Catching Up

Lindsey here with lots to catch up on. The entire month of June went by without a single post! I'd like to blame it on the heat, but I think it'd be a lie. Apologies for the radio-silence on my end... I have no good excuse (except a huge work-related-thing that is now done. mostly). Since my last update - in April - I've done a decent amount of knitting! In anticipation of my first Madelinetosh Sweater Club yarn shipment (which arrived Memorial Day weekend), I did my best to finish some UFOs and knit from my stash. Two weeks of hellish jury duty in April along with diligent knitting until the end of May helped me achieve finishing the following projects: Girasole (for my parents' for their anniversary), Featherweight (which only needed a sleeve and a collar), Codex Cowl (for me), Snapdragon Mitts (pt. II for my NY friend), and a Scroll-Lace (which I did not love and gave to my mother for Mother's Day). Apparently you can get quite a bit of knitting done when you're not busy blogging (although a better knit-blogger would've made time for both).



Above is my second pair of Snapdragon Flip-tops (this pair for someone who actually needs the flip-top part) knit in Tosh DK in Copper Penny. But the real Tosh DK project I want to talk about is Girasole:



I knit Girasole in Tosh DK Briar which sat in my stash for over a year due to some inconsistencies in the color. I had tried knitting sweaters out of it multiple times to no avail. Finally I decided to put it to good use and knit a blanket for my parents' anniversary. I could not be more pleased with this project - everything from the pattern to the product. Sure, the final blanket has some color variations I would've been happy without, but since it forms concentric circles in tandem with the lace, it doesn't look have bad. Not only was the yarn amazing to work with, but the pattern was possibly one of the most enjoyable I've ever knit. Several different lace charts kept things interesting, but you also always go to know each chart well enough that you didn't have to refer back to it. It was always interesting and yet never overly challenging. I can't stress enough how much I recommend this pattern!



Anyway, the weekend of my brother's wedding I finally received my Tosh DK Twist in Dustbowl and immediately cast on Water and Stone. You can see a (terribly lit - sorry) picture of the yarn and collar above. The yarn is much darker and more gray than I expected, but now that I'm through with half the body and a sleeve I'm okay with it. I can't wait to finish this sweater and get started on the next when shipment two comes at the end of the month.