A Few Pretty Things to Knit

I think most knitters would agree that there are far too many pretty things to knit and not enough time to knit them in.  I always seem to find myself looking up pretty patterns on Ravelry and putting them in my favourites folder with the plan that I might knit them one day, some day, whenever that may be.

Here are a few that I hope to knit in the next year...

Ceramic Flower

I spotted this pretty cowl on Pinterest and was very glad to find the pattern on Ravelry.  It is designed to be knitted with a worsted weight yarn and I think Manos del Uruguay Maxima, with its soft and squishy 100% merino wool, would be perfect for the job.  Or if you prefer a finer, smoother DK yarn, Manos Silk Blend, with its merino wool and silk combination, would do the trick.

In Threes: A Baby Cardigan


I love the simplicity of this little cardigan and would like to knit it for one of my girls.  I would probably knit this up in Manos Wool Clasica which is 100% wool and is perfect for outerwear garments.  Perfect for keeping our little ones warm and cosy on chilly spring/autumn days!

Whitaker

This lovely cardigan has been a favourite of mine for awhile now.  It is a Manos del Uruguay pattern by Cecily Glowik MacDonald, one of the patterns which I have hand-picked to sell on my online store.  It is knitted in Wool Clasica.  The problem I have is trying to pick which colour to knit it in!  Aster, Citric, Cherry or Midnight... what do you think?

2 Small Projects

Apart from working on getting my online store all setup and ready to go, I have also been working on a couple of small projects. The first was a beret, the first time I had ever knitted one!  I was surprised at how quickly they knit up and was done within 24hrs.  I chose a pattern off Ravelry, the lovely Star Crossed Slouchy Beret by Natalie Larson. I got my oldest to pick a colour and knitted the beret up for her.  I didn't change the size though so it is a little bit loose for her as it's meant to be worn by an adult.  I must admit, I have borrowed it from time to time too.  It's amazing how much warmer you are with something on your head, especially when it's made of 100% merino wool!  This was made in Manos del Uruguay's Rittenhouse which is a lovely and soft 5-ply yarn, in colourway Magenta.  Definitely a favourite of mine from the Manos collection.

Then I decided to use some yarn which I was sampling to knit up a cowl which I had promised to my friend, Ben Abraham, about a year ago.  I used Twinkle Baby Chunky in Moss and found a cool manly cowl pattern to use.  I modified the pattern quite a bit but essentially ended up with the same effect, just in a smaller size, using chunkier wool.  Glad to say, it fitted Ben perfectly AND he loved it.  Success!  Now I just have to get him to model it for me so I can take some decent shots of it.

Along with these 2 projects, I have still been working on a Rowan's Savannah Dune cardigan for myself. But that has been a bit slow going.  Hoping to get it done by spring!

A Manly Mossy Cowl

Here's a moss stitch cowl I have just finished knitting for my husband and I thought I'd share my simple pattern with you. A perfect little piece to keep you snug and warm over winter!

Materials:
- 3 x 50g Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran (I picked the dark green for him to match his green eyes although I think this colour has been discontinued.  Don't quote me on that though!)
- 5.5mm straight needles
- wool needle






Pattern:
Cast On: 60 stitches.
Row 1: *(Knit 1, Purl 1), repeat * till end of row.
Row 2: *(Purl 1, Knit 1), repeat * till end of row.
Repeat Rows 1 & 2 till yarn is almost finished.
Cast Off: In knit stitch, leaving enough yarn to sew seam.
Finish: Lay piece flat and twist one end over so there is a bend in the center of the cowl, creating a Mobius strip. Then sew ends of cowl together with remaining yarn while maintaining Mobius twist. Weave in ends.