lowbrow cowl

Lowbrow Cowl

Happy Sunday! It's been a lovely quiet one so far. Planning on catching up with my blog reading sprinkled with some cozy sock knitting and comfort food eating :) With Easter just one week away, I figured it was past time to finish the last of the Christmas 2015 knits, so I spent the morning doing just that. I love how this turned out and it was a fun project once I dedicated some time to it. My only regret (well, besides that it's several months overdue) is that I had to use a 100% acrylic yarn since the recipient is allergic to wool. Although knitpicks Brava is quite nice to knit with and is very soft & cozy. Plus you can't beat the ease of care. The cowl is a versatile size but I think it looks best worn as a single loop in order to show off the pretty leaves.

Wrapping up this project has me looking ahead to this year's Christmas Knitting. Every year I tell myself to get an early start but it never happens. When do you usually start your holiday knitting? A 100% handmade Christmas has always been a dream of mine since I started knitting again after college. Maybe one day!

lichen cowl

I was recently given the fun opportunity to try out a skein of Big Squeeze by Ancient Arts Yarn, a bulky weight 3-ply superwash merino whose name fits it to a t: squishy soft and squeezable from skein to fabric. The yarn is available in many beautiful hand-dyed colors. It also held up extremely well to my repeated swatching and frogging as I was obsessed with finding the perfect stitch pattern to highlight this beautiful Inuit Art colorway. After settling on the wild oats pattern, it was just a matter of time before I was sporting my new cowl. Isn't knitting with bulky yarn super fast and fun? The colors in this skein totally reflect the island that I call home, especially in wintertime. Moody greys & blues of the Chesapeake Bay interplay with the greens, browns, golds & purples of the wetland plants & flowers. I will be joyfully wearing this cowl on my winter hikes on the cross island trail.

 

To knit your own lichen cowl, you will need:

*1 skein of Big Squeeze
*16 inch circular needle size 10.5 (6.5mm) or size required to obtain gauge
*Cable needle
*Gauge in stockinette stitch = 4 stitches per inch
*Finished dimensions = 20 inch circumference x 8.5 inches tall

3x1 ribbing: *knit 3, purl 1*

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Wild Oats pattern stitch: (multiple of 4 stitches)
rounds 1 & 2: *k2, slip 1 stitch purlwise with yarn in back, k1*
round 3: *slip 2 stitches onto cable needle & hold in back, k1, k2 from cable needle, k1*
round 4: knit to end of round, remove marker, knit 1 stitch, replace marker.
rounds 5 & 6: *k1, slip 1 stitch purlwise with yarn in back, k2*
round 7: *k1, slip 1 stitch onto cable needle & hold in front, k2, k1 from cable needle*
round 8: knit to 1 stitch before end of round, slip stitch purlwise to right needle, remove marker, move slipped stitch back to left needle, replace marker.

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Cast on 80 stitches, place marker, join to work in the round.

Knit 3x1 ribbing for a total of 3/4 inch from cast on (4 rounds).

Switch to Wild Oats pattern stitch and knit a total of 5 pattern repeats. Then knit rounds 1 to 3 of Wild Oats pattern stitch, ending after round 3.

Knit 3x1 ribbing for a total of 3 rounds.

Bind off in 3x1 ribbing. Wear with a smile :)

cables & flannels

Happy last day of January! I went through my WIP basket Monday night and discovered that there were not one or even two but five unfinished cowls waiting for attention. It's a good thing that I like to wear cowls with my flannels during wintertime because there will be lots of them coming off the needles in February. First one to be completed is the reversible braided cowl knitted with Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande yarn.

Yes, the yarn is as soft, warm and cozy as it sounds. This pattern is definitely a contender for Christmas gift knitting since it is so fast and easy to make. And who doesn't love squishy cables?

What kinds of projects are multiplying in your basket? The temptation to cast on for another pair of socks is pretty hard to resist (especially when I keep splurging on new sock yarns, patterns & books ... need to stop my bad habit of midnight window shopping ... sometimes I hit the buy button when I'm half asleep LOL) but so far I've been sticking to my finishing goals: knitting on one project at a time until it's done & reserving the evening hours for sock knitting. We'll see how long that lasts! Next up is a new design using just one skein of this luscious yarn:

And in other happy news, my husband & I just celebrated our 20 year anniversary. Feeling so blessed to share my life with such a wonderful partner in crime. We met out of the blue in college (although he has since insisted that he planned the meeting all along) and now I can't imagine my life without his oddball sense of humor and aggravating little quirks. On our first anniversary, he gave me a hickory farms cheese set. And on our 20th I got this:

It's nice to see that he's gotten wiser with age!

merry & bright

Wishing you a merry and bright holiday! I'll be knitting away on some presents during our annual Christmas Eve movie marathon. Hopefully more progress will be made on this cowl by the time the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come appears.

selfish knitting syndrome

sugarplum skyp sock for me

cowl for my sister

These two pictures say it all: I've been struck with selfish knitting syndrome at the most inconvenient time. With just one week before Christmas, instead of the gift knitting I should be doing, there have been too many happy hours spent working on all of my own projects. Today, reality set in and I anxiously cast on a cowl for my sister. A very long cowl using this pattern. I know she will love it but it is going to come down to the wire. Plus, I have a cute gift planned for my brother-in-law which isn't even on the needles yet. I have a feeling that I will be burning the midnight oil in order to get everything finished. Otherwise, there will be quite a few IOU's handed out on Christmas morning.

So, how is your gift knitting coming along? Is it winding down or are you just getting started? Hopefully you managed to plan better than I did. If not, these cute & free printable IOU's (plus gift tags and care instruction labels) can be found here. Happy elving and remember to have fun!

in the mood for ....

COLOR:

CLUE 1 & 2 OF THE DOODLER (WESTKNITS MKAL 2015)

COMFORT:

SKYP SOCKS

CABLES: 

REVERSIBLE BRAIDED COWL

CHRISTMAS:

MITTEN GARLAND ADVENT

  

.... in other words, all the things! I think that the more hectic life gets around here, the more new and shiny distractions are needed to cope with the stress. But it's all good and I am so grateful for the craziness of my work and home life. Also grateful for all of you who have hung in there with my sporadic blogging this year. So, what's new? Are holiday preparations and knitting/crafting/baking in full swing or are you in denial? I love this time of year and have been trying to fit in as much holiday merrymaking as possible with my two guys. The house is decorated, none of the shopping is done, and there will be cookies coming out of the oven soon. Seems like I'm right on schedule ;)

gifting

Have you been following along with the Yarn Harlot's holiday posts this season? I read with interest how she organized all of her holiday gifting, making, decorating, etc. on a color-coded spreadsheet. How awesome is that? So unlike my wacky method, which is to procrastinate until one week before the big day and then cram all of my shopping and gift wrapping into a couple of days. Although the one advantage to my method is that after those few {intense, stressful, hectic} days are over, I get to relax and savor the fun holiday stuff like baking, decorating, holiday movie watching and of course, knitting. I kept the gift knitting list short and sweet this year, with an emphasis on using yarn from the stash.

❄ A couple of cowls:

For these cowls, I decided to shorten my Candy Ribbon design. These were much quicker to knit than the original longer version.

❄ A trio of Rudolph Hats, two of which you've already seen. I saved my most favorite version for last:

Pop Rudolph!

Now all that's left is a pair of mittens and maybe a few fun ornaments if there's time. But first, some hot cocoa and tree gazing is in order. Look closely and you'll see the sweet surprise that arrived in the post. Thanks Steph! Little Mousie has already made himself quite at home!

tartan lula hoop

This project was a definite case of saw it want it gotta knit it. It didn't matter that the yarn was super bulky and required size 19 needles (yikes!) to knit up. The knitting went pretty quickly despite having to take frequent breaks. The best part was getting to try out Crazy Sexy Wool. Yup, that's the actual name of the yarn, but I think it should be called Crazy Snuggly Wool. Gorgeous stuff, but I would hesitate to knit a sweater out of it due to the pilling factor. It is perfect for a cowl, hat or scarf though. Can't believe I went this long without a plaid knitted accessory in my life. Now I've got my eye on this one. Maybe in some pretty Spring colors?

PSA

In the event of an Alpacalypse:
 

⇒ Remain calm.

⇒ Do not try to be a hero. Resistance is futile.

⇒ Give them whatever they demand. Remember that the important thing is to survive to knit another day.



(This Public Service Announcement is brought to you by the Camp Out Mitts and Chunky Cowl patterns. Although both are super easy quick & fun knits, they certainly are not worth risking your life to defend. Just hand them over.)

wintry mix

We woke up to more snow yesterday. But I didn't begrudge Winter's slow lingering because I had a basketful of yarn and a shiny new project to play with.

Hope the start of your week was just as cozy!

freedom cowl

 

The inspiration for this cowl comes from all the handmade clothes that my mom used to make for my sister and myself when we were kids. Growing up, having store bought clothes was a luxury since money was tight and we were a big family. But that didn't stop my mom from picking out the most colorful fun bright prints and sewing up the cutest (matching) dresses for us. The piece de resistance would be when she added coordinating rick rack trim around the hemline, sleeves and collar. Oh yes, there are some blackmail worthy pictures floating around somewhere just waiting to be unearthed!

This design was a fun exercise in simple intarsia colorwork. It was my first time trying out this technique and I really enjoyed the freedom of being able to add random blocks of color to the cowl as the knitting progressed. Also really loved knitting the rick rack rib stitch. It is a little slow going at first but very easy and gives the cowl a cool textured look. Who would have thought that I would end up wearing rick rack again all these years later. This one's for you, Mom!



Want to knit one, too? Here's what I did:

Yarn: I had loads of Sheep(ish) by Vickie Howell and StitchNation Full O'Sheep in my stash so that is what I used. Any worsted weight yarn would work. A bulky weight yarn would also be cool to try. Just adjust your needle size accordingly in order to get the fabric that you want. This pattern is a great opportunity to use up those pesky leftovers in your stash.

Needles: I used US 9 needles. Adjust needle size to get your desired fabric.

Gauge: Not crucial for this pattern as long as you get a fabric that you are happy with. My gauge was 6 stitches per inch in rick rack rib after blocking.

Finished size: Mine measured 6 inches wide and 46 inches around which is long enough to wear as a long loop or wrapped twice around the neck. But the choice is yours! Play around with the width and length of the cowl. Also, have fun with the size of the color blocks. Make them randomly sized or uniformly the same.

Rick rack rib stitch pattern:

Row 1 (RS): P1, *skip the first stitch on left needle, k into the back loop of second stitch (leaving stitch on left needle), k into front of first stitch (removing both stitches from left needle), P1; repeat from * to end of row.

Row 2 (WS): K1, *skip the first stitch on left needle, p into second stitch (leaving stitch on left needle), p into first stitch (removing both stitches from left needle), K1; repeat from * to end of row.

Intarsia technique: drop the old yarn, pick up the new yarn from underneath the old yarn thereby trapping the old yarn against the fabric, continue knitting with the new yarn.

Let's start by casting on 43 stitches with your Main Color (MC) or any multiple of 3 stitches plus 1

Starting with row 1 (RS) of rick rack rib stitch pattern, work 13 stitches with MC, switch to Contrasting Color 1 (CC1) and work 17 stitches in pattern, switch to MC and work 13 stitches in pattern.

Next row (WS), work 13 stitches in rick rack rib stitch pattern row 2 with MC, using the intarsia technique switch to CC1 and work 17 stitches in pattern, using the intarsia technique switch to MC and work 13 stitches in pattern.

Continue in this manner until your first color block reaches the desired length (I worked 30 rows for each color block). Then switch out CC1 with CC2. Continue in pattern until you get tired of all this rick rack action and want to move on to the next stash busting project (I worked a total of 8 color blocks). End with Row 2 (WS). With RS facing, bind off in pattern. Seam the cast on and bind off edges together. Or you can skip the seaming and just leave it as a scarf. Block if desired. Wear with a smile :)

a knit for every mood

The last few weeks have been pretty difficult schedule-wise and health-wise. The February Blahs get to me every single year. But thankfully things are looking up and will be back to so-called normal soon. I am just grateful that we only had one (!) snow day so far this week. Crazy winter weather! But looking on the bright side, there has been quite an accumulation of new knits that I can show you.

First, we have Siri. The beautiful and unusual yoke design was what initially drew me in. It is all achieved with crossed stitches which is perfect for when I am in need of an intricate and interesting knit. The motif brings to mind bare winter trees, especially when combined with the brown fishermen's wool. A great knit for cold dark rainy days like today.

Next up is a soft and super bulky ribbed cowl. Mindless and fast. This one should be off the needles and gifted soon.

Loving the winter neutrals like brown and grey right now, but sometimes a little color is needed to brighten up the string of dark days. That is when I dig out my on-going Pine Bough. Still mindless but with just the right amount of subtle colorplay.

For something a little bit more cheerful, there's a second pair of camp out mitts on the needles using the rest of the Noro Kureyon yarn from the first pair. Beautiful pinks and blues have me looking forward to sunnier summer weather, although as you can see in the picture, the color forecast ahead looks dark and grim. Oh the infuriating randomness of Noro!

Lastly, I have been experimenting with garter jacquard. Here's a fun heart pattern found in Mary Jane Mucklestone's 200 Fair Isle Motifs directory. Not sure where this one is headed, but the combination of the bright snowy white and robins egg blue always manages to lift up my spirits. 

And so there you have it. A knit for every winter's mood. Good thing there's only ten days left in February because the WIP basket is now filled up :) Hope that you all are well and Happy belated Valentine's Day! Please check back on Friday for a little Valentine's present. It is a free pattern that I was hoping to post on Valentine's Day but couldn't manage to string together in time. As I'm sure husbands the world over were thinking on that day, "Better late than never!"

hardly knitting

....but there sure has been a whole lotta seaming going on here! I am trying my darnedest to finish up Aidez now that November has arrived with its chillier temperatures. Perfect weather for bundling up in a warm cabled sweater. The little fabric pouch was a handmade gift from my niece. She loves to poke around in my knitting bag whenever she visits. Last week we spent an entire day together just chatting and knitting. Such a treat for me, especially now that she is in middle school and more often hanging out with her friends instead of her boring aunt. Anyways, she was pretty appalled at the cluttered mess of my knitting bag and promptly set about organizing it. The fabric pouch is now the designated place to put my stitch markers. Sweet girl.

There has been a little more progress on the Pine Bough cowl. Really enjoying this simple colorwork pattern. Nothing better than an undemanding project. Just knitting colors round and round and not having to worry about weaving in the long floats.

Leaving you with a last farewell to October picture. The little guy decided to be Michael Jackson again this year for Halloween. Here he is showing off his dance moves! 


(linking up with WIP Wednesday)

cozy day

It's a cold, dark and drizzly day today. Norm recommended skipping the errand running and just staying warm and cozy inside. Good idea, Norm!

So I spent most of the day sitting in my favorite room reading and knitting. Here's a close-up of the knitting:

This is a free cowl pattern called Pine Bough. I am unimaginatively using the same yarn and colorway as the pattern sample. The colorwork is very easy and fun so far. A perfect rainy day knit. Hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween! The little guy is still debating on what to be. I suggested he wear his long red union suit and a blue wig and be Thing One from The Cat in the Hat.

nothing says cozy like a bunch of Halloween candy : )

(linking up with WIP Wednesday)

bramble cowl

This project was a fun break from all the self-imposed sweater knitting that I have been doing lately. The yarn is Patons Colorwul, a soft 100% wool roving, in the bramble colorway. For the single crochet edging, I used Patons Classic Wool Roving in natural and plum. The finished cowl is colorful, soft and warm, especially when worn doubled around the neck.

Here's how I made it.

ingredients:

29 inch length circular knitting needle, size 11
J/10 crochet hook
one stitch marker
MC (main color) = two skeins Patons Colorwul (90 yards/85 grams per skein) or any similar bulky weight yarn
CC1 & CC2 = a small amount of Patons Classic Wool Roving in two contrasting colors or any similar bulky weight yarn in your stash

gauge: 11 stitches & 18 rows = 4 inches on size 11 needles

recipe:

Cast on 125 stitches. Place marker and join in the round. Knit stockinette stitch in the round (knit all stitches) until desired width is achieved (mine measured 8 inches at this point) or boredom sets in. Drink lots of tea, meditate, watch some movies, listen to an audiobook. If you are super coordinated, do all of the above at the same time. When the time comes to end all this fun, bind off knitwise. Grab your trusty J/10 crochet hook and show that curling stockinette stitch fabric who's boss by single crocheting into every stitch of the bind-off and cast-on edges with CC1. Then single crochet around again using CC2. Weave in ends. Give the whole thing a steam block. Wear lots : )



(linking up with FO Friday)

a cure for the frogging blues

I am not sure what was going through my head when I decided to cast on for this sweater with this yarn.

Both the pattern and the Quince & Co. Puffin yarn are wonderful....just not together. Don't ask me why it took knitting almost the whole body for me to notice how stiff the fabric was. I even tried it on half-way through and still decided to forge ahead. A classic case of knitter's denial. But the voice of reason could not be ignored after a second try-on. The sweater looked like a suit of armor on me. Rip-it!

So there I was, a little blue (and green) from all that frogging. I went on ravelry to find some distraction. I decided to do a project search for Puffin yarn and among the results that came back was this stylish oversized cowl. Designed with Puffin yarn. In the exact same color (Storm) that I had. Knitted on size 13 & 15 needles. Using just knit & purl stitches. Cast-on! Two days later:

 Here's how I wear it:

Nothing like a quick knitting success to cure the frogging blues! Have a Happy Easter for those of you who celebrate!


(linking up with FO Friday)