Finished: Penelope Shawls

My family and me wearing our Penelope Shawls on Christmas night!

I suppose it's time I rose from the dead and revisited my poor little blog that's been languishing since when - August?

Yeesh.

Those of you who know me well also know that 2016 was a rough year for a variety of reasons I won't get into here. It wasn't easy on me and I even let go of the one thing in this world I love the most: knitting! Yup, that's how bad my 2016 was. It's not like I didn't knit (or crochet) anything at all; I just wasn't passionate about it anymore, which is really out of character for me.

But that's done with now and the black cloud of negativity has been removed from my life for good. I'm back in my groove and am knitting like a fiend. Mostly socks because that's what I want to do, and I figure if I want to do it, I just will. It's been a year since I truly loved something I was working on and threw myself into, so guess what? I'm going to enjoy my selfish projects for awhile.

One of my most recent projects was crocheting five Penelope Shawls as Christmas gifts for my family. This idea spurred from a) becoming obsessed with Caron Cakes and b) knitting in a local whiskey bar with one of my friends who was crocheting a shawl with said cakes (yes, that did happen). I got the sudden urge to crochet something, but I wasn't sure what - other than I wanted it to be a shawl.

After searching Ravelry for Caron Cakes projects, I came across a user who'd made a shawlette version of the Penelope Shawl. I was done. This is what I need to do. I started crocheting one at 11:30PM on a Sunday evening (as you do) and didn't look back. I think I finished it by the next evening and decided I'd be able to whip out at least five before Christmas: one for my family members and one for myself.

The pattern is super simple, though I had to fudge the edging a bit due to the fact I was making a smaller version; it was fine. It made for great Christmas movie-watching as the holiday approached and worked up really fast. Plus, by using the cakes, I barely had to weave in ends. Best of all, each shawl looked great in their already-designed-for-me colors.

I know you've all got massive Caron Cake stashes, so make sure to check out the Penelope Shawl as a possible project. I just crocheted until I had three colors left in my cake, then completed the final few rounds for the edging. There was usually a small amount left, but nothing I ever felt bad about throwing away

PS: There are 8 new Caron Cake colors!!!

In the meantime, I'm:

Knitting: Just Another Vanilla Sock - Christmas Edition
Reading: Red Queen, by Victoria Aveyard
Watching: Westworld

Finished: Kick in the Pants Rainbow Socks

They're done! My labor of love is done. And even though they took me forever to knit, I'm incredibly happy with the end result, so it was totally worth it.

You can check out the deets by visiting my project page on Ravelry or reading my last post about them. Either way, the basics are:

• Yarn: Knit Picks Felici Rainbow

• Pattern: Kick in the Pants, modified for toe-up using the Turkish Cast-On (my favorite toe-up method) and incorporating the Fish Lips Kiss Heel

I was contacted by Knit Picks over on Instagram asking if they could feature my photo on their Facebook page, so make sure to like them and see my 15 minutes of fiber fame :)

In other news, the Olympics have started, which also means the Ravellenic Games are under way! I'm participating this year by knitting a sweater in just over two weeks, and it's looking like it'll be done just in time. Yikes! Stay tuned for progress photos.

In the meantime, I'm:

Knitting: Broken Seed Stitch Socks (which I'm obsessed with, but are temporarily on hold while I do my Ravellenics thing)
Reading: Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Dunham
Watching: The Olympics. Duh!

Review: 2016 July Yarn Crush Unboxing

It's been awhile since I've unboxed fibery goodness for you (and for that, I am truly, madly, deeply sad). I've been working from home three days a week since my company moved our office closer to the city, so I'll be honest: you're lucky if I brush my hair most days.

I mean, it's not a rat's nest and I still shower and like... other important things. I just usually throw my hair back into a ponytail and don't risk the chore that is putting my contacts in.

It's a great look.

Anyway, I was so excited to get back in the groove of filming that I put on a bra and unboxed the latest offering from my favorite subscription box: Yarn Crush.

The Goodies

The Yarn is the new-to-me, sumptuous, hand-dyed Pyxis from Space Cadet Yarns. It's 100% Superwash Merino, meaning it's easy to care for (and a superb choice for the provided patterns). Subscribers received one of three colorways depending on their preferences (of which I have none because I love surprises) and I received the blue-green tonal Eugenia. "Warm" subscribers received Eta Carinae and "cool" subscribers received Medusa Nebula.

The Patterns: This month’s knitting pattern is the Heartfire Shawl by Katrina King, which is a lovely pattern for Pyxis due to the subtle color changes and drape. It's a lacey fabric that appears to work up quickly thanks to some stockinette up top, making it the perfect penultimate project for summer.

Of course, Yarn Crush is great because crocheters aren't forgotten (and believe me when I say as a long-time crocheter, it's easy to feel overlooked in this industry). That's why each box comes with both a knitting and crochet pattern - so those of us who enjoy both crafts get a yet another choice!

The July crochet pattern is Valladolid by Jennifer Hansen. You will know Jennifer as Stitch Diva, so I'm sure it comes as no surprise I was immediately drawn to this shawl. I haven't crocheted much in the past several years due to my knitting obsession, but this may be what I needed to dive back in with pure joy.

The Yummies: This month's bonus gift is an elegant feather or twig shawl pin (I received the twig). It's a really nice treat and I don't even want to wait to wear it on my finished shawl. I can see this on any light fall jacket or bag - it's that pretty.

We also got 20% off any pattern from Threaded Dream Studio, 50% off patterns at stitchdiva.com, and 10% off our purchases at spacecadetyarn.com. There's a good chance I may take advantage of those discounts, especially if I fall in love with this yarn (as it seems like I will).

The Price: I've said it before and I'll say it again: one of my favorite things about Yarn Crush is that you know the retail value of each item in your box (it's published along with the description of the box's contents). Why is that important? Because you know exactly what you're getting for what you've paid, and let me tell you: it's always a steal. The retail value of July 2016's box was $50.99, but the monthly subscription price is only $32.99 in comparison. That’s $18 in savings!

The Rating

How could I possibly give Yarn Crush any less than 5/5 stars? The answer is: I can't. The yarn is just too pretty and the projects too fun for me not to rave like a lunatic about the contents.

How to Get It

There are a couple subscription options and multiple ways to pay. For example, you can subscribe to a monthly box or bi-monthly box and then select how often you'd like to be charged. You, of course, save money with a 3- or 6-month payment plan; I love when subscriptions cater to both our needs and our budgets, especially for those of us trying to be more conscious of what we’re spending (look, I said "trying").

If you're ready to learn more, click the button below to either subscribe or select the subscription option that's right for you:

Test Knitting: Atiru Shawl for Aroha Knits

View fullsize

Back in June, Frenchie from Aroha Knits called upon her team of fiber artists to test-knit one of her latest patterns: the Atiru Shawl.

Needing to get my mind off things (things that you may have read about in my last post), I jumped at the opportunity to keep myself busy and volunteered to join the team.

First things first: I didn't finish the project due to everything going on, so I feel like a failure and a letdown; however, I can say the final result (or what I have of one) is gorgeous and a must-have addition to your hand-knit wardrobe.

The yarns I used are:

Pink: HauteKnitYarn, Fingering, Moving Too Fast
Blue: Happy Fuzzy Yarn, Corrie Sock, Sea Glass
Grey: Classic Elite Yarns, Fresco, 5303 Cinder

The prototype/pattern calls for only two colors, but because I only had one skein of the HauteKnitYarn I wanted to use, I needed to substitute with yet another coordinating color. I'm still not sure I'm in love with the grey (and I kind of wish I'd used the cream color I'd been eyeing up), but I've received nice compliments about the color combo on Instagram, so I'm just going with it!

Although it was a test-knit, I didn't come across any problems with the pattern and I found it easy to understand. Frenchie always does a great job of writing patterns clearly. As long as you are paying attention, you'll be fine. And it's easy to get into a groove/memorize the pattern once you reach the shawl's main body.

The Atiru Shawl is now available for purchase on Ravelry, so make sure to head over and add it to your favorites.

In the meantime, I'm:

Knitting: Kick in the Pants Rainbow Socks
Reading: The Girl on the Cliff by Lucinda Riley
Watching: Bojack Horseman

In Progress: Kick in the Pants Rainbow Socks

View fullsize

Admittedly, this current project has been a labor of love since (as always, it seems these days) my knitting mojo has been in the toilet.

I won't even begin to tell you what's been going on in my life, but suffice it to say I've been getting rid of toxic people and sort of mourning that loss. It goes to show that just because something isn't good for you, doesn't mean it won't hurt when it's gone. And the process isn't any easier when they don't even live in your country.

My ego is pretty battered and my self worth took a hit, too. So really, people plain old suck right now and I'm questioning why I even attempt new relationships at the ripe old age of 33.

I'm feeling a little better after my slump and have attempted to pick up knitting again. After all, it is and always has been my first love and has helped me through a number of rough patches in my past.

As a result, I've half-finished a pair of rainbow socks using my favorite KnitPicks Felici yarn. I've coveted this colorway for years and they finally sold it again months and months ago, so you bet your bottom dollar I picked it up once it was back on my radar.

The pattern I'm using is called Kick in the Pants, which I can't recommend highly enough for self-striping yarn. It's enough to hold your attention while still being pretty mindless. In other words, this was a perfect project for me to take to the beach a couple weekends ago. Except for that awkward moment where I dropped my ball in the sand and, well, it got messy.

It's supposed to be for top-down socks, but because I hate those, I've flipped the pattern to be bottom-up. So it doesn't look exactly like the original; that's fine with me.

I've also used contrasting yarn to knit a Fish Lips Kiss heel and 1x1 twisted rib for the cuff.

Otherwise, what else is going on my life?

Plenty of good things to contrast the bad, believe it or not. I've started a marketing podcast with several friends I met at conferences; we've been having a blast and receiving good feedback. I'm in the process of starting up a marketing business for independent fiber artists, which I'm really looking forward to launching one of these days. Nick and I have been making small day trips to a beach that's not far from us, so that's led to some pretty relaxing days and a decent tan (and horrid tan lines). I have one of my best friend's bachelorette party coming up this weekend in the Finger Lakes, which is sure to be a blast. And if you missed my last post, you'll know I'm going on a knitting retreat/to Rhinebeck in October.

And also, this rough patch has shown me how much I'm loved by people who actually matter to me. Yeah yeah, I know I'm waxing poetic and most of you are probably rolling your eyes and asking, "Why are you even writing about this?" It's because I know I'm not the only one to reach rock bottom and learn my lessons the hard way. Most people pull out of it, but others don't. I want everyone  - including you - to know that when something horrible happens to you (and it will happen, because such is life), you're not alone, even though it feels like it at the time. And I certainly feel alone right now, but I logically know I'm not. And I also know I have an amazing support network who help pick me up by my bootstraps and carry on.

Doesn't mean I'm not an idiot, but I'll get over that and make sure I'm not an idiot again.

In the meantime, I'm:

Watching: Stranger Things. Okay, I'm actually done watching this after a major bingefest this weekend. It was awesome and you all need to take a look.
Reading: The Girls by Emma Cline
Listening: "Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks