So this week was *drumroll* the start to NaKniSweMo (National Knit a Sweater Month!) So I decided this was the motivation that I needed to knit my first sweater. I cast on the Keera sweater by Isabell Kraemer out of a tonal blue colorway of Araucania Rinihue.
It’s a wool silk blend yarn that I got from a stash busting sale. I got 6 skeins and I’m right at the yardage that the pattern calls for which is a little too close for comfort.
If I run out, they stopped making this yarn base so I’ll be hard pressed to find anything similar. I definitely won’t find anymore of this color. I’m feeling optimistic though. Today is day 7 of my month and I’m almost done with the first 2 skeins. I’ve been switching every row to keep the colors from pooling and it looks great.
I’m so pleased that I finally decided to knit a sweater. I know most of the techniques that are needed for a sweater – I’ve just always had trouble buying sweater-size quantities yarn. It’s so hard to buy 6-7 skeins of yarn in the same colorway when I could buy 6-7 different skeins that are all beautiful – but I think I may have found my inner strength. I’m already planning 2-3 more sweaters.
In other news, I’ve been participating in a Mystery Knit Along, Read Along, In Real Life. MKAL RAL IRL. It’s been amazing. The designer Heidi (handsoccupied) and Firefly Fiber Arts have teamed up to make it super fun. I hope we start a new one as soon as this one is over.
The pattern is called The Scarf of Dreams, and Heidi based it off the book the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I finished the book last week and I am halfway through knitting clue 3 of 4.
The project is a lace scarf and it has been challenging but beautiful and fun. The pattern is based off the important themes in the book. I have done a few lace projects before this one and already knew that I loved it, but this lace project has been super challenging. I remember getting the chart for clue 3 and thinking how am I going to be able to do this.
Now that I’m on the other side of that chart, I’m so glad I had to opportunity to knit it. I am a better knitter than I was 5 days ago. I have also proved to myself that yes, I really love knitting lace! The last piece of the pattern, clue 4, was released yesterday. It’s stunning and I can’t wait to knit it.
Hopefully I’ll be done this week so I can take it into knit night and show it off. I’m so glad that I found some lovely ladies to knit and learn with. It’s now one of the highlights of my week.