Dandelion Cowl

dandelion cowl



What a fun little project.  This is a pattern called "Dandelion Cowl".  The pattern link can be found by clicking HERE.  The yarn I used is from Western Sky Knits and it is a DK weight yarn called "Magnolia".  The colorway is called "Winter Wheat" which makes me like the yarn even more because I am a sucker for a yarn with a great and descriptive name. The fiber content is merino wool, nylon, and cashmere.  OooooOOHHHHHhhhh, cashmere!  I bought this yarn at the Interweave Yarnfest in Loveland, Colorado, and it was my intention to make a project called "Dogwood Leaf Cowl".  It is a lovely pattern but I just changed my mind.



This pattern is written for knitting flat and then sewing a seam at the end. I suppose the benefit of knitting the project flat is that you can block it really nicely before sewing the seam.  But... I prefer to knit things in the round.  It was easy enough to convert the pattern for knitting in the round.  In the pattern instructions, you will find both written instructions and a chart. The chart is a 15 stitch repeat.  The top and bottom borders are five rows each in garter stitch. So here's a quick breakdown of what I did in case you'd like to make this project in the round.

I used US Size 9 circular knitting needles (16 inch).
Cast on 135 stitches (or another multiple of 15... ie. 120 or 150 or 165).  I used a long tail cast on. Join to knit in the round being careful not to twist the stitches.

Rounds 1, 3, and 5: purl
Rounds 2 and 4: knit

Work the 15 stitch repeat in the chart from the bottom of the chart to the top of the chart.  Always read the chart from the right to the left, ignoring the stitches outside the chart's red box.  Since I cast on 135 stitches, I repeated the 15 stitch repeat 9 times around (9 x 15 = 135).  I repeated the entire chart four times.  You can do more or fewer repeats as you desire.

For the final border...
Rounds 1, 3, and 5: purl
Rounds 2 and 4: knit.
Bind off loosely.

Weave in loose ends and block as desired.



I am enjoying making a few "one skein wonders".  I do have some larger projects calling my name, but for now, I am loving the sense of accomplishment I get from finishing up this and that.  I am working on some tube socks and some projects using project kits called "Top This".  Too much yarn and too little time!

Raindance Cowl with Glass Beads

I purchased this yarn as part of a kit from my local yarn shop, Yarned & Dangerous. The kit included yarn and glass beads along with a pattern for a cowl.  I had an all together different pattern in mind that I wanted to make with the kit.  It turned out that I did not have enough beads for the pattern I had in mind, but I did find another pattern what I loved.

This is a cowl pattern called "Raindance". The pattern link is HERE.  It is a FREE pattern. The yarn is used is called BellaTrista Soy DK. In cased you missed it... that's yarn made out of SOY. How cool is that?  The beads are Miyuki glass beads from The Knitting Zone.  This was a relatively quick project.  I am enjoying making up some "one skein wonder" projects lately.  I love the sense of accomplishment I get from starting and finishing something relatively quickly.

The cowl is a nice size and has a nice drape to it I think. I noticed my stitches seemed a bit wonky here and there so I decided to wet block my cowl.  I soaked the cowl in some tepid water and a few drops of Eucalan.  The cowl seemed to grow considerably larger after soaking.  The soy yarn soaked up a lot of water and took a really long time to dry.  I could not help but notice that the yarn had quite an Earthy odor while damp.  I kept thinking it smelled a little like a barnyard. I took my cowl to the knit shop to show the gals. We all sort of joked about the odor; one lady was adamant it smelled "just like Illinois". So there you have it!  Damp soy yarn smells just like Illinois.  Now that the cowl has dried, I am not noticing the odor at all.

I've heard soy helps with symptoms of PMS and perimenopause.  Do you think if I wear my cowl it will help with my symptoms?  Just kidding.

Happy Knitting!

Kim's "Chloe Kim" Hat

Kim's CHLOE KIM HAT

Have you been watching the Winter Olympics in South Korea?  I have been watching a little bit here and there.  Sweet 17 year older snow boarder, Chloe Kim, is such a lovely girl.  She was wearing a super duper chunky hat when interviewed after winning her gold medal.  Of course, fiber enthusiasts were all over that and quickly copy cat patterns for Chloe Kim's hat could be found on the internet.

Horrible photo!  It's really hard to take a photo of a project knit in such dark yarn.  Sorry!

I was not inclined to make this hat until I realized I had some super duper chunky yarn in my yarn stash.  This is Tahki Yarns Jumbo yarn; it's a wool/acrylic blend.  The yarn comes in a 100 gram ball and includes a faux fur pom pom.  Perfect!  I did need about 1 1/2 balls of this yarn to make my hat.  I used US size 15 needles for my hat and cast on 32 stitches. The pattern calls for US size 17 needles and 28 stitches. The gauge is 4 stitches equals 4 inches, so that gives you an idea how chunky this hat is.  I think the pattern looks a little cuter when made with a paler color yarn and it probably looks way cuter on a 17 year old girl, as compared to this almost 50 year old. But I don't care and I was really wishing I had this hat this morning when I walked the dogs at the river (it was 12 degrees Fahrenheit this morning... burrrr!!!!)  This hat will be keeping my ears warm for sure!  I did make my hat a bit longer than called for. I like rolling up a longer cuff to keep the hat on a bit better and to keep my ears warmer.  Finally, the yarn calls for holding two strands of yarn together while knitting but I did not need to do that since my yarn is so was so super duper jumbo chunky.

Here is the pattern link for his hat if you are wanting a Chloe Kim hat of your own.  The pattern is FREE. Click HERE.

Vanilla is the New Black

Vanilla is the New Black - DK/Sport Version

Sorry the photo above is a little blurry! I had to assume a pretty awkward position to snap that photo. Ha, ha!



"Vanilla is the New Black" is the name of this sock pattern and the designer was definitely thinking outside the box when she designed this pattern. The heel is basically a Strong Heel.  When you knit a Strong Heel, you work the heel over half of the sock's stitches and the increases occur on the far right and the far left of those stitches.  But in this pattern, the increases happen in the middle of the heel stitches and, as the number of stitches increases, you incorporate the new stitches into a ribbed design.  Pretty cool, huh?

This pattern comes in a fingering/sock weight version and a DK/sport weight version.  These socks were knit in Knitting Fever Indulgence 6 ply yarn (DK weight) is a merino wool, silk, and nylon blend. I scored this ball of yarn for $5.00!  The photo above and below show one sock right side out and one sock inside out.  I noticed photos in the pattern showed some socks inside out.  The heel actually looks fantastic right side or wrong side out which is unusual.



Here is the link to the pattern (click HERE). This is the DK/Sport weight version but, like I said, the pattern is also available in a sock/fingering weight version.  If you purchase both patterns at the same time on Ravelry, think you get a little discount.

Hitchhiker No. 3

Hitchhiker No. 3



This is the third Hitchhiker scarf I've made and I am sure I'll make more. It's a fun knit and I can memorize the pattern once I get going.  The Hitchhiker pattern can be found HERE.

Hitchhiker is not a free pattern on Ravelry but it is ridiculously popular. There are 28,954 Hitchhiker scarves on Ravelry. Just think of all the Hitchhikers that have been made that are not listed on Ravelry.

This yarn was a gift from my friend, Belinda. She got it for me when she went to Hawaii.  The yarn is from Aloha Yarn Dyeworks and the colorway is "Like Ole".  Here is a link for more information about the yarn (click HERE).  I used 2.25 mm needles (40 inch fixed circular) which are a little smaller than what the pattern calls for.  I am thrilled that this turned out like it did. It's one of those times where I picked just the right pattern for the yarn.