Inspira Cowl

Alex has been busy. She finished a sweater and her Nordic Arrows Shawl. It is gorgeous!! She has totally fallen in love with Brioche. I taught it at Camp this year and I must say that I'm falling in love with it as well.

Overlapping triangles in syncopated brioche – inspired by Norse Runes and Symbols – are the focus of Nordic Arrows. 

The triangular shawl is knit sideways in stripey garter stitch. A short-row border with brioche corners surrounds the shawl and i-cord edges add a finished look.

I doubled it over so that you can see the back. It's totally reversible.

She used 3 colours of tosh merino light - 2 skeins each for the shawl and 1 skein for the border.

The Inspira Cowl (pattern free on Ravelry) is such a fun knit. I have knit many, many different colour combinations. It is fairly quick and makes an amazing gift.

I did the Steampunk Version with Liberty Wool from Classic Elite. My pattern modifications were
-use 5 mm needles
-cast on 138 stitches
-no shaping

I mentioned a few days ago that the owner of Classic Elite has retired and we can't get any more yarn. It's time for our Liberty to go. It pains me to say that because it is one of my all time favourite yarns.

Liberty Wool is a super-soft, washable wool available in solid and printed colors. This yarn's balanced twist will make all stitch combinations pop.  

With all the great qualities of wool and the ease of machine washability, Liberty Wool knits at a gauge that suits many designs and is ideal for children's pieces as well as those for adults.

I'm sad but it's a great day for everyone. The kits were $43.25 for the cowl. We are marking them down to $27.50.

The kits will be in the store for a week and then we will be packing them for Woodstock.

While making kits I came up with a combination that I really liked. There is another one on the needles. It might go to the Fleece Festival half finished because I picked out yet a different combination. I usually use two colours of Liberty Print - the striping version of Liberty. We have Liberty Shadow and I think I want to knit a cowl using it as the main colour.

We are thrilled to introduce Liberty Wool Shadow. The same great worsted weight, machine washable wool you love with a hand dyed look. Subtly dyed, these tone-on-tone shades will work well together with the Liberty Wool Prints and Solids.

My chiropractor asked me this afternoon if I've been knitting a lot. I haven't been but that changed tonight. I can't stop.

My trees are starting to change. I love the colours.

What's for breakfast?

Lynda finished Hitchhiker using one of the new Evolution kits. The scarf is huge - just the way I like it. If you think this is too big, you can knit it on a smaller needle. We did 4mm but I think you could go down to a 3.5mm or 3.75mm.

The Inspira Cowl is finished. Blocked. Ends sewn in. This pattern is still one of my favourites. The pattern is easy to memorize and it's fun to see how the colours are going to play out. Four people could use the same colour combination and all the cowls would look different. It just depends on what colour your ball starts with.

Three more rows and section 7 is finished. I was helping a customer pick out colours today and we went really bright. Now I'm inspired to get this finished. I think I'll need to make another one.

Someone is growing. I think she wants breakfast.

Work Bag Three

They finally arrived. Somehow the wrong postal code ended up on our shipping label. The box was in limbo for a bit but now it's found.

100% Genuine Leather

Hand made in the JUL Studio

Large measures 19 inches wide at bag opening X 6 inches high X 8 inches deep with 20 inch handles

Work Bag Three was originally created as a harvest bag for gathering produce while working in the garden.  I wanted something shallow so that vegetables were not piled so deep that things at the bottom were crushed by things at the top.   I didn't want to buy anything.  I didn't want anything bulky like a basket. My solution was this shallow leather bag with fairly short handles in a thick, sturdy leather that would hold its shape, staying open during harvesting and not crushing in on the contents when it was full.  After I finished the bag and used it in the garden I fell in love with its characteristics for other purposes -- as a project bag for knitting, art supplies, picnics, carrying tools, so many uses! 

The bags are $175.50. We have one black (someone took him home) and two brown. The bags are awesome.

There are 5-100 gram skeins of Hedgehog Twist Sock in the bag with lots of room to spare.

My Inspira Cowl is finished. I'll block it tomorrow. This is my 6th one - I really like the pattern :)

Pattern: Inspira Cowl (free on Ravelry)
Yarn: Classic Elite Liberty Wool - 2 balls of one colour and one ball of a contrast
Needles: 5mm, 60cm
Version: Steampunk

The pattern isn't difficult. If you haven't knit fair isle, this is a great way to learn.

One project finished. That means I'm allowed to start something new tomorrow. Good thing I brought some yarn home with me.

New Needles = New Project

They're here. The new special edition interchangeable needle set from Knitter's Pride.

Each limited edition set includes:

Nine pairs of vibrant color-coded Zing needles in US 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 10.5, and 11 (3.5, 3.75, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 & 8.0mm) that carry laser-marked sizes. 
Four color coded cables: one 24"(60cm - green), two 32" (80cm - orange), and one 40" (100cm - red).  
An assortment of knitting accessories: set of cord connectors, wool needles, and stitch holders, all packed in a coordinated monogrammed fabric pouch.
Everything is beautifully packaged in a box that is perfect for gifting. The Melodies of Life gift set is sure to top every knitter's wish list this holiday season!

I wanted to try the needles but it had to be a quick and easy project. The Inspira Cowl was the perfect choice. The pattern is free on Ravelry. I do the Steampunk Version with no shaping.

I'm using Liberty - 78119 for the main colour and 78126 for the contrast.

Yes, I love making the Inspira Cowl. These are cowls that I have made in the past.

The needles are very nice to knit with. The join is good - the yarn doesn't catch. The yarn slides nicely on the needles. I will say that they aren't as slippery as Addis. There is a touch of a drag. This isn't a bad thing - not everyone likes using Addis because they are afraid that their stitches will slide off.

Now the best news. The interchangeable set is $116. What an amazing gift for someone.

I'm going to join some tips and cast on stitches in the store so that you can try the needles.

If you live out of town, we'll ship. See the set on the website...

I was up early and got my day going. There has been a bit of accounting. Then the procrastinator in me said 'Why not write today's blog post - you can do the accounting tomorrow' so I did.

I'm Inspired

My Inspira Cowl is finished and blocked. I really, really want to start another one. It was quick to knit and you get to see so many colours.

Pattern: Inspira Cowl (free on Ravelry)
Yarn: Classic Elite Liberty Wool
Sample: 2 balls of 78109 and 1 ball of 78107
Needles: 5mm, 60cm
Version: Steampunk

How was the cowl blocked? After I finished knitting it, I put it in a bucket of cold water with a squirt of Soak. I let is sit for 15 minutes and then I dumped out the water. I gently squeezed the cowl to get out excessive water and then laid it out to dry. I didn't use pins and don't usually use them unless it's a lacy shawl. Twice a day I would rotate the cowl so that it wasn't folded in the same spot to dry. This can cause creases on the side.

I borrowed this from the Soak website about washing (blocking) your knits

cleaning your knits with soak

• Check if it’s colour fast. Rub some Soak on a hidden part of your item and rinse after two minutes. If there’s no bleeding, you’re good to go.
• Prepare yourself for some dirt. When you hand wash, you get a whole new perspective on the dirt and oil in your clothes – you’ll probably see it in the water, especially if you haven’t washed your piece in a while. If the water is really dirty, pour it out and soak a second time.
• Don’t worry about colour. Gentle cleansers like Soak can pull excess dye out of knitted items. So if you see dye in the water, it’s okay. It won’t harm your item. It comes out of your clothes in the machine too, you just don’t see it there.
• Get the water out. Squeeze out as much as you can, but be gentle. Don’t wring or twist it and don’t lift it up and let the weight of the water stretch it out. Roll it up in a clean towel to absorb water, or if your machine has a gentle spin cycle, just spin it away.
• Lay it flat. Place the item on a towel, reshaping as you go (for the knitting-uninitiated, this process is called blocking). Lay it flat in a spot with good air circulation on all sides. Flip it over so it has a chance to dry on both sides.
• Knitters, Soak your swatches. Measure your stitch count when the swatch has dried; the stitches will relax and the block will likely grow in size.

I was looking through pictures on my computer and found an Inspira Cowl that Beth knit. I just emailed her and asked if she knew where it was. I want it in the store :)

One last cowl. This sample that is hanging in the store.

Do I take balls home to start another one while watching the World Series tonight??

Inspira Cowl

One of my favourite cowls to knit is the Inspira Cowl. It is knit with two colours of yarn and my yarn of choice is Liberty from Classic Elite. The yarn stripes so it looks like you're working with many colours but you are really only knitting with two colours in a row.

The pattern is free on Ravelry...

Inspira Cowl is worked in the round on circular needles. Corrugated ribbing is used, where two different coloured yarns are stranded across each round. The ribbing height varies throughout for each of the three cowl options. After two plain knit rows, the corrugated ribbing pattern shifts, or is staggered, i.e., previous knit columns become purl columns. This graphic shift of colour & texture is what gives Inspira it’s dynamic flow.

Our samples are the Steampunk version. We cast on 138 or 144 stitches and worked straight - no decreases to bring it in. You need 2 balls of the background colour (knits) and 1 ball of the contrast (purls).

I knew that I needed no concentration knitting for the baseball game last night so I started a new one.

The plan was to finish it during tonight's game. I guess I'll be working on it while watching something else.

And I'm using new needles. The newest limited edition needle set from Knitter's Pride has arrived.

I'm not the biggest fan of wooden needles (ok, I'm an addi snob) but I really like these with the brass tips. I'm actually using two different sizes (there is another new project but I'm saving that for tomorrow) and both are working well. The yarn is not catching on the join or on the tip on either size.

The set is $148.50. We have one set left in stock and more should arrive during the week.

Now it's time to rest. It was a late night last night and then a crazy busy day in the store - there isn't a complaint there. We like it crazy busy. Rainy and cool makes people think about knitting. Beth is picking up pizza so I have an easy evening in front of me. Hopefully I get the cowl finished and then I can get more rows done on my secret project to show tomorrow.

Happy Friday

The guild meeting last night was great. Thank you to the ladies of Halton Hands in Motion for inviting me out. If you live in the Georgetown area, please check them out. They are very welcoming. There are all levels of knitters and crocheters so please don't feel like you aren't accomplished enough to join.

Here is a bit of information on the guild...

The great room in our townhouse has 18' ceilings. For 7 years I have been talking about a big Christmas tree. At least 15'. They are very, very expensive so I don't have one. It's a good thing because the new house doesn't have a great room like this.

Beth emailed me pictures this morning titled 'Big Tree'. She had to pull over on the way to work this morning for this truck.

She wondered if this was big enough for me. Can you imagine how many decorations you would need for this tree??

A shipment of Liberty Wool from Classic Elite came in today.

Purple is back in stock. This is the Simple Sweater with Pockets pattern - available on Ravelry.

One sweater concept designed with two simple options: cardigan or pullover. Each raglan sweater has garter stitch trim, front pockets and ¾ length sleeves, and is worked from the bottom up.

I'll be playing with colours this afternoon making up more Inspira Cowl kits.

I thought that there would be time to knit this afternoon and get caught up on my Mystery KAL. It didn't happen. Maybe tonight. The next clue came out this morning and it looks like an easy week. No new techniques :)

Orchid Thief

Cathy has been knitting like crazy. She needs to stop knitting for Sarah and start knitting for me!! Her talents can be put to a much better use :)

Here is Sarah's Orchid Thief that I just finished. I used one skein of tosh merino light in cove. It was fun to knit. The pattern kept me interested. Obviously! I finished this in about 6 days.

The pattern can be purchased on Ravelry...

My phone just honked with a surprise. Sarah is home from work and here are pictures of her wearing the shawl.

Three petals bloom from the centre top edge, their points organically growing into the three spines of yarn over increases. This unusual increase pattern creates the perfect shape for staying in place around your shoulders. The petals along the edge are grouped into threes, echoing the centre and forming deep scallops.

It suits her so well that I guess I'll have to let her keep it.

Here is my little project. I started an Inspira Cowl in Freia Fingering.

I cast on 156 stitches with 4mm needles - the Steampunk version again. There isn't any shaping in my cowl. Small problem. The colour repeats in Freia are long. I cut out some purple (can you believe that I just wrote that?) If I hadn't I still would be on purple rows and would barely be into the blue when it's time to cast off. After the blue comes lime so I might be cutting out some blue as well to get the lime in at the end. The yarn is really nice to knit with and the cowl has a totally different look than the Liberty cowls.

Our friend Phil is in town from England so we're heading out to the Keg for dinner. It could be a late evening (Phil always has amazing stories of his travels to share) so I need to finish my post before heading home.

The Feature of the Day for tomorrow (Wednesday, October 15) is madelinetosh home. This is a new yarn for fall. 10% off. In stock yarn only. You can come in the store to purchase or call us. I'm in the store tomorrow from 10-5:30

home is a 100% superwash merino wool, bulky weight with a generous 110 yards per skein. each incredibly soft squishy skein is hand dyed in small dye lots.

There are some great patterns on Ravelry for accessories...

Comforts of Home Cowl
Purl Ridge Hat
Luxe Cowl
Simple Ribbed Cowl
Pembroke Wrap
Sentiment

Here are the colours that we have in stock...

We're home from dinner. I didn't get the post done before we went. A small problem with some parcels that I was shipping out. I had to stay after closing so that they could be picked up. I didn't want to wait until tomorrow. There are knitters out there who need their yarn.