Wednesdays Are For Knitting: Coins Cowl

March 25, 2020 By Carole

I finished my first Coins Cowl recently and now that it’s blocked I can share photos of it with you.

The pattern comes from Kaffe Fassett and is available from the Mason Dixon Field Guide No. 13.

It is, as declared in the book, a choose-your-own-adventure sort of pattern and that’s generally something that makes me . . . nervous when it comes to my knitting. As in, my go-to is a pattern that spells it all out.

I let that go this time, though, and chose colors willy nilly. I’m really happy with the result.

And I know I’ll be making more of these. I have colors of the Rowan Felted Tweed I didn’t use in this one plus each row only uses a bit of yarn so . . . yeah . . . this could be my new potato chip knitting pattern.

This one, though, is for me!

Knit On

March 17, 2020 By Carole

Today I’m grateful for the many hobbies I have. Reading. Knitting. Journaling. They are excellent distractions and good for my soul.

And so, yesterday as I was swatching for my NightShift Shawl, I couldn’t help but think of Elizabeth Zimmerman’s quote. Today I’m sharing it with you, hoping that it will bring you comfort and confidence as we maneuver through uncharted territory.

Wednesdays Are For Knitting: Gradient Cowl

March 11, 2020 By Carole

I am pleased to say that I have a finished hand knit to show you today. It’s actually been finished for a few weeks but I didn’t get it blocked until yesterday after work. Funny how the demand for something to blog about pushed me to the finish line on this one.

Anyway. It’s a cowl knit with a gradient kit I bought from Kim at Fiber Revival a few years back.

I followed the pattern called Gradient Cowl Recipe and I just knit those rows until I ran out of each color.

This yarn is so yummy! It’s part cashmere and merino, I think. I don’t have the exact information and I’m not sure it’s available anymore but like all of Kim’s yarns the colors are gorgeous.

It’s maybe a little . . . taller (is that the right word for a cowl?) than it needs to be but it’s so soft and I think it will scrunch up beautifully around the neck, like a hug from me for someone I love.

And isn’t that exactly what a hand knit should be?

Three On Thursday

March 5, 2020 By Carole

Because it’s Thursday. And because I haven’t talked about knitting for a while. Today I’m sharing 3 things I’m committing to knitting over the next little while.

Kaffe Fassett’s Stripe Scarves and Cowls. The photo above is from earlier in February but now I am thisclose to finishing my first Coins Cowl and I love it. The colors are great fun to play with and I’ve got an excellent stash of Rowan Felted Tweed to choose from. I’m pretty sure I’ll be casting on another one of these as soon as I finish this one.
Nightshift by Andrea Mowry. I’ve been wanting to knit one of these ever since I saw Kym’s and a few weeks ago I ordered a fair amount of Malabrigo Rios from Loopy Ewe and WEBS. And then, as fate would have it, Vicki decided that a Knit A Long for this pattern is in order. Her timing couldn’t be better and I plan on figuring out which colors I want to use very soon. Maybe even this weekend!
Fingerless mitts. I’m less clear on this in that I haven’t selected actual patterns I want to knit but I am going to commit to a Summer of Fingerless Mitts. For one, they are faster than socks. And for two, I sort of have a lot of handknit socks that I don’t even wear all that much. If I spend the summer knitting mitts I will have a great supply built up when the cold weather comes again.

What are you planning on knitting in the days, weeks, and months to come?

If you wrote a post for today I hope you will share the link below. Thanks for joining in this Thursday!

Wednesdays Are For Knitting: Stopover 2.0

January 22, 2020 By Carole

Hold on to your hats because today I have knitting to show you! Maybe I should have said hold on to your sweaters because behold my finished Stopover.

You may recall this sweater because I showed it to you in March of 2019. And I showed you how I had messed up the colorwork on the yoke. Well it’s all fixed now and I can wear it with pride.

I love love love the neutral grey with the black and white on the bottom hem, cuffs and yoke.

And I love that it wasn’t all that horrible to rip it back and fix it. I had plenty of yarn and Lopi is great to unravel since it’s sticky and there isn’t that risk of a stitch running away and dropping down a gazillion rows or something.

It’s perfect with cuffed jeans and sheep socks.

And even matches my shower curtain! I’ve already worn it twice, gotten loads of compliments, and I’m super happy with it.

Ravelry Details on both Stopover sweaters here and here. If you haven’t knit one of these yet I highly recommend it. It’s fast (well, if you don’t screw up) and it’s very wearable and warm.