If you’ve been following me on Instagram lately (or had access to my craft room to see my full stash), you’ll know that I’m going through a huge minis phase. And by that, I mean I can’t stop buying themed mini skeins from my favorite dyers, despite being at a loss of what to do with them.

Lucky for me, everyone else has been going through a similar phase, probably thanks to a plethora of yarn advent calendars making their ways into the wild; heck, I even bought Halloween and New Year’s themed kits. That means more and more patterns geared toward minis are also crawling out of the woodwork.

So it should come as no surprise that - during another bout of insomnia that resulting in a middle-of-the-night browse through Instagram - I stumbled upon the Blooming Bouganvillea minis from Emma’s Yarn and needed to give them a go. Firstly, because Emma’s Yarn is always because… I mean… look at all the pink.

However, I went through a short-lived phase where I promised myself I wouldn’t buy yarn unless I had a pattern lined up for it (insert maniacal cackling here), so I did a little Ravelry research before pulling the trigger. That’s how I found Dark Phoenix by Tamy Gore, which is a wonderful smaller pieces that mixes garter, basic lace, and single-color brioche, switching your fade colors at the beginning of each section for an effect that’s - as most fades are - chef’s kiss.

This will be a fun fall accessory to bring on our honeymoon (okay, I’m bringing all my knits on our honeymoon, but that’s fine) and will last all through fall, winter, and even early spring. It’s super wearable and simply lovely, so 10/10 would recommend!

View My Project on Ravelry

Project Details

Pattern: Dark Phoenix by Tamy Gore
Yarn: Emma’s Yarn, Practically Perfect Smalls
Colorway: Blooming Bouganvillea

I’ve got a lot of projects I need to update you about, but I’m feeling so behind with all things work, wedding, and Knitability editing (you’re going to be really happy with the next few issues, though, so it’s worth it)! I might try to take a few minutes here and there to write a few blogs when I need a brain break, as I’m wont to need lately, but I’ve been defaulting to knitting, cross stitching Christmas gifts, and reading my spooky season books lineup that features a lot of Stephen King.

I do have loads of new Halloween yarn, though, and I’m nearly done with a Weekender sweater and matching Jack & Sally socks for Scott and me that we can sport in Asheville. Needless to say, I’ve got a lot on my plate and I’m clearly avoiding it by casting on all the things. More to come soon!

Once again, I'm behind on blogging. Which, let's be honest, isn't surprising because I always switch my hobby to obsessive reading in the summer. As usual, my Goodreads list has grown exponentially in the past few months, with many thanks to my recent subscription to Book of the Month.

But don't worry: I've picked up my needles again and am finishing a bunch of projects I started before my week-long Vegas vacation my girlfriends and I took for our birthdays (oh, did I forget to mention I saw the Backstreet Boys while there? Twice? You wish you had my life.)

One of those projects was the Kindness KAL Shawl that I started... I don't even know when. I think it was before I left for a conference in April. Regardless, it took me forever to knit and even longer to block because it sat around in a box for what's going on three months.

I promise I'm responsible.

The biggest reason I knit this shawl was because I'd recently acquired (read: hoarded) a massive stash of the new-ish Knit Picks Stroll Gradient. I'm officially in lerve. I've always had a thing for long gradients and the easy effect they can add to simple knitwear designs, but the only ones I've found in a usable quality have been hand-dyed and kinda pricey. Y'all know I'm a huge fan of indie dyers, so I don't say that to knock them, but it's great that I can now have the option to buy these, too.

The colorway I selected is called Unicorn Princess. If you have to ask why I chose that, then you clearly don't know me at all, nor have you paid attention to this blog. I say to you: UNICORN. PRINCESS.

Anyway, I finally got around to blocking the heck out this thing over the weekend. I opted to block it in a round formation instead of pulling the lace pieces down. Why? I'm not sure. I went a little crazy with pinning it down and that's just what happened.

So that's the latest "off my needles" update. As far as other life stuff, I've mostly been busy with work, light traveling, visiting with friends, and planning more upcoming light travel. Musikfest just ended in my area, too, so I was able to see a bunch of good bands I like and eat poutine. All in all, it's been a win of a summer.

In the meantime, I'm:

Reading: The Blinds
Listening to: Gogol Bordello - Wonderlust King