Xena-sized Knit Lighthouse Keeper Pullover Designed by Lindsey Fowler

Well, the momentum kept going and I managed to finish knitting Xena's pattern matching Lighthouse Keeper Pullover in under a week.  It might seem quick but for me, aside from knitting with 100% pure cashmere, there is nothing smoother, quicker and more enjoyable than knitting with silk and mohair blends.  Some people despise mohair; some are allergic to it.  I never really gave it much thought until I really started knitting a few years ago and now it's safe to admit, I'm obsessed.

   

I used the same size needles for Xena's sweater as I did for mine.  I used Kim Dyes Yarn Stroopwafel DK (55% SW BFL/45% Silk) in her Shrimp Bisque colorway + La Bien Aimeé 70% Mohair/30% Silk in her Tang colorway.  Xena is 5.5 yrs old and this sweater only used a 2 1/2 hanks of Kim's yarn and less than 1 hank of Aimeé's.  This will come as no surprise, but I am obviously knitting matching socks for Xena and I with our leftovers.  I was so excited for Xena to wear her sweater, I still haven't blocked it, so I apologize for my wavy stitches.  I promise they will look better soon.

 

As a transracially + transnationally adopted Korean, it was very significant for me to knit something, for the first time ever, with yarn dyed by two different Korean women who also grew up in the USA.

I knit the smallest size of the sweater.  The smallest bust measurement was a few inches wider than Xena's body but the upside of knitting garments for kids is that inevitably, they will grow into them.  That's why I generally intentionally knit longer sleeves to maximize the mileage on Xena's handmade garments.

This sweater is very easy to modify.  For instance, there wasn't an exact corresponding separation point for exactly where I wanted put the sleeves on hold but because the pattern has a 20 row repeat, it took minimal math to calculate when to stop and which pattern row to pick up when I started the sleeves.

These are all of my failed attempts of, "Smile for the camera!".

We went even further into our backyard for this photo shoot than for mine.  I'll post photos of the pool when (hopefully) we successfully open it in a few weeks.  We're making a super quick trip up to NAPEX next weekend and then Xena starts summer camp the following week so my plan is to open it mid-June.  

What's on my needles next?  Well, I still have to finish the lace top I started over a year ago.  

 

I also have to add pockets and buttons to a couple cardis for Xena.  

Then I am already well overdue to get started on my official Rhinebeck sweater which Amber and I are knitting matching patterns of.

 

Happy to see these pretty mushrooms growing behind our shed.  It makes me curious about what died to help feed them.

Anyway, I am super stressed out about all of the wack algorithm BS that has been going on with Etsy.  They've already threatened to shut my account down on numerous occasions because of their messed up algorithm that seems think there is something wrong with selling postage stamps?!  I just don't understand how much of it is real or bots or what.  It's infuriating because I have been selling on Etsy since they started.  I even tested their BETA version and assisted with multiple software upgrades.  Yet now, even though I am a Star Seller with nearly 9,000 sales, they continue randomly deactivating my listings, not responding to any of attempts to contact customer service and ignoring all of my emails.  Ex.) 3 different Hanukkah and carnivorous plants postage stamp listings were randomly deactivated for "being against Etsy's policies".  Are they now anti-Semitic with something against meat eating plants?!