Hole-y cow!
Wow, this is a beauty of a cowl. I have a few that are chunky, that only work with certain coats or tops, but I think this one would go with anything. It walks the perfect line between cozy and elegant.
Despite the lacework, it's warm. Okay, not blistering Chicago winter winds warm, but surprisingly warm for its light weight--and that's impressive. I wouldn't feel like I'd need to yank this off my sweating neck (and thereby ruin any residual chance of my hair looking halfway decent) when I was indoors.
At first I though it would be too close around my neck--it's smaller that other cowls I own--but I was wrong. The sizing keeps it from doing that floppy thing that I never like in cowls. It looks great on some people, but always ends up looking just plain messy on me. This one lays just right.
Thanks, The Studio, for your graciousness in my error, and for this truly lovely project!
Stay tuned next week for this month's "Authors Who Knit" interview...and after that, DestiKNITions travels to Myrtle Beach!
PS: We had a technical comments glitch, so I'm still collecting votes for charts vs. lists (see last post) if you want to chime in and maybe win a book.
Chart or List? And a PRIZE for choosing!
Knitting patterns come in two varieties—the chart or the list. If you’re very lucky, like we are the Cindy Craig’s Cabled Feather Cowl, you get both. Each format has advantages and drawbacks, and most people have a preference. Here’s my take:
Charts
Charts can convey a lot of information in a small space. That’s handy if you’re traveling or if, like me, you take your knitting with you everywhere you go. Charts also help you visualize the stitches—this purl sits atop that yarn-over from the row below, etc.—which can be handy to catch and fix errors, especially with repeats. I find it much easier to get an overall view of a piece from a chart than from a list of instructions. But there have been charts where the map key is so long I keep having to refer back to it to see what that little triangle means or whether that slashing line means make left or make right. In this case, you’ve only got four simple stitch icons to know and the cable symbol—which in this case is visually helpful.
Lists
In most cases, they are just plain easier to follow. Some of the “repeat from *” directions can get complicated, but there is an inherent clarity in having words walk you through the steps of each row. I find lists easier to mark off, keeping track of what row I’m on. Unless their are highly complicated abbreviations (not true in this case, but I’ve had some doozies that I had to write translations in the margins), there isn’t a lot of referring back to keys or glossaries. I like written directions for cables because I’m forever forgetting which stitches go in the back and which go in the front.
I suspect if you are a highly visual person, you will gravitate to charts. If you are a detail maven, lists might suit your taste. Wise is the designer, however, who gives you both so that you can choose what you like. I have often found, however, that sometimes I keep foot in both camps—conferring with charts and lists to give me the clearest picture of the pattern I’m working.
What about you, DestiKNITters? Chart or List? Chime in and you can win a free copy of my historical knitting novel, HOMEFRONT HERO. I’ll choose a winner from the comments next week.
Waving hello...
My favorite thing about feather and fan is what it does to the border. It starts out straight like any other piece of knitting, but the combination of yarn overs and K2TOGs create this marvelously undulating wave that has always been my favorite edging. It’s just so pretty.
I’ve done it on scarves and shawls, I don’t know why it’s never occurred to me to use it in a cowl. There’s something so delicate about a scalloped edge up there by your collarbone. It even looks pretty just spreading out from the circular needles like some yarn-y flower petals. I grin every time I look at it.
I’m frustrated that I can’t
quite capture the right color of this yarn—a deep teal. It’s as if the camera can only register it as green or blue but not the marvelous in-between color that it is.
The ingenious combination of feather-and-fan interspersed with a single smart cable gives this piece a terrific texture and just enough heft to hold up against your neck. With just a few stitch tricks like these, an impressive accessory (and lots of compliments) are surely in my future. Not to mention—because this is Chicago, after all, a lightweight garment that will offer a nice bit of warmth without being too bulky.
Sure, I’m only a couple of repeats into the pattern, but sometimes that’s all you need to know you’ve got a good thing going.
Fiber content…Let’s talk for a moment about fiber. With this project, there are a lot of considerations as you choose.
In this case, I’m working with Alpacas d’Auxvasse suri/merino blend, a soft, luxurious blend that is a bit pricey but worth every penny when you feel it against your fingers and around your neck. I care a lot about what a yarn feels like while I’m knitting, not just when it’s blocked and done. I want that “ahh” factor while I work—the end product is only part of the pleasure for me. The label cites this as a “luxury yarn,” and it is.
Because this is a cowl, and because you’re dealing with cables as well as feather-and-fan, you can’t go with something too silky here. Not enough softness, and you’re going to feel like you’re wearing one of those plastic cones from the vet. Too much softness, and it will look like something crawled around your neck and died there. This blend hits it just right. The cowl keeps its shape without choking you.
Color is important here, too.
This teal is lovely, but it’s just on the verge of being too dark to show off the cables nicely. There’s too much going on for anything but a solid color—it would look like a riot around your neck if you did this up in a bold stripe or a dramatic variegation. Stick to lighter solids—but you can definitely go bold in hue if you like—to get the most of this piece.
If you give a mom a migraine…
Last September was not a good month for me. Eight migraines in twelve days tends to fry the little gray cells, if you know what I mean. During that month, I was writing about my trip to Kansas City the previous May, and the marvelous yarn stores I visited while in the city for the RT Booklover’s Convention.
I told you about three stores. I told you about three projects I’d be knitting and documenting. I knit three projects, took notes on three projects, and photographed three projects.
Somehow, in my migraine-induced brain fog, I only posted about two. At least I’m attributing said omission to a migraine-induced brain fog, because I can’t stomach the idea that my organizational skills have sunk that far on their own. I missed posting about an entire project. I like to think I’m better than that.
About two weeks ago as I was wrapping up my 2013 files, I realized my mistake. After a prolonged episode of face-palming and kicking myself in the backside, I called manager Cindy Craig from The Studio Knitting and Needlepoint and begged her forgiveness. It was one of the more humbling phone calls I’ve ever had to make, and it speaks well of Cindy that she was so nice about my gigantic goof. I hope you’ll all be as forgiving as she was.
All of that is an explanation as to why the next episodes will be about the lovely Cabled Feather Cowl I knit from them. I hope that my enthusiasm for the project will eventually overshadow the tardiness of my accounts. It really is a lovely, inventive piece that deserves your consideration.
