this is what guest bedrooms are for...

... when there isn't a guest at the moment. I bound off this bad boy on the 10th but it's been hanging out since then while my tank top dried and let's be honest because I was intimidated by blocking something this big. Turned out to be the perfect size for the queen sized bed, and I pulled out my bendy blocking wires so the curves were actually a piece of cake to do.

It's not quite the 5 ft diameter it's supposed to be based on the pattern, but I will chalk that up to ending the outer most ring a few rows early (to avoid winding another ball of yarn) and not going that aggressive with the stretching for the block. I am quite pleased that the puckery inner dot settled down, that my needle switch mistake was not an issue for rings 4 and 5, and that the bind off was loose enough to allow for a nice big stretch without being floppy. Looking forward to seeing how this drapes after drying. Then I will consider whether it's staying here or making it's way elsewhere as a holiday gift. 

Now that I have finished both the tank top AND this blanket, I feel I can start something new. I may vamp for a bit on my Clint shawl (which I have also been making progress on this month), but I do want to get my Agave sweater on the needles to hopefully have done for wearing some time this hot season. Not to worry though, our hot season is LONG. 

mushroom forager tank, finished

It's been quiet from the writing perspective, but busy with the needles this month. I have been motivated to finish projects I have going so that I feel spacious enough to start some new ones. Not a rule, but certainly a good way to push myself to follow through on things I've started. This tank top I started in January is finished and I am quite pleased with the way it fits and how the color looks against my barn tanned skin. 

This yarn was a clearance find at Fillory at LAST year's Bay Area Yarn Crawl. I at least started it before this year's ;). It's a discontinued Berocco cotton rayon blend and was kind of an unforgiving yarn to work with. I had it on large needles for a loose gauge, but it's got NO stretch so was a bit fatiguing to work with which is kind of why it sat for a few months before I picked it back up again in May. 

It shrunk a surprising amount when I blocked it. This turned out to be a good thing because it was looking a bit big around the arm holes and the v neck was bordering on scandalous, but it didn't actually turn out as long or as baggy as I was hoping from making the largest size. The internet tells me it's possible to add length to a stockinette bottom up sweater with just a small amount of fiddling and I have one extra skein of the yarn, so it is an option. It does look very cute with the right pants, though so I will be living with it for a while before considering a modification. As I said to my coworker who wears shorter tops on the regular and looks fabulous, I am trying to embrace the short top as A Thing for myself. 

The mushroom brown is not a typical color for me, but I quite like it with my dark features and olive skin, especially with that bit of a suntan. I wasn't sure how I would feel about the random lines of color but I have to say, love it. They're perfect to give this simple piece a bit of interest but not so busy that it's a mess of color. I would make this tank again for sure, trying a non-rayon yarn so the whole thing stays a bit roomier post block. I would probably want to figure out how to combine the XL body with a smaller size for the top bit so the arm hole/v-neck situation works out like this one, though. I have to say I was a bit skeptical about the pattern because it was so simple but sometimes simple really works!  

spreading the mushroom love

My coworker had a birthday today. It's also my half birthday, a coincidence that I take to be the universe's humor since she and I are so different yet get along so well. She is a fellow knitter and we often trade stories, pattern ideas, and show and tell along with a lot of motivation and moral support. Since I've been on a kick lately with sewing project bags, I decided to make her one for her birthday. 

It's kind of an unusual combination using the bright teal linen with the more earthy mushroom print, but I think it worked out really well. I went back to the tutorial I used to make my somewhat improvised mushroomy bag and used the actual measurements this time instead of letting the fabric tell me what it wanted to be. This turned out to be a much nicer form factor. Lesson learned.

I used this cool yellow molecule looking batik on the inside, and a deep purple zipper. Quirky, but classy. She lives in SF which matches the vibes this bag is giving (does anyone else remember designing TimBuk2 bags at their store in Hayes Valley??). I used quilt batting again, didn't interface the interior fabric, and it stands up just fine. The thicker linen blends on the outside make it so that's ok I think. If I were to use regular quilting cotton I might consider interfacing on the outside or two layers of quilt batting. 

I put a metal keyring in the little tab, and also a little bag of stitch markers I had made prior to last year's Bay Area Yarn Crawl. I included some lobster claw progress keepers just for variety. I love that those crystals look like labeled balls of yarn. 

defying gravity, finished

It is FINISHED! I am so very pleased with how this turned out, and I would absolutely make this pattern again. It was a very fun knit and the finished piece is really unique. It did grow quite a bit in blocking! I suppose that is due to the silk in the yarn, more slippy maybe? I think it's ok and the oversized look is very much what I was going for but I'll keep that in mind for the next time in case I want to try out a different size.

There was just a little bit of pooling with my second skein of yarn - the consequence of not alternating skeins - but I don't really mind it at all. This green color is just *chef's kiss* perfect, and I am tickled at the combination with the pinks I had in my stash. The cutest part, that is not obvious to anyone but me, is the little yellow brick road piles in the middle of the granny squares. That small pop of gold sparkles up there and makes the piece more interesting than if I had just chosen to use the light pink again in the center and is a fun nod to the story that inspired this color combination. 

 

I've worn it to work already, and it was happily comfy and not at all itchy all day. Because it grew, I will say the neckline is a bit more open than I felt comfortable wearing with out a tank top underneath. I am considering taking out the bind off and expanding the ribbing to give myself a little more coverage in that department. It's fine for now, but definitely something I may pick up and adjust on an evening when I want to be frustrated. ;)