(Warning: there’s gonna be a lot of photos)
About a week ago I received some yarn and a pattern provided by Wool and Honey, a yarn store located in Michigan. They had put out a call for sample-knitters on Instagram and I sent in my application.
Basically I got free yarn and I’m getting paid to knit (!!!!!).
The yarn and the pattern are from Quince & Co. I’ve used some of their yarn before but not Kestrel, which is a linen yarn. (They name their yarns after birds and it’s great.)
It’s definitely not as soft compared to, say, a wool/mixed yarn, so it was interesting to work with.
It took me roughly a week to finish it.
At the beginning I got a bit stuck on the second repeat of a lace pattern (does anyone else not read the pattern closely enough? I missed a yarn over... it’s all good now though..).
Seaming was.. interesting. I had never seamed a shoulder or used mattress stitch, so that was definitely a learning experience.
For the front and back panels I had to steam block the two pieces before seaming. This was also new for me, but went pretty well.
I laid one piece on a towel and went over the top of it (without touching it) with an iron, pressing the steam button as I went.
Blocking linen makes it so much more drape-y! Which is good, because it was not looking great before I blocked the whole piece.
I sent the top, along with extra yarn and the printed pattern + my notes, back to Wool and Honey. They should be getting it on Tuesday and hopefully I’ll be getting paid then!
I reallllly enjoyed this experience. It’s so fun getting to do something I love and make some extra money too.
Also, believe it or not, I don’t wear the stuff I make all that often.. So sending the finished piece back makes me feel like it doesn’t go to waste.
Btw, my good friend Adelynn took these pictures for me! Her steemit is 
Thanks for following along and a happy Needlework Monday (or Sunday night for me) to you! ❤️