test success

Sometimes when you're really busy, you decide to take on just one more thing. Totally normal, right?

I have never been a test knitter before, but as soon as I saw Annie's sneak peek of this tee pattern on Instagram I threw my name into the ring. And the whole process - from struggling to get gauge, to visiting multiple yarn shops, to racing against the clock before our road trip, to running out of wool on the road trip and magically finding one more ball (which meant one more yarn shop), to weaving in the final end - was SO MUCH FUN. I would happily test knit again, especially for a pattern as awesome as this one.

The pattern is called Morning Mist, now available on Ravelry. It's a summer tee with a lovely lace panel along the back that adds texture and interest. The construction is super simple and although I knit it all in one colour, the pattern actually suggests a contrasting colour for the panel, opening up so many great options. I ended up using Rowan's Wool Cotton, so my tee has a substantial amount of drape because of the weight of the cotton, but it helps pull the sleeve edges down, creating a shape I just love. I only wish I'd had enough wool in one dye lot - I ran out just before the edging, so if you look closely you can tell the edges are a different shade. Live and learn. Oh, but the biggest thing I learned in the whole process? I'm a tight knitter. That's the kind of information that will save me oodles of time in the future.

For my reading update, I'm slowly making my way through Mme. Proust and the Kosher Kitchen, but an arrival today may prove too hard to resist. I swear All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews is calling out to me from the Amazon box. Books can be ruthless that way.

For more tales of knitting and reading, visit today's Yarnalong.