Purple Cashmerino Cowl

It's been a bit of a busy week this week! I've been working on my christmas presents, playing around with designing new patterns and working towards setting up my Etsy shop. So what can I show you today? Not presents:-) and not everything is photographed for the shop and the patterns are, well, still at the scribbling stage!

But I can show you the next cornflower cowl I've been knitting. As this is probably for me anyway, its no real secret - and its been sitting on the sidebar as a work in progress for a bit now too:-) My Debbie Bliss cashmerino finally arrived and I cast on pretty quickly. After the alpaca its not quite so soft but it does give this pattern a chance to show of its complex twists and cables.

Although I've only knitted a few inches, you can see the pattern emerging and how crisp its looking. Very different from the first grey version but I like it in a different way. For a start the colour is gorgeous - even though it photographs a different colour in every picture! And although not alpaca, you must admit cashmerino isn't bad at all:-) I should have been further on than this but I spent an hour or so knitting this watching tv - fatal!! - and made a mistake which, of course, I didn't realise till I stopped. So, it took me only a few minutes to rip back my hour's worth of work. Ach well:-) Back to the same place I started at! Best not to knit this while being distracted by television, I think!

If you are interested in knitting the Cornflower cowl pattern, its now up on Ravelry here  - free for a limited time only. I was going to knit this in the smaller height but I don't know now. I do like the idea I could cover my nose and ears if it gets a bit too nippy! And the weather here is getting darker and colder now so I'd better get this knitted and off the needles soon!

If the weather is a bit brighter tomorrow for photos, I should be able to give you a preview of a few things going into my shop  - opening 1st November!!  Only a few days to go - yikes!

Leafy lace cowl

My new Manos silk blend yarn arrived a few days ago. Isn't it nice? This colourway 6461 is called Taurus and it's a 100gm skein - 30% silk and 70% merino - yum! Although the recommended needle size is 3.5-4.25mm /US 4-6, it knits up more like a worsted/aran weight and I found 4.5mm's about right for gauge. Yes, of course I've already started knitting with it!

I hadn't any knitting plans when I bought it except having a really nice skein of manos to 'own':-) I rarely fall for the labels but I do like to indulge now and again. And I can see why people do. Lovely yarns are sooo addictive! Alpaca and silk blend in the same month! But its an expensive addiction at £12 a skein. But, I tell myself, this could make a shawl, a pair of gloves or a beret and there you have a lovely present for little more than you could buy something. Or maybe with inflation, its a bargain:-)

But on to important things like what have I been making with this lovely yarn?

Well, I've been designing myself a lacy cowl to wear that matches my cranberry/pink coat. After knitting the lovely snuggly alpaca cowl, I thought this yarn would be lovely and soft around the neck too and it is definitely my colour.

The Manos has a slight variegation which I like but it doesn't get in the way of the lace pattern too much. The pattern is a double leaf motif I found in a stitch dictionary and as I was working out the repeats for the cowl, I realised how familiar this seemed. Very similar to the lace border on the Veylas mitts! It's not exactly the same but there seem to be lots of traditional variations out there in patternland. I could spend ages looking for new structures to try.

It's knitting up very quickly and I love the way the bottom edging curves due to the shaping of the leaves. The top edge should curve too - in theory! I'll tell you when I get there. I'm about halfway so far and just knitting along happily enjoying the softness of the yarn, the way the lace leaves 'appear' as I go and thinking how the choice of a yarn can really 'make' a pattern - as well as a gorgeous snuggly cowl:-)

Cornflower Cowl

Well, I was intending to show you this lovely grey cowl as I was knitting it but it was such an enjoyable knit, it didn't take long at all! So, I have progress pics and final posey shots for you:-)

Okay, where were we..... the last you heard about this project was me drooling over my lovely parcel of baby soft grey alpaca:-) I cast on pretty much straight away and have enjoyed every knitting minute of it. The yarn is such a pleasure to knit with and it knits up with such a nice drape and feel - gorgeous.

I was test knitting this lovely cowl design - 'Cornflower Cowl' . I love the way the cable patterning looks with the softer alpaca. You can still get good stitch definition but its softened slightly by the fibres in the alpaca. The pattern is quite easy to remember and I've spent my evenings listening to talking books, twisting cables and knitting away happily. It only took me four eveings to knit - and I'm about average speed, I think. So this is a great idea for a lovely quick christmas knit. I'm already planning some more!

And, just to show you how the cowl looks on, I got John to take some posing pictures for you:-)  Now, I've never worn one before - probably because I have a lot of scarves - but I loved it! I somehow thought cowls would be tight and restricting around my neck (I have a short neck which is a bummer for polo necks - no graceful swan-like neck for me:) But no! This was soft, cosy and immensely secure. I suddenly realised I wouldn't have to keep tucking in the ends of a scarf anymore - bonus! I didn't consciously realise that bugged me until now and now, the problem is solved, and very nicely too.

But this already has a future home as a christmas pressie so if I want to be ready for winter, I'll have to get some more yarn on the needles, my cornflower cowl pattern in hand and start a new talking book!

Test knitting

Today I received a very lovely parcel in the post - the yarn for my test knitting project, some gorgeous soft Rowan baby alpaca. I can't describe how lovely this is, just heavenly:-) Its so soft to the touch it makes you realise just how brash and hard all those other yarns have been:-))) And I thought cashmerino was nice. This is on another level entirely and after I stopped fondling it :-), I got around to knitting with it - sigh, perfection! Yum, yum, yum!

So what am I test knitting? It's a lovely cowl pattern by designer Karen Scott called Cornflower Cowl full of lovely cables and twisted stitches and I'm enjoying every minute of it. I think this alpaca is spoiling me!! How will I go back to my acrylic stash now!!! But not just providing me with this yummy yarn to test knit with, Karen also included some of her lovely stitch markers for me as a gift - aren't they lovely? Especially for socks which is perfect as the normal ones are a major pain being far too big and getting in the way all the time.

A close-up for you. I love the little heart on the left:-) Do you think Karen knows about my love of pink? It came in a bright pink mail bag, wrapped in bright pink tissue paper and the stitch markers were in this pink organza bag with a pink ribbon!! A lovely way to start the day. Thank you so much Karen!! There was another small gift too......

.....but it didn't last long enough for the photo shoot:-))