My knitting drive is at quite the high at the moment. I’m getting a lot of peace and joy out of my knitting, both the process and the products.

After my last blog post, I was inspired to get some things finished up. First on the docket was that hat. As I mentioned, I cast it on on Christmas vacation and then sort of, well, forgot about it. Upon re-discovery, I remembered how amazing the yarn is and so I knit a few repeats on Sunday morning.

After this though, I was so entranced that I just finished the whole stinkin’ hat. It knit up like lightning, and I recalled how great this pattern is.

This is Olive and Jack by Sarah Stevens. I knit another one back in December. For this version, I knit to the length specified in the pattern and I like it a lot. Not too slouchy, not too short, really just right. The yarn is Junkyarn DK in the Barbie colorway.

So good, the pink and orange and purple and peach… So good.

In other news, I have recently become intrigued with the Beekeeper Cardigan. This is a knitalong where the idea is to knit an entire sweater in 4 days. 4 days! I was curious, to be sure. I have a DK sweater quantity on hand that would fit the bill for the pattern so I caked up a skein and waited for the swatching info to come out on Monday.

I knit the swatch, washed it, blocked it, and… I’m not a fan. The pattern just doesn’t really appeal to me. I found myself waffling about it, but then finally buttoned up my resolve. My goal for this year is to be intentional with what I do, what I make. Knitting a sweater in a pattern I’m meh over doesn’t really follow that spirit. And so, I won’t be knitting this sweater. I do adore the yarn though. It’s a great mauve. This is Madeline Tosh Longrider DK in the Scout colorway. It will become something beautiful at some point, and I’m looking forward to figuring out what it should be.

Once I finished the swatch, I set my sights on socks. This pair have really been my waiting socks, keeping me company through a lot of time when I might have gone bonkers. Such was the case yesterday, more waiting with my socks:

I finished the toe in the waiting room and came home to cut in the heels:

With that, I was done with these pretties:

These are my May rainbow socks, pair #5 in my rainbow box o’ sox and the 11th pair of socks finished this year. The yarn is Knitterly Things Vesper Sparkle Sock in the Time and Tide colorway–the May edition of the 2017 Rainbow of the Month Club.

They are pretty fun, if I do say so. That chartreuse stripe again, love it!

Now that I’ve got these two projects off the needles and that swatch out of my head, I’m ready to get back to my Madewell. I’ve got a cuff, a sleeve, and a button band to go. My goal is to get that wrapped up by the end of May. That’s eight whole days. We’ve got family coming into town for a major birthday, but I still think I can do it. Wish me luck!

Happy making!