F.O. Ekua by Kirsten Kapur

Pattern:  Ekua aka TTL Mystery Sock 2017

Designer:  Kirsten Kapur

Yarn: Madelintosh Tosh Sock (100% merino)

Colourway:Button Jar Blue
Yarn: Sweet Georgia Yarns Tough Love Sock (80% merino 20% nylon)

Colourway:  Silver

Needles:  2.5mm

Ekua by Kirsten Kapur

Added Notes:  These socks were part of a mystery knit along where participants received different parts of the pattern weekly for a month.  I signed up for this KAL, not knowing what the sock pattern was going to look like.  I ended up spending many precious knitting hours on a pair of socks that I wasn't really enjoying knitting.  I am not a big fan of knitting cables, especially with fingering weight yarn.  Don't get me wrong, they are beautiful and fit me well, but I learned through this process that I enjoy knitting a simpler (and quicker) pair of socks, and that I don't really enjoy a mystery KAL.  I need to know what I am knitting.   How do you feel about complicated socks and MKALs?  

No sooner had I decided to stay away from MKALs then the amazing designer Joji Locatelli came out with her Mystery Wrap KAL.  Joji is one of my favourite designers so joining is very tempting.  However, the wrap requires five skeins of fingering weight yarn, which means it is a huge project.  Reluctantly, I have decided not to participate as I want to stay focused on knitting sweaters.  I am currently participating in the very popular Tops, Tanks and Tees Knitalong hosted by Very Shannon which runs from April 10 to May 8.  From Hannah Fettig's new book Texture I am knitting the Eventide Cardi. This cardigan is knit in pieces, and I think seaming is going to be easy, as the rows of seed stitch on the separate pieces will line up perfectly. 

Eventide Cardi by Hannah Fettig

I am really trying to stay focused on my sweater knitting goal. 
However, I find it very challenging given the number of new patterns that keep cropping up on Ravelry each week.  So many temptations!  Well I better get back to my Eventide Cardi...I only have about a week left. 

F.O. Goldfinch and Some Works in Progress

Until recently I was probably the only knitter who hadn't knit one of Andrea Mowry's patterns. Happily I can say that I just finished a pattern of hers called the Goldfinch Shawl.  This well written pattern was so much fun to knit. The shawl was knit in three colours of sport weight yarn, and I enjoyed every second of it.  I definitely see another Andrea Mowry pattern in my future.  Do you have any favourites?

Pattern:  Goldfinch
Designer:  Andrea Mowry

Yarn:  O-Wool O-Wash Sport (100% certified organic merino)

Colourway: Coral Reef, Porcupine, Wood Dove

O-Wool O-Wash Sport yarn

Needles: 4.0 m

Ravelry: my notes

Notes:  This was my first time working with O-Wool and I have to say that I was impressed.  I saw this yarn for the first time at Rhinebeck last year and loved it immediately. This yarn is so squishy, it comes in some gorgeous colours, and after being blocked is super soft.  A sweater knit in this yarn would be heavenly.  

I am one of those knitters who absolutely loves blocking my F.Os.  Here is the before and after of my Goldfinch Shawl.  Can you see how the lace just opened up after blocking?  It's like magic.  The shawl grew a bit and is now the perfect size, about 70 inches across.

Before blocking

After blocking

Now that I am done the shawl I am focusing on completing two spring cardigans.  The first one is the Goode Sweater by Julie Hoover knit in Purl Soho's Linen Quill, in the Oatmeal Grey colourway.  This yarn has such an interesting combination of fibers... 50% wool, 35% alpaca and 15%  linen/flax. I am so excited to see how this knits up and blocks.

Linen Quill by Purl Soho

The second cardigan I started is from Hannah Fettig's new book called Texture.  There are so many delicious sweaters in this book.  I predict that I will be knitting more than one pattern from this collection.  I chose the Eventide Cardi, a simple cardigan with a seed stitch stripe.  I thought that this subtle pattern would be the perfect choice for yarn I have had in my stash for some time.  The yarn I chose was String Theory's Caper Sock.  This yarn line was one of the first yarns I bought years ago when I got back to knitting.  The colourways are so pretty and it was hard to choose just one colour.  The colour I picked was Kiwi, the most gorgeous tonal green.  Knitting with it brings me joy.  This yarn is 80% merino, 10% cashmere and 10% nylon, a supersoft combination.

So I am going to try to focus on these two fingering weight cardigans for the next while and not get distracted by the many beautiful patterns that get published each week on Ravelry.  Wish me luck!  Happy knitting everyone!  Thanks for stopping by.