Thank you all so much for the kind words on the little bit o’Lightweight Tweed. I’ve continued moving around and around down the body, and am just about the start the 4 inches of ribbing at the hem.
I’ve been able to do much more knitting in the last week thanks to being completely recovered, at last, and work getting back to normal, at last. Whee! Although sometimes those busy/sick/icky periods are good in that they make one appreciate when things go back to being all good.
There’s a smattering of patterns, pages and other knit news to share, that I’ve squirreled away, like this boy and his peanuts:
This is a brave boy we call wily squirrel, as he seems wise and wily, and cautiously takes (unsalted) peanuts from our hands. N and I love squirrels, even when they are messy and destructive. Big time animal lovers. Heck, there’s even a black widow in the bird seed container that we can’t bring ourselves to dispatch. It scurries off to the side whenever the box is opened, but before it gets bigger or lays eggs we should really do something.
On to knit matters!
Obviously, at the top of the pattern list on my mind is knitbot’s Lightweight Pullover. Stephen West (westknits) is on fire these days, currently having the 4th and 5th most active recently published patterns on Ravelry! Recently I mentioned the Daybreak shawl and Botanic hat, and he has since published the beautiful Herbivore and Colannade shawls. A few other new to me patterns are the Caera hat by a black pepper, the Molly hat by Never Not Knitting, and knitbot’s Zip Up Cardigan.
Melanie Falick Books/STC Craft has published a page of great free patterns, in PDF, from various books on various crafty endeavors.
IK Weekend is out and it’s a good collection, I think. A nice variety and timely but accessible styles. I passed on picking it up, though, only because there weren’t enough patterns that I liked, that were vastly different from something already in my collection. I find this is the case more and more. Though I do like this issue, I have to ask what in the world is up with the Champagne Fizz Hat? Thoughts? I am looking forward to the preview of the Gifts issue.
There’s a new online magazine called Tension, that is currently working up it’s premiere mini-issue. It looks like each issue will have a theme (the mini-issue’s theme is cocoa!), and will include crochet patterns for sale, this issues patterns look promising, plus recipes and editorials. I’m digging the Mexican Hot Chocolate recipe!
Ysolda is in the process of publishing patterns from her new collection, Whimsical Little Knits 2. Not unsurprisingly, her new shawl pattern Damson is at the top of the Ravelry charts!
Chic Knits’ Bonne Marie Burns has a fantastic Fall 2009 collection, including Miss BB, Mondo Cable Cardi, Mondo Cable Pulli, and Sandrine.
Speaking of patterns, I had a couple requests for my notes on the “Meander” cowl I made for our group swap, blogged here. I meant to write it up more formally and perhaps try different yarn weights and also make it use just one skein of Silk Garden. But Murphy’s Law being what it is, I then proceeded to have the craziest month in a good long time.
So here’s the pattern/recipe, thrown out into the world straight from my notebook. Go and be free cowl pattern! I may yet write it up and link to Rav, but for now I wanted to stop shirking those interested in the deets.
Meander Cowl Pattern
- ~135 yards dk or light worsted weight yarn, pattern knit in 1.2 skeins Noro Silk Garden col. 269
- US8 needles, or needles to obtain a gauge of about 18 sts/4 inches (looser than suggested yarn gauge to encourage drape)
- Size ~ 24 inches circumference
Pattern stitch is multiple of 12 with a 12-row repeat
Rows 1-2: Knit all stitches (K)
Row 3: *C8F, K4; repeat from * to end (C8F = left crossing 4 over 4 cable)
Rows 4-8: K
Row 9: *K4, C8B; repeat from * to end (C8B = right crossing 4 over 4 cable)
Rows 10-12: K
Pattern
CO 108 (or repeat of 12 to suit your yarn and gauge)
K 4 rows (2 garter ridges, or more to suit your taste)
Begin Row 1 of pattern stitch
Continue pattern stitch to desired width, ending with Row 8 or 12
K 4 rows (2 garter ridges, or more to suit your taste)
Bind off
Enjoy cowl!
Thank you for the pattern!!! 🙂
That’s an awesome cowl pattern ~ thank you so much for sharing it! I don’t know how I missed it the first time around except I’ve had one crazy month too – LOL
LOVE that cowl…adding it to my list
The champagne hat looks like it’s inspired by the hats that Diane von Furstenberg showed in her last collection.
Thank you for sharing the cowl pattern and for the great links 🙂 As for the hat, like Maureen said, I think it’s inspired by DvF…
http://www.dvf.com/dvf/browse/productDetailWithPicker.jsp?productId=A9859473T9
I don’t think I could pull it off
Lovely cowl!
Champagne Fizz is the adult version of a kid on the playground just asking to get beat up. Perhaps it does have a precedent in the haute-couture world, but in my book it’s well over the “edgy” line and has flung itself “over-the-edgy!”
Glad you’re feeling better — and thanks for the cowl pattern. That might turn into some Christmas gifts ’round here and bust some stash at the same time.
Ooh, pretty cowl! Thanks for posting the pattern — it might be just perfect for a skein of yarn I’ve had in mind!
looks like a” lil” purse…………love bitty squirrels as u know !!! he is a fine skniitty specimen !!!! needs a squeatwer..???????…………
WOW, thanks for all the links! I really like the Miss BB pattern and wouldn’t have found it otherwise. Your tweedy sweater is looking great, too. Impulsive cast ons are the best!