Moebius Cowl

Pattern: Based on Purl Ridge Cowl from A Treasury of Magical Knitting by Cat Bordhi
Yarn: Malabrigo Twist in Teal Feather (about one skein) and Lettuce
Needles: US10 and 8
Notes: I cast on 180 stitches using the Moebius cast on from Cat's Bordhi's book. I knit ridges of 3 rounds of knit with 3 rounds of purl. I attempted to do an i-cord bind off but the i-cord looked really sloppy on the US10. I knit a round in the green on the 10s then switched to the 8s for the i-cord. The cowl is long enough to wrap twice around my neck and fit snuggly under my chin. It's super soft and really toasty warm to wear. This method of cowl knitting is so intriguing. I highly recommend it!

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

As the giant squid pulled her into the briny deep, she was never heard from again.

Hydrangea Neckwarmer

Pattern: Hydrangea Neckwarmer by Anne Hanson from Brave New Knits
Yarn: My handspun, 100% angora, dyed by The Artful Ewe
Needle: US3 Addi Turbo
Notes: My yarn is a bit thinner than the yarn called for so this came out a bit small. I should have used a larger needle because all the fluffiness really obscures the yarnovers. It's still a really stunning, soft and warm cowl.

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Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

You know how they say, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." Well...this definitely makes her waist look smaller.

Retreat!

I'll be retreating to my annual fall knitting/spinning/chatting/laughing/eating extravaganza. See you next week!

Zig Zag Cowl

Pattern: Mochi Plus Zig Zag Cowl by Sandi Rosner
Yarn: Handspun BFL samples from Janel Laidman's Spinning a Painted Skein class
Needle: US10.5 Addi Turbo Lace
Notes: I know all the colors are insane and clash but I still kind of love them. Also since these were class samples the diameter and twist of the yarn changes quite a lot. The pattern was a really simple, addictive knit and I think it mixes the colors well. I would highly recommend this for a last minute gift. I cast on at lunchtime on Saturday and finished Sunday evening.

Retro Cape

Pattern: Retro Cape
Yarn: 70/30 Merino/Angora Handspun
Needle: US10.5 Addi Turbo Lace
Notes: This is a Japanese pattern. It has no instructions, only charts. I used a simple backward loop cast on to increase stitches at the end or beginning of rows. I continued increasing as my yarn is finer than the yarn called for in the pattern. I wanted to make sure the ends would meet when I wrapped it around me but wanted to save enough yarn for the edging. The original edging in the pattern is very large and would use a ton of yarn. Instead I single crocheted around the edge and then did *3dc, ch1, skip st, sc, ch 1, skip st* rep, ending with dc. I used an 5mm hook for the single crochet row and then used a 10mm for the scallops.

It's So Fluffy!

The Purlygirls are having a capealong. (Erin explains why here.) I am making the Retro Cape in some handspun merino/angora from four years ago. As I knit with it the same thing keeps running through my head.

Thursdays are for What the Hell is This?

Happy Halloween! If this doesn't scare you, I don't know what will.

Start--and Finish--itis

I have been in the grips of such a mad case of startitis lately. I just want to knit every yarn in my stash now, now, NOW! This weekend I jumped into some charity knitting. I'm making 7" x 9" blocks for Warm Up America and newborn hats for Save the Children. I started with the blocks and decided to crochet just for a change of pace. The first one was kind of wonky.



For the next I tried a shell pattern.



Then a slightly fancier pattern in a yarn called Red Barn Diva Ball. I got it as a freebie. It's a bizarre thing. It's six or seven strands of yarn in 10 yard lengths wound into a skein together. So you have to slowly coax each one out to work with or else make a project that calls for 10 yards of enormo-bulky yarn.



Then I did a sideways block with some handspun. It was too small so I single crocheted around the edge with some Sheep 2 from the sadly defunct Sheep Shop.



Then I bought a really big hook and used some Dale of Norway Ara to make this one in about 30 minutes.



Then I decided to see if I could crochet a hat. It turns out I can. And with a giant yarn and a big hook (10mm) it only took an hour or so to make. I didn't know how to taper it in properly (I started at the crown) so I just switched to a smaller hook for the last few rounds.



And lastly I whipped up a sweet newborn hat in some Louet Eastport Alpaca.



I used this pattern which I thought gave it a little interest but kept it nice and simple to knit.

After this frenzy I went into my stash and started rummaging through my handspun. I have so much yarn and I love it all. I want to cast on for another dozen projects right now!

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