! It adds just the right romantic touch to highlight the leaf motif on the border. Whoever gets this beauty will be one lucky girl!

Since I've been spending so much time either on the couch or on the floor using the CPM machine (which I detest), I've been using my phone to acquire stash at a rather alarming rate (even for me). Next post will be all about gorgeous goodies I've gotten to help me heal. Yarn therapy is a thing, people- believe me!!!

I shall leave you with this teaser... And this was just one of the many boxes to grace my doorstep the past few weeks.

Oh, Felici! How do I love thee? Let me count the stripes.