Summer Break

After finishing off my 1920s sweater last month, I pulled out my '30s patterns, looked through them all at least twice, considered my options, and thought about which yarns to swatch. And then I took a break. Not just a break from knitting, but an actual vacation away from home and away from work. That hasn't happened for my husband and me for quite a little while. We spent a week camping on the shores of Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula with extended family. It was great. I swam a lot, ate pasties, sampled local beer, hiked for miles and miles, sat around the campfire, marveled at the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, explored nearby towns, and just generally enjoyed my family's company for the week.

But, I didn't knit a stitch. I didn't even bring knitting on the trip. I did, however, stop by the Knitter's Niche in Marquette, where I met the supremely friendly and welcoming owner Trisha as well as Rose, the woman who raised the sheep that provided the wool for the squishy-soft, cozy-dense, oatmeal-colored skein of Shetland/CVM that I brought home. The sheep's names are Anna, Aurora, and Milik. It's a beautiful skein of wool. I see some cozy winter accessories in my future.

Speaking of winter accessories, that's about all I've made in the last several weeks. Once I've finished all my current projects and had a little break, it always seems to take some time to get a project going again. A friend was really excited about the new issue of Twist Collective, especially the Svartifoss pattern, which looks so temptingly different. We agreed on a knit along, but I'm pretty sure I started and finished without her. I opted for the Svartifoss mittens:

They're up on my Ravelry page with the knitting details and play-by-play. I found an error in the lace chart, so please check my project page for the fix before you get too far in making them yourself. I do love them. Although they are incredibly warm, they will be strictly dress mittens. No walking the dog or shoveling snow in these beauties.

Next up is a sweater for my little nephew and two pairs of custom Chucks and then I'll dive back into the 1930s. I have two new pattern booklets (gifts from a fellow knitter) to share soon, too.