kmkat and her kneedles

Knitting! (6)

Younger Son's fiance asked for a cowl.  Not just any cowl, but the Big Herringbone Cowl from the Purl Soho website. (That link worked when I needed the pattern a few weeks ago but doesn't seem to work today. Maybe it will be working by the time this post goes up.)

The image at right is from the Purl Soho site; you will also find it on Ravelry. What is difficult to get from the photo is how soft and thick and squishy and cuddly the cowl is.

The yarn is Blue Sky Alpacas Worsted Hand Dyes in ecru. The name says worsted but I would consider it more of an aran weight. The fiber is 50/50 merino/alpaca and is like buttah through my hands.

Above is the cowl the first day I worked on it. Below is the cowl a few weeks ago. The project is about half done but currently on hiatus while I work on something else. After all, she won't be needing it for... a while.

The stitch pattern is interesting. It makes a herringbone pattern on the right side and a sort of ribbing on the other. Either side could be the right side. It is kind of a tricky stitch, though; when (not if) I make a mistake, I have no idea how to fix it other than rip back. Which I have had to do a couple times.

 

And although the yarn is called worsted and I think it is aran, the pattern calls for -- wait for it --

a size 17 needle!

Such huge needles are not my favorite but the resulting fabric is lovely. This is a fun project.

Ten Twelve on Tuesday, the to-do edition.

Spring in the Upper Midwest tends to occur one afternoon in May, after which we go directly into summer. The natal season seems to be lasting a bit longer this year but I don't want to take chances. I have altered the time frame a bit.

Ten Twelve Things On My 'Do By The Fourth Of July' List

1. Finish the Big Herringbone Cowl (I haven't blogged about his yet) for Alex.
2. Knit her cabled stockings as requested. I already have the yarn and the pattern.
3. Start DNA scarf for Elder Son. I have the yarn but may need to revamp the pattern a bit.
4. Clean porch so we can eat dinner there every night.
5. Knit another Moebius cowl before I forget how to do it. The first one (not blogged yet) took roughly a day; the second will take longer because I want to make it bigger.
6. Soak some yarn I bought several years ago to see if the dye runs; if not, cast on for the sweater that is in my head. (Also, write the pattern for said sweater. It is based on a scarf/shawl pattern but obviously needs some tweaking to become a sweater.) If the dye leaks, either figure out how to set the dye or figure out a different use for the yarn.
7. Finish Tappan Zee sweater.
8. Clean the entryway.
9. Clear at least half the crappe from my desk.
10. Finish the Noro striped scarf (also unblogged) I started for myself.
11. Do our 2011 taxes.
12. Cast on for another sweater in my head using the 20 balls of Noro Silk Garden I bought for it in, er, April, 2010.