Ribbon Candy Cowl

When I set out designing this pattern it looked quite a bit more Christmas-ey in my head than in execution.  Luckily the end result is a much more universal pattern that can be worn any time of year.

$3.00

The Ribbon Candy Cowl is made using 3 yarns.  Two colors are used for the colorwork body of the cowl and the third is used to make the bands.  The example I show here used 2 balls, one red and one white of a 420 yard sock yarn, for the colorwork body of the cowl and an undyed sock yarn for the bands.  The colorwork portion of the pattern uses equal parts of each color and is meant to be repeated until the yarn runs out.  If you have 2 balls of yarn that are roughly 200yds/180m each, the cowl will be roughly 11"/28cm in height.  If you have 2 balls of yarn that are roughly 400yds/360m each, the cowl will be roughly 20"/51cm in height.  The ribbed bands require 150yds/137m of yarn.

My favorite thing about this pattern is that the jog between rows is completely hidden in the spiral.  There is no way of seeing where one row ends and another begins.  

Rhinebeck 2014

Another year, another trip to the NY Sheep and Wool Festival.  This year my mom and dad joined me.  I've enjoyed going with each and every person I've ever attended with, how could you not, but Rhinebeck is the best when my family visits.  Heck, NY in general is just better when my family visits.  

I have talked about Rhinebeck extensively year after year so I will keep the recap short and sweet.

First, the hat.  I have tried this on every year for the past 8.  This year it came home with me.  There was a guy also from NYC trying on a different hat from this vender and I think we talked each other into our hat purchases.  It reminds me of Dr Zhivago.

Second, the animals.  How cute is this sheep?  I was squeeing over it and the farmer told me this breed is special because they smile.  And no, I don't know what breed it was because I forgot to take note.  whoops.

 And finally, the haul.  Miss Babs, Fiber Optic, Touch of Twist, Bartlett Yarns, Brooks Farm, Ensign Brook Farm, and sparkly gold fiber from a vendor I can't remember.  The goal was golds, a light indigo, a Fiber Optic ombre box and colors I don't normally grab.  I think I accomplished that.  There is not a red and teal combo in sight (if I didn't check myself those are the only colors I would ever use).

Just something random, it never fails that the moment you stop posing like an normal adult and start goofing off, it will be captured for posterity.  So here you go. 

I call myself a normal adult but my sunglasses say otherwise.

\/\/ Wribbons /\/\

I have published a new cowl pattern today.

\/\/ Wribbons /\/\ 

This cowl is one of my favorites to wear.  It flares at the bottom to protect the neck and collar from chilly air.  The pattern includes yardage and instructions for a sport weight cowl as well as the formula for the pattern so it can be customized for any yarn and any size.

Here's the Ravelry link:

I made the first version of this cowl over a year ago and it was far and away my favorite cowl to wear.  Unfortunately I failed to write down any of the yardage so the pattern hung out in limbo until I knit a second sample.  The edging on the first version is different from the final version because even though visually I loved the way it looked, it rolled in on itself too easily so it got replaced with ribbing which managed to make it even cozier.  The yarn on this first version was such a surprise.  They were two random cheap merinos from Ebay and Smileys Yarn Sale that were utilitarian yarns in my stash.  Together they are luminous.  The first version also had one additional round of chartwork.

Scary Easy Hocus Pocus Tote

Fall is finally upon us.  All the drinks and food at Starbucks and Whole Foods are pumpkin flavored and the Halloween section of the craft store is jam packed with glitter fall flowers, skeletons, black cats and pumpkins.  With a month and a half till Halloween I thought I would add a little addition to the Hocus Pocus Trick or Treat Bag Pattern.  Here is the Scary Easy Hocus Pocus Tote. 

 This tote is a much easier, finish in a weekend, version of the original bag.  It does not require any lining or felting and it a much more appropriate size for trick or treating.  

If you have already purchased the Hocus Pocus Cowl and Trick or Treat Bag ebook then you should see this new tote pattern added to the download options, you do not have to purchase anything new.  If have not purchased the pattern but are interested in making your own, follow the button below for more details.

Color Inspiration: Crop Circles at the Community Garden

My mom captured this amazing picture last night at her community garden.

It had me tearing through my yarn stash to find matches.

 Left:

Madelinetosh Tosh Light in Lettuce Leaf 

Fiber Optic Yarns Foot Notes in Highland Bluberry

Center:

Madelinetosh Tosh Light in Curiosity

Madelinetosh Tosh Light in Maple Leaf (best colorway ever)

Right:

Icelandic wool purchased at Rhinebeck

Now I want to knit this hat again. Crop Circles at the Community Garden.

Bowcoup

I am so pleased to share my latest hat pattern with you...

Bowcoup!

I had two gorgeous skeins of Madelintosh Tosh Merino in pink and grey just hanging out and decided they had to form something super plush and girly.

When I look at this hat it makes me miss skiing.  I know summer is just starting but I want to rewind time, put my hair in "Little House" braids, pull this hat over my ears, and barrel down the ski slope.  Please no one remind me that 2 months ago I was whining about how cold it still was.

This pattern includes 2 adult sizes: 

18"/47cm in circumference using DK weight yarn 

and 

20"/51cm in circumference using worsted weight yarn.

Plush Bow Tutorial

I am knitting a new hat and wanted an alternative to my usual pom pom or tassel so I whipped up a plush bow to tack onto the crown.  I thought I would stick a little tutorial up ahead of the new pattern. Following the directions exactly will give you a bow roughly 2 inches by 5 inches.  The general idea can be used to make bows of many sizes.

Weekday Craft Lunches

The building I work in has 2 offices on the bottom and every floor above is residential.  I am friends with one of the women who lives above and we have now started having craft lunches.  A little opportunity to break away from eating at my desk and relax. 

Here is the little sheep stamp I made during our first craft lunch:

Random Monday Night Crafting

Tracked down all my rubber stamp making tools and crafted a thing tonight. 

 커피 is coffee in Korean.

Thanks Talk To Me In Korean for teaching me in the first place and Google Translate for reminding me.

A Snowy NY Day

Last Saturday was a lovely snowy day and a good 15 degrees warmer than the rest of the week.  A perfect day to meet up with a friend and wander about.  First stop was a place I have been meaning to visit since I saw a DIY project on Pinterest, Guerra Paint and Pigment, 510 East 13th Street between Avenues A and B.  This place was love at first sight.  Shelf after shelf of jars full of pigment, metallic pigment, interference pigment, glitter of all sizes and the paint and binders to use with them.  The presentation is very no frills, simple jars, which frankly make the product even better.  The girl who helped me was incredibly nice, showed me things she thought I would like but wasn't pushy.  If you are someone who loves a good art supply store you should definitely stop by. 

A wall in Guerra

The next stop was the Strand.  I met up with my new-to-the-city KDrama friend who had not been yet.  Luckily Saturdays are very crowded so I was unable to gather a stack of books the size of a small child like I've been known to do.  My TBR pile is far too large already.  I will share my all time favorite Strand find though, an out of print Dolly Parton biography that I found on a very high (I needed a ladder and I am quite tall) top shelf.  When I took off the dust jacket the book was shiny gold and silver.  

Next we walked through a much smaller than normal green market in Union Square.  Apparently most of the vendors packed up early due to the snow but a few vendors stuck it out and their booths looked ridiculously pretty.  I love the Catskill-Merino stand.  Their yarn is not heavily processed, still smells a bit like sheep, and is full of lanolin so it feels really lovely to touch.  If I am ever having a bad day, I like to loiter around their stand because it smells like Rhinebeck. 

A warm glowing produce stand.

That will be all for today.  My list of favorite places is long and growing and I look forward to sharing more of them.  I will leave you with a few pictures of a snowy Union Square.

Pollen and Bubbles Revisited

 I am super excited to announce that this month the Pollen and Bubbles hat pattern is being included in the KnitCrate Int/Adv box.  For anyone unfamiliar, KnitCrate is a knitting subscription service, like magazines but you get yarn, patterns and other goodies.  They have a bunch of other different subscription options like Beginner, Indie Dyers, Baby, Sock, and ect.  It's such a great way to discover a new products.  I especially like the mini skein option.  There is also a gift option available in case your loved one knows you love yarn but doesn't know how to shop for you.

Anyway, I thought I was a good time to revisit and beef up the Pollen and Bubbles pattern a touch.  The initial pattern was one size only and required 2.5 skeins of yarn.  The new pattern includes additional sizing info and instructions for a hat that takes exactly 2 skeins of yarn (one of each color).   If you have already purchased the Pollen and Bubbles pattern then you will automatically have access to it in your library.  It is called Pollen and Bubbles 4.0.

If for some reason you have stumbled onto my blog, like the hat, but don't knit, I have put some of my latest samples in my Etsy shop.  

Scenes from another CO Christmas

Instead of a big snow there was a heavy frost that coated absolutely everything in a thick layer of sparkle.  I think I may have actually preferred it to the messy snow.  There was no shoveling to be done and everything still glittered.

 This tree in the front yard used to be about 6 feet tall and looked like the Charlie Brown tree the year my mom first decorated it.  It's grown significantly.  

Stella, my sweet deer friend, was back with some friends.  She is the sweetest of the bunch.  The presence of deer is a lot more charming after moving to the city.  Deer>cockroaches.  

The following 2 pictures are father and son.