Category: Pattern

The Daisy Duke Cowl

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Well, it happened again. I was consumed by a yarn. {holds head in shame} This time the takeover was much slower and very gradual but it still happened nonetheless. A couple weeks ago this very interesting cotton fabric yarn popped up in the store. It looked as though strips of fabric had been cut and then twisted around a string to make a yarn. Knitting AND fabric…I mean come on. One problem though, no one had a clue what to do with it. Every couple of days a customer would ask about what to do with it. I would shrug my shoulders. There weren’t any patterns for it so it was hard to imagine what the possibilities were. A rug? A bag? It was a real head scratcher. As the days went by and I looked at the yarn, a little idea started to creep up. I saw a big needle. Like US35 big. The thought of them alone was exciting. I haven’t made a project on such large needles yet so the prospects seemed wonderful. A holy, loosey, goosey summer cowl. Yes!

So cast on I did! And again, and again. I forgot how much experimenting comes with creating something from nothing; the scientist in me was napping apparently. Once I figured out a proper cast on number I went to knitting. After a couple rows it became clear that a US35 was just not the proper needle for this project. There was little to no stitch definition and I was barely an inch in and the ball was almost used up. So frog I did. My next try was the US19 and it made all the difference. I fiddled with knits here and yarn overs there and the end result was a super unique cowl that I absolutely love! The pattern on the fabric gave me a country vibe but it’s still a girly accessory so I named it Daisy Duke!
Here she is!

Because the fabric is a cotton this cowl is still really comfortable to wear in the summer months. It’s not heavy or fuzzy so it’s not smothering.

The yarn is called Wildflower by Knit Collage and it comes in 3 other super cute colors. There isn’t a lot of yardage on each skein so I needed 2 for this cowl.

Thanks to my pal Brie for snapping these shots. It takes a village folks and I’m sure glad I’ve got that gal in mine!

The pattern is available on my Ravelry page and will be on my Etsy soon!

pictures of yarn via

  

The Carol Cowl

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A couple months back, while I was working at the knitting shop, I came across this particular yarn and needless to say, it was love. I’m sure any of my fellow knitters/crocheters can understand the mystical draw of a yarn that really speaks to you. It immediately takes over your thoughts as well as your project list and wallet. You have no idea what you’ll use it for but you know it has to be yours, before anyone else can discover its glory and get it first. So when I saw this yarn, madelinetosh pashmina worsted in Rain Water, my craft gears were in overdrive. In order to make sure that I was having some kind of head on my shoulders I told myself that I wouldn’t buy the yarn until I actually had a project for it (you can imagine the anxiety this gave me as there were only 3 skein left!). I began scouring Ravelry for the perfect project and quickly determined that a cowl would be the best use of this luscious yarn. But which? I searched and searched and just couldn’t seem to find the right pattern that would really do my yarn justice. It’s one of those things where, when you know, you know. I had an idea of what I wanted in my head but it didn’t seem that such a pattern existed. I was feeling defeated. My beautiful yarn needed a soul mate. Then, it dawned on me…

…why don’t I just make my own pattern? If I could figure out a way to translate the vision in my head to a pattern that looked similar, my dream cowl could be a reality! The swatching process began. There were needle sizes to gauge and pattern combinations to be tested. The end product was quite the hodge-podge of crazy but man was it helpful to really seeing how things would turn out if I used different techniques. I will never again underestimate the importance of swatching. I now had a clear vision of what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. It was time to cast on.

And cast on I did. I even got a solid 2″ into the pattern when I realized that it just wouldn’t do. There were already a few too many hiccups along the way and I just couldn’t have them tainting my vision for this yarn. Frogging had to be done, and lots of it. And it was in my frogging that I was also able to realize that my original number of cast on stitches just wouldn’t be enough either. As much of a pain as frogging can be, it certainly proved educational this time. As did taking notes. So important.
I cast on again, this time with just a tad more focus and determination to not only NOT mess up but also figure out how to correct any mistakes that were made. I would keep it with me to work on while I rode the subway every other day or so and found that I could knit a little more than a row per subway ride. (Let me tell you, there’s nothing like knitting on the subway to really make you feel it when people are looking at you) In about a month I had my cowl complete. It was everything I wanted it to be and I couldn’t be happier. Now it needed a name. Something feminine and meaningful. It had to be named Carol, after my grandmother. I owe so much of my talent to her and I would have never picked up knitting needles if she hadn’t have passed them down to me. So it was only right that this be The Carol Cowl.

I couldn’t be happier with it! It’s exactly what I wanted and I’m so glad I took the time to play with it and really work it out. Now if only the weather would cool down a tad so I can wear it!

 
 My coworker Sarita was kind enough to help me out by snapping some shots for me the other day as well so shoutout to her!!
I’ve made this pattern available for a couple bucks on both Ravelry and my Etsy page if you would like to make it too. If you’d rather have me make you one contact me and we’ll chat! I loved making so I can’t wait to do it again. It’s definitely a project that’s close to my heart.