SWIFT

i finished my swift hat that i was knitting for the journey kal hosted by shannon over at very shannon. according to my ravelry project page, i finished it on march 4th but just got around to blocking it. i didn't do any modifications but only knit 1 repeat of the lace pattern instead of 2. i used malabrigo rastita in dewberry, which is a heavier weight yarn then the pattern calls for. i also used larger needles (US Size 3 for the brim & a 5 for the body) as well. because of this, i chose to only knit 1 repeat of the pattern because i knew the hat would grow when i blocked it. i love the different tonal shades of purple in this hat...you can really see it in this photo.

this hat is light but warm and perfect for spring. i like to pair hats like this with a spring cardigan and cute flats.

i love this hat and plan on knitting through the whole collection. i recently purchased yarn for shannon's onward shawl and i plan to cast that on when i get a few things off the needles. however, it would make a perfect shawl for spring. maybe i need to rethink waiting on it...it's just that i have so much on my needles right now and i feel like i need to get a couple of things off before casting on something else. the saga of a knitter...

journey in progress

a few months back, the lovely jane richmond and shannon cook released a collaboration of beautiful knits. journey represents the journey that we all take in life and the collection is truly breathtaking.

i've always been a fan of jane richmond's designs and i've followed shannon's blog, very shannon, for a few years. i was so excited when this collection finally released.

the lovely ladies are hosting a KAL over in shannon's ravelry group and i cast on inland. inland is a pattern that i have admired from the first time i saw it. michelle knit one not too long ago and i was inspired to cast on for the kal.

i actually bought the yarn at a lys in florida when i was there at thanksgiving. this lovely shop was having a huge sale...what knitter can resist a sale? i scored a whole bag (!!!) of plymouth encore chunky for around 25 bucks and planned to knit inland. this kal fit perfectly with my plans since i had to get my christmas knitting done before i could cast on something for myself.

as i've been looking at shannon's thread for the kal, i've since casted on a second project, swift. this hat is knitting up so quickly and it's so cozy and soft. i can't wait to wear it. the pattern calls for a sport weight, and while i have that in my stash, i ended up using a malabrigo rastita, a dk weight. i casted on with a slightly larger knit and am using a US 5 for the body of the hat. and since this yarn is from stash, it qualifies for my clean slate challenge.

i'm planning it knit all 6 patterns from the journey collection. i have yarn on the way from knit picks for the onward shawl.

if you want to see other beautiful projects, you can check the rav group  thread and this pinterest board (genius!!!). shannon has written a couple of posts about the kal and posted her beautiful finished antrorse sweater. jane has also posted her inland. head over to this post that shannon wrote yesterday for links to other participants' projects!