As yet more proof that I can be thrown off my plan by almost anything, this week I started knitting the Ixchel (apparently pronounced ee-SHELL), a pattern that did not exist in my world up until a month ago or so. This in spite of having kits in my possession for up to three years now, all of which I very much want to make.

But it is so pretty I couldn’t wait!  If you have not seen the most recent issue of PomPom magazine – here is the thing itself…

So popular they wound up reprinting this issue, which is apparently not a thing they have had to do up to now!  Anyway, I saw it and fell in love.  So I ordered the yarn, which is really beautiful…

And it is knitting up even prettier than it looks in the skein!  It is Swanky Sock from Magpie Fibers.  As you might expect, they are selling it as a kit.  The colors are Empty Night and Moon Beam, which was developed especially for this sweater.  Other people have been doing their versions in other yarns, which is certainly a possibility, but I really like the original.  In particular, I wondered about doing a silver instead of the gold for the moon and stars, because I am a cool color person.  But the more I looked at the original versus the different color versions that started appearing, the more I like it just as is.  So I went with it!

I was right in the middle of my Gray Cardigan when the yarn arrived, and I had a few other things to finish before I could get started.  But late last week I cast on!  Here it is so far.

This is also yet another exception to my personal rule that I would never knit a whole sweater out of fingering weight yarn.  This sweater is doing terrible things to my values, but I love it anyway!