mosaic momentum

I’m making pretty fast progress on the baby blanket. It’s been traveling around with me to coffee shops and hanging out with me on the couch while I watch all the spring tennis. 

It’s not one of those things I can just zone out and work on, but I’ve hit a good rhythm and am more than 2/3 of the way through the center zigzags. I’m still pleased with the color choices I made and believe I am tracking to have just the right amount of yarn. Onward!

Zilver

The third triangle of the year! This is my second single skein project of the spring and I think I like the way it turned out. I kind of wish it were bigger, but I do like the pattern with this yarn. It was easy to memorize and a fun and relaxing knit. 

Regular bands of stockinette alternate with simple textured bands that increase in thickness down the length of the piece. This makes for a visually interesting fabric that I think works very well with this extremely variegated yarn. I’ll have to spend some more time in the sunshine to see how noticeable the sparkles in the yarn are. They aren’t over the top glitter, but maybe they will shine subtly in the sun. Serendipidye certainly does some lovely dye jobs! The gray is a pretty dove gray, the purple is more on the reddish side, and the turquoise is bright but not so much it doesn’t blend in. All of my favorites in one place. 

I’m not surprised at the size, in fact it’s better than I thought it would be and will make a nice neck wrap. I would like this even more for a “shoulder shawl” in a sport weight yarn and with more repeats to make it larger. It wouldn’t be difficult to figure out how to continue in pattern. Because I liked the i-cord bind off on the Sunwalker so much, I used it on this project. I still like it.

I’ve got a relatively clean slate again, which is exciting. That Shetland shawl is still calling my name, but I think the yarn stash is calling louder...

Pattern: Zilver, free on Ravelry (my Ravelry page)

Yarn: Serendipidye Kings Mountain O’Sparkle Sock Fingering in ‘Beatrix’

Needle: US 8

Size: 56” x 28”

Sunset

I love this shawl! What started out as a project to get this yarn worked up into something - anything! - has turned into what I think will be another favorite piece. It’s long and wide and drapes wonderfully. 

The pattern was a free one I found on Ravelry that is texturally interesting but repetitive and simple enough that variegated yarns look quite smashing. I find the project gallery feature on Ravelry especially useful in answering the question “will variegation look terrible”. I wasn’t too sure about it as the first inches came off the needles, wondering if I should abandon it and make something less lacy, but in the end that very thing is what makes this single skein of sock yarn a satisfyingly large wrap.

It is an asymmetrical triangle which is another thing I like about it. Triangle wraps are good, too, but I think the asymmetry makes the point hang down in a more flattering way. The orange yarn glittered in the sunshine when we went out to take pictures of it yesterday, and it looks so nice against our lovely spring green plants. Funny that in my first post on this I thought this would still be hanging around months down the road... I've enjoyed many evenings of knitting in April so far and made fast progress!

I'm pretty sure this was the one where I did an Icelandic bind off. I wanted something stretchy because I knew I was going to try to block the pants off of it when finished. I wet blocked it and used my handy blocking wires to get a nice stretch going that really opened up the dropped stitches and yarn over sections. I was pretty skeptical starting out that one skein of yarn plus my tendency for tight knitting would end up being as big as the pictures on the pattern made me think it should be, but I am pleasantly surprised at how large it turned out. And to add even more satisfaction, I used up every last bit of yarn making these tassels for two of the corners. No leftovers! I tested today after attaching the tassels and they help give some weight and make the drape even better. Love.

Pattern: Stormy Sky Shawl, free on Ravelry (my Ravelry page)

Yarn: Serendipidye Kings Mountain Sock in ‘Pumpkin Patch’

Needle: US 9

Size: 70” x 38”