Have you ever had a project that, for some reason, you stick in a corner far away even though you only had to sew it together? Incredible! It wasn’t because I didn’t like it or think it was pretty, but it got put away. Well, I was delighted to not only  find it but finish it. I knitted it out of Grace Wool & Silk yarn by Louisa Harding, one of the nicest yarns you’ll find. I did change the pattern a little. It called for a tie closure and I opted for just a smooth finish using a shawl pin. And I believe I shortened it a bit.

That’s what happens when you set it aside for a while.

Here’s the original pattern from the Queensland Collection Book 2 by Jane Ellison.

I didn’t like the big tie for me but a younger person would look great.

for felted hearts.

Finished Size: About 2 inches (5 cm) high
and 2 inches (5 sm) wide Yarn: Sportweight (#2 Fine). Shown here: Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sportweight (100% wool, 184 yd/[168 m] 50 g).
Each heart uses less than 10 yards (9.1 m).
Needles: Size U.S. 6, straight or circular
Notions: Tapestry needle, small amount of
polyester or bamboo fiberfill
Gauge: About 21 stitches and 30 rows = 40 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch, before felting. Exact gauge is not crucial for this project.

Short-row 1: (RS) K8, wrap next st, turn.
Short-rows 2, 4, and 6: Purl to last st, p1f&b—1 st increased.
Short-row 3: (RS) K7, wrap next st, turn—13 stitches.
Short-row 5: (RS) K6, wrap next st, turn—14 stitches.
Short-row 7: (RS) K5, wrap next st, turn—15 stitches.
Short-rows 8 and 10: Purl.
Short-row 9: K4, wrap next st, turn.
Short-row 11: K3, wrap next st, turn.
Short-rows 12, 14, and 16: Purl to last 2 sts, p2tog.
Short-row 13: K5, working wraps together with wrapped sts when you come to them, wrap next st, turn—14 sts rem.
Short-row 15: K6, working wraps together with wrapped sts when you come to them, wrap next st, turn—13 sts rem.
Short-row 17: Knit to end, working wraps together with wrapped sts when you come to them—12 sts.
Short-row 18: Purl.

Finishing

Yes it’s Jackie with a beautiful cowl featured in CowlGirls book and it truly is called True Brit. Their description is a “shoulder-hugging ponchette with a snug fitting gaiter collar.” Whatever you want to call it, it is positively elegant. Jackie used two colors of Debbie Bliss Andes yarn, an incredibly soft alpaca yarn.

Because of the thickness/softness of the alpaca yarn, she changed the moss stitch to a double moss stitch and you can see that it really gave it the texture it needed.

The gaiter part almost looks like a cable but isn’t. It’s a combo of yarn overs and slip sts.

You will agree I’m sure that this is a beautiful cowl.

Josh in the midst of all those books!

Patti in the Rowan yarns.

Laura with the awful task of sorting sock yarns.

Princess Leia, aka Birgitta, is having too much fun.

Mary with the alpaca yarns.

Cathy trying to add order to the wool yarns.

MaryAlice and Jackie straightening the silks.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the finished areas in the shop.

Sock yarns!

All those silks!

Many, many wool yarns.

A thank you is not very much to offer for all this excellent help. But thank you so much! We couldn’t have done it without you!

Day One: a shrink wrapped shop being loaded onto our pickup!

Day Three: Chaos for sure. Where in the world did I put????

Day 8: Believe it or not, order is being restored one day at a time (one yarn at a time?)

We’ve got the yarns and the colors for sure.

When on the Island, make sure you stop by after Jan. 18th. We’ll be ready!

Carole brought her swirl shawls she completed recently into the shop and they are so excellent I wanted to share her accomplishments. Keep in mind that each is knitted with a single colorway of Melody yarn.

Carole changed the ends on the shawl:

Very attractive finish to the shawl. Love these shawls!

Well, actually looking at the photo, I think it does. but in real life not so much.

Several selected this yarn for their class projects. I’ve worked the first mitten almost to the bind off point. Love the yarn but disappointed with the color I guess. I picked a light shade thinking the celtic knot on the back of the hand would show up well but it doesn’t really. Maybe after I block it. Will post a photo in the next blog so you can tell me what you think.

Have you gotten all your shopping done? My lists are still growing. I never was one to get it done over the summer and early fall. It turns into a shop until I drop day or two, many orders on line, and then Christmas is here. Between knitting samples for the shop and the various retreats we have, there hasn’t been anytime this fall to knit gifts. Of course there are several baby blankets in the works and Christmas stockings that have a definite deadline. I’m looking forward to some down time to concentrate on these and get a few more projects completed. What are you working on? Are your gifts all finished and ready to send on their way?

Yes, that’s red hair poking out from under the little cap. Grandpa says, of course, that’s mine.