Unraveled Wednesday – Mystery Revealed

Hi everyone! Today I’m linking up with some awesome folks over at As Kat Knits to share some knitting and reading progress. Head on over there for some awesome blogs. Thanks Kat for hosting this link up!

On the knitting front, I finished and blocked my TTL MKAL Shawl this week!

• Pattern: Through the Loops 2020 Mystery Shawl Knitalong
• Yarn: Valley Yarns Huntington in the colorways Sea Gull and Red Purple
• Timeline: cast on 6/1, cast off 7/20

Guys – I love this shawl! This shawl shape is definitively my favorite! I always wear my shawls around my neck, and I think this shape is perfect for that – it’s long enough to go comfortably around, and is deep but not too deep. I’m also really happy with the colors I chose. When next to the Red Purple, the Sea Gull almost looks like a very light lavender. And then the pattern is just so nice! Those transitions between sections are just so amazing. One of the things I like about mystery knitalongs is that it takes me a bit out of my comfort zone a bit. I tend to like very ordered and symmetrical things, and while there are motifs that repeat, this pattern is not one that would have normally jumped out at me. I tend to gravitate to certain patterns and motifs when purchasing patterns, but when I actually choose things to wear, I’m much more drawn to color and shape. And so since I like the color and shape of this, I do think it will get a lot of wear. I definitely understand some people’s criticisms about the kind of… randomness of the shawl as a whole, especially the bind off, but it won’t bother me once I’m actually wearing it. Also, in finishing this shawl I have finished 20 projects this year! My average for the entire years of 2015-2019 was about 19 projects so it’s fair to say 2020 will be a very productive knitting year. Hey, thanks global pandemic!

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On the reading front, I finished Things that Make White People Uncomfortable. I thought this was a great book. I would describe it as a memoir/autobiography. I really liked hearing Michael Bennett’s perspective, and especially about the causes he is passionate about. I highly recommend it to anyone, especially sports fans. Next up for me is Mexican Gothic. I literally read the first chapter this morning, so don’t have too much to say yet but I’m definitely intrigued.

Hope everyone is having a good week! Today I was able to sit outside for a bit and work on my scrappy blanket while listeing to a webinar my company’s LGBT+ diversity network hosted about the recent SCOTUS decision, so that was very nice for a lot of reasons! I recently purchased another set of patio furniture for my front porch, and I’m glad I did that. The front porch is always covered, so while the back porch is more private, it often gets very hot. Now that my shawl is finished, I’m working on one of my long-term projects, the Great Western Way shawl – hoping to have that finished soon!