Bon Tricot

I finished my Chelsea Market Hat this past weekend using Madelinetosh Chunky in Reindeer.  This was a fun project.  I had originally queued this hat up to use with a different yarn, Canon Hand Dyes Gustave MCN Aran in Frank Wolverton Randall, the first shipment in the Among Friends Outlander Club .   This skein was rich and buttery, but with 180 yards, my garment selection would be limited to either a hat or a pair of mitts.   I wanted something with texture, and cables captured the Celtic, Outlander theme. I came across Caryl Pierre’s Chelsea Market pattern first.  I particularly liked the slouch effect and the chunky cable combined with the garter rows.  But after seeing a post in another Ravelry forum, I decided to use Justyna Lorkowska’s Sand Bank .  The reason for the change?  Cables.  I need more cables (said in my best Christopher Walken voice - pathetic, I know). Sand Bank Hat   That left the Chelsea Market Hat f...

I cast off what I’m calling my hard won pair of socks, not because there was anything particularly hard about them, other than there was a whole lot of purling, and I do hate to purl.  Perhaps they felt hard won because they took more than six weeks to complete.   But despite the slow finish, this was my first time knitting speckled yarn, and I’m.  in.  LOVE!  Like stripes, the speckles kept my interest.  Unlike stripes, they're more versatile.  Before anyone thinks I’ve gone over to the semi-solid side, here’s the thing.   This past week, fall arrived, and despite amassing a lot of handknit socks, almost all of them clashed with my business-casual clothes.  This got me thinking that as uninteresting as knitting solid yarns can be for me, they’re more practical than some of the colorways I’ve stockpiled.  Plus, knitting from a pattern instead of row after row of stockinette was fun.  I used Eaden Yarn’s Pris...

I was inspired after last week’s post to try some non-sock knitting.  I’ve accumulated several – fine, a lot – of gradients over the months.  These cakes are so delicious and without any of the calories.  The way the colors shift from a mere hint of color to the most saturated of hues – all without adding in new yarns or weaving in tails – has made it difficult to resist these beauties.  When you think about it, it’s more economical to purchase the gradient than four or five fingering weights in the same color family.  Yep, that’s the story, and I’m sticking to it.   I hunted through the stash for the gateway gradient – Eaden Yarns .  I originally stalked shopped Eaden Yarns for their self-striping colorways.  I have a thing for 6-color, narrow (3-4 rows) self-striping yarn, and Eaden’s colorways are some of the most unique I’ve seen.  But during one update, I noticed these beautiful gradients.  I selected a neutral shade since I k...