Since I finished only one project in May, I decided early on to skip the 5/2026 recap and round it up into one post. (Of course, I was also planning to post about our Maine trip in June, and I didn’t get around to doing that…)
Finished Objects
This isn’t knitting, but it’s knitting related!
Kid 2 and I found several canvas bags at a garage sale — the cheap kind you buy to decorate. There were a few drawstring backpacks and a few small totes, about 12″x12″. I liked the idea of making a project bag that said, “tell your WIPs I said hi,” but I figured “yarn” was probably more easily understood. This was just a quick dye and Cricut project. If anybody ever reads the bag, it doesn’t seem to make an impression, but I think it’s funny.
On to the knitting! In May, I finished my Petites Fleurs top:
I enjoyed knitting this, I like the color (though it’s not something I’d usually choose!), and I think the top is cute. I have yet to actually wear it out of the house, though. The yarn is sport weight, which would seem like a decent weight for a summer top — not too heavy. But there’s no way I’d wear this in any sort of heat. I’m not sure summer knits are for me? If I’m hot, I don’t want anything to do with a top made of wool; if I’m cool, I want long sleeves. Hopefully we just haven’t had the right weather for this since I finished it.
My only FO in June was the Flock Vest:
This is really cute! I used (light) worsted alpaca yarn for the main color and darker purple stripe. The lighter purple was a random ball of DK superwash wool I thrifted. It all worked really well together. Alpaca is a little too warm for summer, and I need to swap the buttons for ones that are bigger. So, again, I haven’t worn this yet. I seem to be knitting for the love of knitting, lately. And this was really fun to knit!
Works in Progress
After I finished the Flock Vest, I immediately cast on a Gramercy Tee with yarn I got in Maine (more about that in a minute):
I was tempted to delay this post further because I’m very close to being done with this now! But the photo was taken mid-June, after I’d put the body on hold to finish the collar and sleeves. (I’ll save it for my next post, but yarn management on this project was a whole thing!) The yarn is sport-weight linen/cotton/viscose. Perfect for a summer top. Will I wear it in the summer? TBD. I’d been eyeing this pattern for a while, though, and it hasn’t disappointed. I really love the fit of it so far — we’ll see how the plant-fiber yarn blocks out when I’m done.
I mentioned this other WIP in my last recap post, and I haven’t actually worked on it since early May, but here’s a photo:
This is a free market bag pattern, and I’m using the Cascade Pima cotton yarn my mom found at the Goodwill bins. It’s a simple pattern, but it’s JUST nuanced enough that I think I’ll mess it up if I try working on it while talking with friends. So it’s been having a little break the past couple of months.
Acquisitions/Plans
One of the things I was excited about doing in Maine was checking out Marden’s. There’s no store I love better than a discount store. I knew that they usually stock yarn, and while 95% of it was unappealing , I did find a couple of things to bring home with us.
The four balls in the front are that linen/cotton/viscose I’m using for the Gramercy Tee. And behind is lace-weight alpaca/mohair. There’s a subtle gradient on it, but I’m not sure it’ll be noticeable once knitted. My plan for that (right now, lol) is a long-sleeved Gramercy Tee. I have some fingering-weight Shetland yarn in two oatmeal-y/neutral tones, and I think it could all look really nice together.
With the end of my short-sleeved Gramercy tee in sight, I’ve been trying to decide what to work on next. I kind of want to do something chunky that will knit up fast. A break from sport-weight yarn would be nice. I have lots of worsted-weight wool where I only have one or two balls per color, and I’ve been imagining a striped/colorblocked pullover. The Late Checkout Sweater is at the top of my list for that, right now — something oversized and cozy.
There’s so much more that’s been percolating, but I won’t go on about it until I actually start some of the projects!
Leave a Reply