Last week I shared a couple of projects I was considering working on. One is the Eyeblink Shawl by Heidi Alander. This is a free pattern available on Ravelry. The other is a cowl called the Orchid Cowl by Jo Strong. This is also a free pattern.
LOSY Hat
One more pattern that I am considering is a hat called LOSY Hat by Barb Engelking. It’s a clever pattern that calls for Left Over Sock Yarn. Begin the hat with two fingering weight strands held together and when one ball runs out, just add another. Every hat will be unique! It’s an opportunity to use all the bits and bobs of yarn you have left in your stash. And as the designer mentions…an excuse to buy more yarn!
The other pattern that I am looking at is a shawl from our beloved Joji Locatelli called the Odyssey Shawl. It’s a 3 color, DK weight crescent-shaped shawl. Joji says on the listing for this shawl in Ravelry that she is so grateful for the continued support of the crafting community that she is offering this pattern as a free gift. She is so sweet! The finished length of the shawl is 76 3/4 inches so it is nice and big. There are over 3,000 finished examples of this pattern on Rav to look at. The color combinations are amazing.
This is what you need…..
While attending our last fiber show in Michigan in early October, a woman approached me who said she was a designer and then proclaimed, “This is what you need…” and then noted that to draw people to my booth I would need to have at least 2 shawls, a cowl and hat, and a sweater on display made in Passion Yarns my indie dyeing company. A little miffed I explained that I work a full-time job as well as run this part-time business and another that I was beginning so it would be difficult to get that much knitting done in a short time. But as I thought about what she said, I had to admit that she was right. Especially after watching customer after customer approach her friend’s booth because of the lovely finished projects she had on display.
I would love to be a designer. But let’s face it, I probably have ADD since I can’t follow through on one thought in one sitting!! My mind is rushing all the time. It’s exhausting! Having the time and level of concentration that I imagine designing a garment to require is out of the question until I retire! So I thought I’d use these free patterns on Ravelry (check out the last post here) to display my yarns in a completed project to perhaps enhance my sales while attending fiber shows. Well, I have until May 2020 before the next show so I’ll give it a shot.
We all know that winter will be rearing its ugly head very soon. As I thought about the weather changing, I thought about cuddling with a soft hand made blanket, snuggled on the couch with a hot beverage enjoying the great indoors. Ok… so that’s my dream but the reality is that I’ll have to be outside in the harsh weather at some point so I need to think about handmade items that are warm and stylish. So I head out to my favorite place to find patterns for those beautiful cozy warmness…Ravelry!
In my queue I placed some free patterns that I think will be great projects for the cooler months. Here’s the first one:
It’s a shawl call Eyeblink by Heidi Alander. The size is adjustable. It uses between 437-656 yards of fingering weight yarn on size 7 (4.5 mm) needles. The pattern instructs to knit the body of the shawl from 7 cast on stitches to 274 in total. Then the lace is charted with two seperate charts and this is where the size can be adjusted. Knit rows 1-12 of chart A as much as you’d like and when it is the desired size, work Rows 1-8 of chart B. It really looks so beautiful. Isn’t that a lovely pattern? And I have just the yarn for it.
This yarn is called “Inspiring” which is a lovely, tonal purple with lighter shades of purple that gives it depth and interest.
Orchid Cowl
Another pattern that I thought would be great for the winter is the Orchid Cowl. The pattern uses 400 yards of fingering weight yarn on a size 7 (4.5 mm) needle. I really like that the cowl has a mixture of stitches: garter, stockinette, and lace. It gives the completed project a beautiful finish but also adds some interest while knitting. It calls for a 3 needle bind off which is a great finish for an invisible seam and learning a new skill if you haven’t done this kind of bind-off before.
For the yarn, I thought that “The One I Love” would be a good choice for this cowl. It is a beautiful variegated yarn with short repeats of each color. It will give a lovely speckled finish to the cowl.
So these are my planned projects. I’ll post when they are completed. Now, this could take some time, but it’s good to have a plan. These may be New Year cast-ons and it’s good to plan ahead to be prepared for your New Year’s day start.
In-Person Fiber Events 2021
We were so pleased to be able to vend at two in-person fiber events this fall. The first was in Ohio at the Young’s Wool Gathering in September. We had a great time and met so many really nice people. The weather was sunny and hot so we spent the day chasing the shade but still it was awesome. I came home with a new electric spinner which is amazing.
Wool Gathering.
Fall Fiber Expo
The second event was in Ann Arbor, Michigan at the Fall Fiber Expo at the Washtenaw Farm Council building. The weather was perfect and we had the largest booth set up so far. The folk who run the event are great and the customers were so happy to be able to touch and enjoy all the fiber goodness.
Thanks for spending some time with me today. See you again soon!!
It’s a shawl call 
