Winter Ain't Over Friday Freebies
My sincerest wish is that the worst of your winter is over, however, I suspect most of us are far from finished with the white stuff and nasty winds! With this in mind, here are some projects to keep out the cold!
Simple and fun are how I describe the Berry Ridge hat and scarf set from Lion Brand. Sure it's a beginner level pattern but it's a quick-knit gift for the experienced knitter, a great way to use your first handspun for the beginning spinner or a superb way to show off a multi-color indie dyer yarn or art yarn! Simple does not have to be boring!! And yes, the hat is a little dorky but that's half the fun of it!
A little more challenging but a perennial wardrobe staple is this Classic Cables Scarf also from Lion Brand. For cables I recommend a
solid color or perhaps a semi-solid but if you stray very far from that
why bother with them - they'll just get swallowed up in the color shifts. However, the door's wide open on fiber content and even gauge!
Now before you groan and say, "Not another cowl pattern!" there is, sadly, a little story that goes along with the Ostrom Cowl from Berroco, so bear with me a little! This cowl is knit in a new line of Berroco yarns in a semi-solid colorway (which strays a little too far into white for my liking) nevertheless I really liked the loose casual character of this design and the relaxed rib stitch. In fact I printed it out with the intention of casting it on. After a couple blink-and-they're-gone days I resolved to make the time to browse my stash and find something soft and lovely to knit it up... and then I saw this....
Now before you groan and say, "Not another cowl pattern!" there is, sadly, a little story that goes along with the Ostrom Cowl from Berroco, so bear with me a little! This cowl is knit in a new line of Berroco yarns in a semi-solid colorway (which strays a little too far into white for my liking) nevertheless I really liked the loose casual character of this design and the relaxed rib stitch. In fact I printed it out with the intention of casting it on. After a couple blink-and-they're-gone days I resolved to make the time to browse my stash and find something soft and lovely to knit it up... and then I saw this....
The Woodland Turtle Cowl from Classic Elite Yarns! Let me begin by telling you the name Woodland comes from their new yarn line (and I quote) "Woodland, a part of our Verde Collection, is a blend of wool
and environmentally friendly nettles. Nettles is a weed that grows easily with
little use of water, fertilizer or pesticides. Nettle fiber is a bast fiber,
taken from the stem of the plant like linen and hemp. But nettles is softer and
silkier than other bast fibers and is naturally resistant to stains, bacteria
and mildew. When mixed with wool, nettles add lightness, minimize shrinkage and
add breathability to the fabric."
Now if this new yarn was locally available I'd have snapped up 3 balls in a heartbeat to cast this baby on but when I am suffering from commencement lust I am hardly fit to browse my own stash much less wait 3 weeks for something to arrive from an urban center by mail! (But don't let my impatience discourage YOU from trying out this new yarn which I really would love to get my hands on!) So I headed to my Wild Geese Fibres stash basket to see if I had anything suitably supreme to really do justice to this gorgeous design - and I DID!
I just happened to have 3 skeins of Triple Luxury yarn already wound into center-pull balls from the last time I was auditioning yarns for a cowl. The Triple Luxury had been too fine for my last project and although it's just a titch on the fine side for this one it seems to be working up comfortably within the acceptable gauge range - it is, after all, a cowl not a sweater! I should mention that the Triple Luxury is 30% Merino wool, 30% Alpaca and 30% Quivit (yes, Muskox fiber). It is melt-you downy soft and the light fawn color will go with pretty much anything I'd care to wear.
I suppose I should feel sorry for my Elizabeth Zimmerman Pi Shawl, especially since this impulsive fling is taking place within feet of her basket, but what can I say? I couldn't help myself... I was tempted and succumbed to the charms of an idyllic yarn combined with a too-easy-for-how-good-it-looks lace stitch. I'm thinking in a week I'll be (at least close to) finished and maybe it's the gratification of finishing it in a short time that lured me away from the longer-term commitment of a shawl. It's not like I've forgotten Pi, just put the relationship on hold for a bit while I get this out of my system..... I guess that's one of the risks you run when you're always looking at patterns. You tell yourself you're just appreciating the eye-candy but sooner or later, if you keep looking, something will catch your eye and you won't be able to say "No!" .... but I am a firm believer, especially in February, that a little dalliance can add that bit of spice that will keep your chin up until those first warm days of spring really do arrive.... at least that's what I keep telling myself! Cheers all!
Now if this new yarn was locally available I'd have snapped up 3 balls in a heartbeat to cast this baby on but when I am suffering from commencement lust I am hardly fit to browse my own stash much less wait 3 weeks for something to arrive from an urban center by mail! (But don't let my impatience discourage YOU from trying out this new yarn which I really would love to get my hands on!) So I headed to my Wild Geese Fibres stash basket to see if I had anything suitably supreme to really do justice to this gorgeous design - and I DID!
I just happened to have 3 skeins of Triple Luxury yarn already wound into center-pull balls from the last time I was auditioning yarns for a cowl. The Triple Luxury had been too fine for my last project and although it's just a titch on the fine side for this one it seems to be working up comfortably within the acceptable gauge range - it is, after all, a cowl not a sweater! I should mention that the Triple Luxury is 30% Merino wool, 30% Alpaca and 30% Quivit (yes, Muskox fiber). It is melt-you downy soft and the light fawn color will go with pretty much anything I'd care to wear.
I suppose I should feel sorry for my Elizabeth Zimmerman Pi Shawl, especially since this impulsive fling is taking place within feet of her basket, but what can I say? I couldn't help myself... I was tempted and succumbed to the charms of an idyllic yarn combined with a too-easy-for-how-good-it-looks lace stitch. I'm thinking in a week I'll be (at least close to) finished and maybe it's the gratification of finishing it in a short time that lured me away from the longer-term commitment of a shawl. It's not like I've forgotten Pi, just put the relationship on hold for a bit while I get this out of my system..... I guess that's one of the risks you run when you're always looking at patterns. You tell yourself you're just appreciating the eye-candy but sooner or later, if you keep looking, something will catch your eye and you won't be able to say "No!" .... but I am a firm believer, especially in February, that a little dalliance can add that bit of spice that will keep your chin up until those first warm days of spring really do arrive.... at least that's what I keep telling myself! Cheers all!
Posted by Gloria Patre at 2/25/2011 11:25 PM 
Categories: Friday Freebies
Tags: free scarf patterns free cowl patterns free shawl patterns free knitting patterns
Categories: Friday Freebies
Tags: free scarf patterns free cowl patterns free shawl patterns free knitting patterns
Wow, that cowl is gorgeous. No wonder you were tempted to start right away. I am being drawn to cowls, even though it is too late in Georgia to really enjoy one until next winter. I think that I have been finally caught though. Thank you.
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