November - The Month of Knitted Goodies

This month, I have waaaaaay too many projects plan, and probably not enough time to do them all.  But, why should that stop me?  

I have casted on EXPLORATION STATION - The Stephen West/Westknits Mystery Shawl.  I have no idea what it's going to look like.  I had a hell of a time choosing colors, but I am so happy that I chose the colors I did.  Along the way, I found a really good yarn store, and snagged an awesome sale.

So, let's get to it, shall we?  

I started by putting together colors for the shawl, and asked friends on Ravelry, Facebook, and Instagram to help me choose a color scheme.  

Pop Rocks at Midnight it is.  

I spent some time looking for the yarn online, and although Purl Soho had them all, I am a woman who likes more bang for my buck, so I set out to find a cheaper alternative, if possible.  

I came across Eat Sleep Knit, they had tons of MadelineTosh colors, and I also noticed this thing called a Yarn Marathon.  Basically, you get points for the amount of yards of yarn purchased.  When you reach certain mileage milestones, you get certificates for $$$ off your purchase.  Woohoooo... I love buying stuff and getting perks.  So, then and there I decided to buy 2 projects worth of yarn.  I also intended to buy yarn to make Japan Sleeves for NaKniSweMo.  

4 skeins of MadelineTosh Tosh Merino Light.  Lastly, I was looking for Tosh Sock in Holi Festival because I am falling in love with speckled dyes, and it is such a pretty color.  They had 1 skein left.  Of course it had to be mine. 

So, here is my haul.

Because of the yardage, I quickly earned a welcome packet to the Yarn Marathon, and I was given a yarn lotto ticket as well.

I didn't win a prize, but there is always next time.

For my second amazing yarn purchase, I took part in a Craftsy Flash Sale, and scored all of my Madeline Tosh yarn at 20% off.  

Here is my haul.  Tosh DK in Tart, Charcoal, and Antler. 

I am going to use this to make the Blue Sand Cardigan.  

It takes up a ton of yardage, but it's so pretty and comfy. 

After ordering the yarn, I found these loafers at DSW that match perfectly.  Yes, I am a strong advocate for coordination.

I decided to try out the Charcoal colorway for the shawl.  It looked lighter on the screen, so I thought it would work, but it wasn't such a good fit. Actually, the DK is lighter than the Tosh Merino Light.  Maybe that's what confused me. 

I went to Purl Soho the next day to snag the Silver Fox Colorway to use in the shawl instead.

And now everything is right in the world.  Haha! 

So, let's get back to Eat Sleep Knit for a moment.  During their 4th Quarter challenge, they are having a Stephen West Pattern Challenge. The requirement is that you use 180 yds of yarn from Eat Sleep Knit.  Well, I've got that covered.  The prize is 1,000 yards added to my mileage account.  I will also have the pleasure of getting to know my team members,the Stitchosaurs on Ravelry.  This should be fun.

So, without further adieu, here is my shawl progress.

Wedge 1

Wedge 3

Wedge 4

I will have a lot of ends to weave in, but this is a lot of fun.  The excitement on Ravelry is awesome as well. 2 more wedges to go, in order to complete the first clue.