I’ve been working on a garter stitch blanket since last year. Don’t misunderstand, it’s a labor of love, but any of you who have knit a large garter stitch anything know how tedious it can be.
Only 70 more rows to go.
Knit Gallery
A gallery of works in progress (WiPs) and finished objects (FOs).
Dew Drops Cowl in Orange
Ever since the new year, like many of my fellow knitters, I’ve wanted to reduce the size of my stash. I purchased this lovely orange skein at a fiber festival a couple of years ago because I was intrigued by the color. It’s from Brooks Farm Yarn in Lancaster, Texas. “Ellie” was marked down in the widows and orphans bin – the place where leftover skeins go to retire. It’s 4 ounces, 400 yards of a lustrous 50% Fine Wool, 50% Silk Slub.
I used the Dew Drop Cowl pattern which is available as a free Ravelry download. Here it is blocking.
Down here in Texas, it gets cold and occasionally freezes but not for long. I wanted a cowl that would keep me warm without burning me up. This airy pattern was just right. Bear is back to model the cowl for us.
Here is a close-up. I like that the yarn was spun to have thick and thin sections. It gives the cowl an interesting texture.
Bear is keeping watch over my work in progress, a large knit blanket. I keep it tucked away in this large tote from 31 Gifts. The tote bag was only $5 with my other purchases! I love those big grommets. I pull my needles through them to keep my stitches from falling off.
It’s been a bit chilly here in Texas. Perfect weather for my orange cowl. Now, back to that blanket.
How I Learned to Knit
When I started knitting, I picked up a pattern book of sampler afghan blocks. I knit 20 different patterns in 12 x 12 inch squares. It was a great way to learn to knit a variety of stitches and I ended up with this soft creamy throw to curl up with on rainy days.
Pattern Book: Sampler Afghans, Leaflet 932 by Leisure Arts.
How did you learn? Any tried and true methods?
Ready for the Cold
My local yarn store, Knitting in the Loop, had the audacity to hold a 50% off pre-inventory sale. 50% OFF! What’s a knitter to do?!
Buy yarn, of course.
This is Debbie Bliss Paloma – 60% baby alpaca, 40% wool. What is very interesting about this bulky weight yarn is that it is already knitted into a tube, aka chainette yarn. This close-up shows the chains of this very soft yarn.
We were getting ready to go on a trip to a much colder climate so I chose masculine colors to make my son a scarf and hat set.
For the scarf, I went with a fast and easy garter-stitch knit lengthwise. The chainette yarn has such a rich texture that it doesn’t need much to showcase it. For the hat, I repeated the garter stitch for the ribbing and switched to smooth stockinette for the rest. I love the way the set turned out. So did the teenager. (Picture a mother’s wide satisfied smile here).
The scarf and hat are keeping him warm as we walk around in 34° F weather.
Funky Retro Beehive Hat
Remember the hand-spun I picked up in Philadelphia? I was eager to knit something with it. Since I only had 90 yards of it, I bought a complementary yarn to avoid running out.
This lovely teal is a 60% merino, 40% cotton blend from Juniper Moon Farm.
I searched all over Ravelry, Etsy and other sites for a slouchy hat pattern. It’s amazing how many hundreds of patterns are out there and how hard it is to pick just the right one. This is my inspiration hat. I didn’t realize until half-way through that I could have bought the pattern. Mine is improvised.
It turned out like a funky ’70s throwback! Here is Bear modeling it for us.
Now all I need is a drop in the thermostat and I’m set.
Agujas 