Before the big purchases of last weekend, I was making some headway on stashbusting. Two steps forward - twelve steps back. Or something like that. I figured I best start up that little project again, especially to make room for some of the yarn that won’t even fit on the shelf… two less skeins now, thanks to this quickie stashbuster.

Knit with 2 skeins of Noro Shinano is colorway 08. I used a size US11 circular needle (16″). I did a light ruffling effect on either end, and chose to make the reverse stockinette the “right” side because of the color and stitch combination. The cowl is 16 inches (about 40cm) long from end-to-end. I wanted it to be longer to wear bunched up around my neck, and also to have the option to wear it as a headcover. This piece is wonderfully warm. The silk and wool blend is soft to touch, and feels very comfortable around the neck. I think it will definitely be useful for travel, camping out, and daily wear.

This yarn was a Norovember knitalong prize in 2006. Kathy at Minx Knits gave me the choice of this and another Noro yarn, and I immediately chose this one. Noro seemed to cast a spell on me from the first project I knit with it… my Klaralund back in 2005. (I have subsequently made a few projects with the Noro, and the love is still there!) And since all good things must come to an end (at some point), Shinano was discontinued by Noro last year. Of course, it was before I had tasted “the goods”, so now I am wishing that I had known about it sooner. Seeing Erqsome Emmms amazing cardigan in Shinano doesn’t help either. I know that there are still some sellers out there that carry it… I just have no room in the stash! Maybe when I free up some space there will still be some lots available? (I am probably not helping that prospect by blogging about it and letting YOU know how good it is!)

Noro is just such an earthy yarn - you can find flora inside - so I don’t think there is a better match for Project Spectrum Elements. The underlying color of the cowl is a grayish brown, with all of the lovely silky slubs of colors throughout. The cowl was also knit for the Lord Stanley Stashbusting knitalong, during the first two games of the NHL Conference playoffs.

Many thanks for all of your suggestions in the last post! I have some really amazing things on my list for Nova Scotia!

Nearly three weeks have passed since I bound off my sister’s cardigan, and I am ready to cast on for a new sweater!  I enjoy making the little projects in between the larger ones, but I have had the realization that my real joy comes from sweater knitting.  And I can’t deny the joy any longer! 

My queue is long, and there are many beautiful sweaters on the list, but I must say that there is a recent addition to the list that I just can’t get out of my head.  I picked up two Rebecca magazines in January, and this sweater was an instant stand out.

Jacquard Pullover
Rebecca #34

With a stash of odds and ends, and a few cohesive groupings, this pullover seems like it could actually be a real stashbuster too - using yarns that have been in my stash for many moons… I pulled out my random worsted weight skeins and did a little color matching.  I came up with several combinations, but after a lot of shifting, I decided on this one:

Clockwise:  DB Cashmerino, Jo Sharp Wool, Cascade Lana d’Oro,
Knit Picks Andean Silk, and Jo Sharp Wool

They are not all exactly the same gauge, but close enough to make it work, in my estimation.  I am thinking that the brown will be the main color, and the others will be the highlights in the stranded colorwork. I reserve the right to change it up if the swatch looks weird.  However, in my mind, and with a little visualization help, I think it just might work.

…and this very well could be the great elemental pullover - it has colors from each phase of Project Spectrum!  I hope I can finish it before the end of PS

Cast on is imminent!

Over the years of blogging, people have asked me why I don’t design knitting patterns. It definitely is not for the lack of ideas and inspirations… but I have a hard time moving from that conceptual state to a real, tangible knit. And, there is a lot of math, and swatching, and sizing involved - none of my fortes, as they say. So, I simply enjoy picking and choosing from the incredible and ever-growing canon of knitting patterns in this world.

What if you have an idea for a pattern that doesn’t require math, swatches, and sizing? of course, it is simple. It is easy and customizable… and not really anything new, but an interesting “take” on it, nonetheless. I have joined the “Cowl Craze” that is currently sweeping Flickr and Ravelry, and I offer up my own variation on the theme.  Parikha did it, Orinda did it, and Kirsten did it last week! 

Lichen Cowl
Yarn: Cascade 220 Wool
Needles: Size US 8 (5.0mm) 16″ circulars
Download PDF here

This cowl was inspired by the varying shades and textures of lichens. Knit simply in the round with added texture of purl rows and color changes, this cowl can be worn with the “right” and “wrong” side out. One side offers the purl bump texture, while the other displays alternating stripes. The cowl can also be worn simply draped over the neck and shoulders, or looped twice for a snug warmer fit around the neck.

The variant green shades - both Cascade 220 from the stash - were not colors that I would normally pair together. The military green (colorway 9429) and the heathery teal (colorway 9451) were both purchased many years ago at my local yarn shop. The pattern uses about 100 yards of each skein, with plenty leftover for another cowl, a hat, or some matching mitts.

I knit this cowl for Project Spectrum’s Earth element (greens!), as well as the Lord Stanley Stashbusting knitalong on Ravelry.  This cowl was on the needles through several important Round 1 playoff games.  Round 2 starts this week!  what else can I make?

This pattern can be found in the web format on my newly minted Patterns page, or as a downloadable PDF.  You can also add it to your Ravelry queue!

The influx of spring is hard not to notice. Warm temperatures and sunny skies all week followed by a weekend of torrential rains and thunderstorms. After months of gray and muted browns, the earth has truly blossomed in the past few weeks. The greens popping up in the grasses and trees seem electric and glowing. It is a great season to celebrate the colors and textures of the earth for Project Spectrum!

…and I have been doing just that with some crafting of my own…

After months of saving wine corks, I finally decided to go ahead and use them. I made this cork trivet using a small 4 x 4 pine frame, with particle board backing (purchased at the craft store) and some wood glue. It took some time to come up with an arrangement that I liked, and that fit well into the frame. Once it was settled, I glued the corks to the particle board backing, and voila! now my hot bowls and pots can rest on the pretty corks on the dinner table.

I have a few dozen more corks in the bucket, so I may have to make some more of these! Simple, easy, and instantly functional. Plus, it is a nice conversation piece - each of the corks reminds us of a wine tasting, a vacation, or a special event. If you have some wine corks saved, you might consider putting them to use with some of the tutorials outlined here. I am still thinking about a large cork board with a more intricate pattern. But we need more corks for that… and that means more wine

We had a wonderful afternoon meetup with the DC Namaste Knitters. While the weather outside was frightful (thunderstorms and lightening galore!) we were indoors practicing yoga, knitting, and telling stories. We even had delightful desserts. We were having so much fun that I forgot to take a photo. Next time! If you are interested in joining our group, we will be meeting again on May 10th. More details to follow in the Ravelry forum.

Once I got home, braving the deluge, I sat down with a nice cup of tea and finished my Inca mitts.

Inca Earth Mitts
Pattern: Classic Elite free pattern
Yarn: Habu Lamb Wool Linen A-175 1/3.3
Needles: Size US 3 and 4 dpns
Source: Habu Textiles Store (NYC)

The pattern calls for a worsted weight yarn, but I wanted to use this earthy palette together, despite being a lighter weight. It is between a fingering and sport weight, so they fit nice and snug over my hands. The pattern was simple, and could be a good introduction for the knitter who wants to try stranded colorwork for the first time. I made a few pattern modifications, other than the yarn substitution. To lengthen the mitt more, I added another repeat of the butter yellow/sage green pattern on both the top and bottom cuff.

The mitts are part of my stashbusting project, spurred on by the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, a little knitalong I am calling Lord Stanley Stashbusting. Watching hockey and knitting are fine companions! “My” team has advanced to the next round, but I am still devotedly watching the other teams and their competitions. This is a good time of year for stashbusting too… I have a trip to NYC coming up this week (NYC = yarn city) and of course, Maryland Sheep and Wool festival is right around the corner. The stash is moving and making room for the new neighbors!

We don’t see many babies ’round these parts… so when one of my friends at work had a baby a few weeks ago, it was a nice opportunity to experience the quick fix that is baby knitting. I originally planned to make a pullover (I even started it) but after pulling it out again, I realized that it just wasn’t an enjoyable knit. So, I regrouped, and did the simplest thing. I knit some baby booties.

I used a simple T-strap pattern from the Summer 2007 issue of Knit Simple magazine. Matched it up with the cornflower blue cotton (Sugar ‘n Cream) and after one night of hockey, I had some finished booties. The little sailboat buttons seemed like a nice match! Little did I know that my button choice was the perfect match to Adam’s outfit at the baby shower today!

That’s right. His little outfit has a sailboat on it!

They seemed to be a hit. “Huh, Lauren made those?” “Lauren from the Archives?” “How cute!”

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There is another meeting of the DC Namaste Knitters this weekend! We will be knitting, snacking, and doing yoga:

Sunday, April 20th
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Capitol Hill Yoga
SE DC

Join us if you can!