Project: Wild Mare
Pattern: Wild Iris
Designer: Sivia Harding
Available: $6 as a single pattern, or $26 for the 7-pattern ebook
Yarn: Mad Tosh Light in “Mare”
This is my third cowl from Sivia’s series — I’m definitely enjoying them. This is a mobius, with a sweet little lace bind-off and perfectly placed button. I love it.
I made some mitts!
Project: Winter Track Mitts
Pattern: Fried Chicken Mittens (modified)
Designer: Ellen Mason
Available: FREE on Ravelry
Yarn: Longmeadow Farm 100% Merino Wool
The Fried Chicken Mittens pattern is one of my favorites. The mittens fit great, and the pattern is quick and easy to followp So, when my eldest son asked for a pair of warm mittens for outdoor track practice this winter, I knew exactly which pattern I’d use. Yarn choice was fraught — he wanted “dark blue or dark grey” with little or no color variation. I showed him some tweedy blue from my stash, and he wanted to know what “all those white flecks” were for :). No go on the tweedy blue. Fortunately, I found the perfect skein of plush worsted merino at NEFF:
I was a little afraid it would be TOO heathered for his delicate sensibilities, but lucky for me — he gave the subtle colorway the official teenage thumbs up. Since he had originally asked for mittens, I started making mittens. About halfway through the palm I did a fitting, and he asked if I could “stop making them before the fingers closed.” After a quick conversation I realized he was asking for fingerless mitts, so that’s what I made.
He liked them so much, he let me take a picture or two!
I finished a cowl!
Project: Malachite Lorelei
Pattern: Lorelei
Designer: Sivia Harding
Available: $6 as a single pattern, or $26 for the 7-pattern collection
Yarn: The Fibre Company Road to China Light in “Malachite”
Beads: 6/0 Czech round seed beads; dark bronze with some kind of opaque rainbow finish
Another great cowl from Sivia Harding! I am very glad that I bought the whole collection :). This one starts as a mobius, and transitions to a round cowl (much like another of her designs, Harmonia’s Rings, but on a smaller scale). I took the opportunity to work with Road to China Light for the first time … um, wow. Now this is a yarn I’ve been petting and visiting at the shop for quite some time — it is so, so, so soft, with gorgeous undulating tonal hues. But the alpaca/silk/camel/cashmere combo means that it is wicked warm and felts if you look at it funny.
Just as an example, I wound both skeins into cakes at the same time. The 2nd cake rolled around in my project bag for about a month while I worked through the first cake. The strands of yarn on the outside of the 2nd cake were felted to each other, just from this mild agitation. This isn’t a yarn I could use for a garment — it would surely condense into rigid felt at the mere thought of sweaty armpits. But for a cowl — it is delightful! Perfect!
I’m done with my project for Challenge #2 of The Fiber Factor! I still have to film the video for judging, and mail the sweater off … but for all practical purposes I’m done. So, time to catch up on some neglected projects, right?? Wrong. Time to cast on three new projects, yay!
For what it’s worth, I also pared down my Ravelry queue and went through my stash and put a LOT of things up for sale — see something you like? PM me on Ravelry!
Here are my new projects, in order of casting on. (I cast on TWO after midnight, the night I finished my FF project.)
#1 — My very own Oswin, using A Hundred Ravens Alfar. Oswin is a crochet project. No, really!
#2 — I’m using Malabrigo Mecha in Arapey to make Hester’s Hope, a shawl from the latest “What Would Madame DeFarge Knit?” book.
#3 — After a false start with a too-colorful yarn, I settled on The Fibre Company’s Road to China Light in Malachite for Sivia Harding’s new cowl pattern, Lorelei.
Project: Sublime Rosewood
Pattern: Sublimity
Designer: Sivia Harding
Available: $6 as a single pattern, or $26 for the 7-pattern collection
Yarn: madelinetosh Tosh Vintage in “Rosewood”
Beads: 6/0 Miyuki round seed beads; transparent lavender with AB finish
Man alive I have a serious designer crush on Sivia Harding. This is yet another awesome pattern from her mind. Love the stitch pattern, love how the decreases are hidden … love the sparing yet perfect use of beads! I knit this cowl as-written, even though the neck seemed a bit high … turns out I was right, since it crumples up when I wear it, but maybe I have a short neck and the fault is not with the pattern. Tosh Vintage is just as yummy as it always is.
I finished these socks a few weeks ago. I’ve been wearing them LOTS — so I guess it’s about time I FO-Friday-ed them. “Shoreward” was one of two patterns from the September shipment of the Rockin’ Sock Club from Blue Moon Fiber Arts.
Project: Shoreward Socks
Pattern: Shoreward Socks
Designer: Sivia Harding
Available: sometime after September 2012
Yarn: Socks that Rock Mediumweight in Drop Dead Gorgeous
The pattern doesn’t photograph easily — you’ll have to trust me when I say how pretty the twisted stitches and curved recurves are. The construction is fairly traditional toe-up style, with a nice heel flap. I love how she makes sure the leg pattern lines up, no matter where you started the gusset etc. The waffle-ish pattern on the instep and leg front make these socks a little heavy/bulky, but also super warm and squishy. It’s a trade-off I’m willing to make.
Best of all (from my point of view) is the yarn — the colorway is, as advertised, Drop Dead Gorgeous. I mean, look at this stuff!
The first time I saw it, I thought ZOMBIE! 🙂
Project: Harmonia’s Tidepool Rings
Pattern: Harmonia’s Rings Cowl
Designer: Sivia Harding
Available: $6 on Ravelry
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Worsted in Tidepool Heather
I’ve made this pattern before — and I wore my purple Harmonia (made from KP City Tweed) near-constantly last winter. It’s warm, interesting to look at, flattering, and (best of all) fun to knit. The pattern begins with a mobius cowl, with increases on one half of the stitches. At a certain point, the non-increased half is cast off, and from their the pattern continues in the round on the increased half only. Clever construction plus a reversible pattern make for a very wearable FO. I especially like the optional extra length and beaded picot bind-off.
Remily Knits 