Cowl Complete!

It always feels great to complete a project. This one was especially fun, because B and I kept pace knitting together. The past few times we got together, we sat and chatted for hours knitting along on our project. I made the majority of my progress on this project while hanging out with her.

The yarn is so soft, which is needed since this project rests so close to the skin around the neck. I especially love the soft gradients in the yarn; it shows off the stitches beautifully. This is the first time I’ve knit with a hand-dyed yarn of this quality, and it was such a treat!

Is this the top or the bottom?

I haven’t quite figured out which way is the top, so I’ve experimented wearing it both ways. It’s great to wear on cold days in place of a scarf, which sometimes get blown out of position in the wind, giving the face and neck a blast of icy air. My hair also doesn’t get as tangled, because the cowl doesn’t shift as much as a scarf does. Downside, because the neck is narrow, it’s not ideal for nice-hair events and will create static.

Love the way the yarn makes this pattern pop!

I loved learning new stitches during this project. My favorite segment was the alternating small holes. It knit up quick and the pattern was very sweet. The mock cable section was also beautiful, but I prefer standard cables because they’re honestly easier for me to conceptualize.

Overall, I’m happy with how the cowl turned out, and I’m happy that I’ve completed another project on my Ravelry Goals!

Project Details:

• Pattern: Scaldacollo Todi by Positano Carla Designs
• Yarn: Flying Finn Yarns Pilot Sock in Malachite, Cirrus, and Comfy Jeans

Knit-Along Kit – Festival Cowl Update

Our cowls are coming along nicely, other than a slight snafu around the holidays in which B and I mixed up our knitting bags and each took home part of each other’s project. That caused about a two-week delay until we saw each other again for New Year’s. Now we’re back at it!

I discovered more about this pattern since I last wrote. It’s called Scaldacollo Todi by Carla Positano Designs. The pattern is available for free on Ravelry if you want to check it out.

A benefit to this project is that mistakes are easily hidden.  Good luck trying to find them!

The garter stitch section came out gorgeous, although I think I prefer knitting garter stitch flat than in the round. In order to achieve that look knitting in the round it requires alternating rows of knit and purl, and I’m slower at purl stitches.

Purl rows also require more focus from me, and I had a minor crisis when I dropped a stitch that then dropped about three rows. Mild panic ensued, but I was able to mostly fix it with a crochet hook. The error is more noticeable than the perfectionist in me would like, but I didn’t want to undo 4-6 rows in two colors of yarn to fix it. I figured that when the cowl is worn, it won’t be noticeable so I’m not going to worry about it.

Love the way the green yarn (Malachite) knits up. It adds such dimension to the stitches.

The next section was a mock cable. I love cables, but this one was not my cup of tea. The cable row was a twist stitch, and maybe I was doing it incorrectly, but it took about as long to do that one row of twist right every three stitches as it did to do the other four rows of p1 k2. The mock cable was only for four repeats, so I was able to get through it and it looks fantastic, which makes the effort worth it, but I probably wouldn’t want to do this cable repeat on a larger project.

After another sequence of garter stitch, I’m on to the last large section of this pattern: alternating small holes. I’ll let you know how it goes! Happy knitting!

Cold Weather = Knitting Weather

In case you haven’t noticed, it’s pretty cold in Massachusetts right now. Like really cold. Like record breaking cold. Like so cold my usually unbearably warm apartment is cold enough I thought the heat wasn’t working (it is).

So today I’m definitely going to be a hiding inside and knitting kind of day. After spending a morning on Ravelry under the weight of a million blankets, I’m feeling inspired to work on all three of my knitting projects. Yes, three. Why three at once? Well…

There’s the Free Rapunzel Hat by Tiny Owl Knits. I started this hat in the fall, my friend B gave me the pattern book for Christmas Last year. I’m working it in a fun, yellow chunky knit yarn. I was knitting using size 13 needles, but the yarn is so thick my size 13 double-pointed needles couldn’t hold it. I needed to wait for my Christmas present (a new set of circular needles) in order to have the right size to finish the project. I’m so close to done I can’t wait to finish it!

Then there’s the Cowl by Carla Positano Designs that I got in a knitting kit at a festival this year with B. We’re both working on this project and it’s been fun to have a knitting partner to compare project notes.

Finally, there’s the River Shawl by Softsweater Knits Sylvia McFadden. I got this pattern during one of Sylvia McFadden’s promotions over the summer and have been anxious to try it. After the wedding, my husband and I stopped at The Yarn Sellar in York, ME and I bought some new yarn for this pattern.

The wind is howling something fierce outside, so stay warm everyone and happy knitting!