finished object :: two-color crocheted cowl

Pattern: Two-Color Crocheted Cowl by the PurlBee

Yarn: Spud & Chloë Fine in 7822 Sidewalk and 7808 Sassafrass

Hook: US D (3.25mm) crochet hook

Finished object: totally awesome

Modifications:

• used a single crochet foundation rather than chaining a bunch
• started with 108 stitches because this yarn was a bit thicker than the Jade Sapphire Cashmere called for; 120 was too wide
• Worked 22 rows of each color in the modified granny square pattern to really stretch each skein

Queue it up here:

ek

a noble cowl, revisited

It’s been over three years since I originally released my Noble Cowl pattern, so I thought it would be interesting to take a look at some of the finished products and provide a few comments that I keep running into via email and Ravelry messages.

First, pictures!

Raveler Neelo made hers extra long and treated it like an eternity cowl. Love that! I’m also a total sucker for that lovely yellow!

This one was of the first dozen or so of the pattern completed and shared on Ravelry. The red is beautiful and the cowl against a dark background really shows off the lace.

This is just a gorgeous photo! I also adore the shawl pin.

I’m so happy that shhanalog knit this up in Malabrigo, and in such a terrific colorway. No project is complete without someone using Malabrigo! I’m also chuffed by her comments:

This is hands-down my favorite thing I’ve ever knit. Favorite yarn, best color, gorgeous pattern. I’m in love with it.

Now to some additional pattern notes!

• I get asked quite often if there is a chart. Well, there is!

Thank you Raveler Megalion for making the chart!

• As you can see in the chart, from rows 11–22 the pattern repeat changes from 15 stitches to 16 stitches. This is a consequence of the decreases in row 11. You won’t end up with extra stitches at the end of the row or anything funny like that so long as you follow the pattern as written.
• A few people have asked about parts of the pattern in red. These are merely corrections. I should probably just take that out, but I didn’t want to bother uploading another version of the pattern to Ravelry. So don’t worry about the red; just know that the pattern used to miss some instruction but it’s all there now!
• If you are a native German speaker you can find a version in German here (PDF file, requires a PDF reader to open).
• If you are a left-handed knitter, you can find a translation here.

To those of you that have made any of the current 1919 (!!!) Noble Cowls linked on Ravelry: THANK YOU!!!!!

If you haven’t made one and want to, you can find a copy here.

Happy knitting!
ek

picture post: zuzu’s petals for austin

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zuzu's petals

There are many reasons I love this pattern:
- it’s a cowl and a shawl in one
- the name is a pop culture reference
- there is a business in Austin called Zuzu’s Petals
- it’s lacey but not super femme
- it’s made by one of my favorite Rav people, Carina Spencer (who I met due to my old Ravelry name being a title of a song her husband wrote while in one of my all-time favorite bands, The Casket Lottery)

I’ve made two so far, both were yarn splurges. The first is with Alisha Goes Around Pulchritude of Peacocks DK in “Helios”.

The second is in Lang Yarns Sol Dégradé, a slow-change dyed cotton.

I loved working with both yarns, though I have to say that the Sol Dégradé bled like CRAZY when I soaked it. The water was solid blue after sitting for 20 minutes in Eucalan. I’ve already work the Alisha Goes Around cowl; put it on with a cropped black blazer and wore it while I taught on Monday. Loved it. I made the cotton one so I had a cooler cowl to wear in Austin’s perpetual anti-wool weather.

I definitely recommend following her bind-off instructions.

pattern: lyla

A Slight modification of the new (and adorable) Puff Stitch Scarf, which in turn is inspired by Vickie Howell’s Urban Jungle hat. I had one skein of yarn and decided to use it up with this pattern. It wasn’t long enough to make a full scarf, but was perfect for a cowl. Added some buttons and … viola! This took me about an hour to make. Here’s my recipe!

Materials:
1 skein of Stitch Nation Full O’ Sheep (100% Wool, 155yds/100g) in Aquamarine
US H (5mm) crochet hook

2 buttons
tapestry needle
sewing needle & thread

Gauge:

7 sts x 6 rows = 4″ in puff stitch

Abbreviations:

ch: chain
st: stitch
puff st: yo, insert hook into st and draw up loop (3 sts on hook), *yo, insert hook into same st and draw up loop* 3 more times. 9 sts on hook. yo and pull through 8 loops on hook, then yo and pull through last 2 loops on hook.

Finished Measurements:

Approx. 6.5″ (17cm) tall x 22″ (56cm) long

Pattern:

Foundation chain: ch 26.
Row 1: In fourth ch from hook, work a puff st, *skip 1 st, ch 1, puff st in next st* until end. 11 puff stitches. ch 3 and turn work.
Row 2:  In next ch1 sp, work a puff stitch, *ch 1, puff stitch in next ch1 space* until end. ch 3 and turn work.
Repeat Row 2 until you’re just about out of yarn. Fasten yarn and weave in ends.

Finishing:

Attach buttons one row in from the foundation ch on the third st in on each side. The ch1 spaces of the fabric are like built-in button holes.

Wear, share, and enjoy!

Queue it on Ravelry!