Single tear: I'm back from vacation and have once again returned to the real world, which unfortunately substitutes sunny days on the beach with rainy days in the city. Seriously, it's gross and incredibly depressing.
But at least I can say I returned with a clear head, having read three books in the warm Rehoboth sand, catching up on much-needed sleep, and stopping by Kitschy Stitch to - naturally - enhance my stash.
Hey, at least this year, I went into it with a pattern in mind. That pattern, if you'd like to know, is Exploration Station by the fabulous Stephen West. It's taken me awhile to venture into his patterns, mostly because I was terrified of the brioche stitch that he favors above all else. But after drooling over KnitFitch's finished version made with the ever-gorgeous madelinetosh, I knew I had to at least try.
So, off I ventured to find the perfect colors. I spread out about 12 colors and yarns on the LYS floor and eventually settled on some Queensland Rustic Tweed in a variety of colorways, which I think is going to look gorgeous come fall. The tweed just adds something a little - dare I say rustic? - to the pattern, allowing the bright fuschia I chose to pop against the more muted purple, blue, and grey.
I've completed the short row section and am now fussing my way through the brioche. I luckily find the pattern itself easy once I get past the first couple stitches (provided I did my YOs correctly in the row before), but holy God, does it take forever to work each row twice! After completing each short row wedge in one sitting or less, it's been a blow to my ego to spend so much time working on the same brioche row.
I assure you, though, that the end result is worth it. If I can ever get there.
Overall, a successful vacation that resulted in a fun project sitting on my needles. I'd like to go back to our condo now so I can knit in the sun... or at Dogfish Head (conveniently located across the street from Kitschy Stitch!)
You can keep up with my Exploration Station progress by visiting my Ravelry project page.