Next up
Remember how I said that the current mailing list goody was about to go away so I could bring out something new? Well I have it on good authority that you're going to want to be sure you're in on that...the new piece is rather fetching. Here it is on my patent-pending (this is a blatant lie), super nifty (that part's true) cowl blocking device. Yes, I do call it the frilly lampshade, and yes it is the best way I've found to block a cowl without getting any pesky wrinkles. You should totally be doing this to all your [...]
The Bucket…
I think I've explained before just how much of my organizational scheme depends on buckets. When I start a new book, it gets three buckets. As yarn comes in, it goes in bucket one. Once I've swatched it, the swatches and tags go in bucket two (while the yarn itself usually goes out to Super Stunt Knitters for the actual knitting). When the pieces are finished, they go in bucket three. Once bucket three is full and bucket one empty, it's photo shoot time! I have a similar situation for individual patterns, just a bit less structured. That less structured [...]
Magic
So the cowl grew and grew and grew. And then at some point, it was done. Bound off, flippy as all get out (as you'd expect from stockinette), and ready for a soak. And here's where the magic happened. I soaked it, squeezed it out, and flopped it on my desk. No pins. No wires. No tension at all. Just soak and plop (it will get a more formal blocking later, I was just testing a theory). And look at that. It laid down flat. Not a bit less flippy, not more or less ok, but flat. Now part [...]
Yes please
Well that's just unreasonably lovely. And yes, yes it's simple. It's just leaves, and leaves are easy to knit. But there's something rather delightful about these. I can't quite decide if I want to hurry up and be done (so I can block it and pet it and generally admire it) or if I want to take my time (so I can have the pleasure of knitting it for a while longer).
You’ll just have to trust me
So some things are awfully hard to photograph. The difference in texture between the pre & post blocking version of this yarn is one of them. Part of that's my fault (I didn't take a picture of the actual swatch before I soaked it, so you can't quite compare like with like just yet), but part of it is just yarn magic and not to be questioned.It looks like this before blocking. Pay special attention to the stretches of stockinette. See how there is a good bit of space between the stitches and between the legs of each stitch? But [...]
Faith
We're in the 'wait, what's going on here? Are you sure this is right?' stage of the project. But if my swatches can be trusted (and they usually can), this is going to be marvelous in a few more rounds. We're going to have to talk about yarn floofiness soon (that thing some magic yarns do where they puff up and become even more cohesive after blocking). This yarn has exceptional floofiness, and it's a topic that needs to be explored. But first, a few more rounds... Oh, and if you're wondering, the yarn is Blend 1 from Ysolda. Which [...]
That was quick
This was supposed to make the snow stop. The traditional approach is 'it's snowing, I'm cold, oh I know, I'll knit something, oh look spring came long before I finished the knitting.' It's usually foolproof. But not so much this time. I started it Saturday, finished it Monday, blocked it this week (still loving the lampshade approach to blocking cowls), and still the snow hasn't melted. So maybe the final step is to show it off here. Perhaps that will take care of it. I do note that the forecast today puts the temps well above freezing!
Uncharacteristic
This is not like me. Not at all. It's thick yarn (Capella by SpaceCadet). It's huge needles. It's bright colors. It's a very mellow, unstructured cable. This is more or less the complete opposite of my normal approach. And I'm more or less smitten. I'll be over here petting the pretty. Try not to be too jealous.
Extras
There was just enough yarn left after I finished the first cowl that I couldn't quite justify letting it go to waste. So I figured I'd play a nail-biting game of yarn chicken and see if I could squeak a shorter cowl out of what I had left. Totally worked! Much more of a 'light chill' version (as compared to the first one's 'arctic blast' rating), but still totally the sort of thing that lives happily in a coat pocket for when you find yourself wanting a little something warm. Oh and if you've been waiting, Changeful will be available [...]
Mailing List
Want to hear when a new pattern comes out or something fun is going on? Sign up below!
Patreon
Want to support the content I create, get nifty bonus material for some of my favorite patterns, or get every new release delivered right to your inbox? Head over to patreon and sign up!