FO Friday: January Edition

The month of January has just flown by! I suppose that's what happens when the month is full of Good Things. :) 

First, the bad news: My epic NEWT cape is just not going to happen this term. I never did frog and cast back on and the sensible side of me decided it would make the most sense to withdraw my proposal try again another term. That is much more sensible than me losing sleep and hair while working on unrealistic goals. Look at me, being reasonable. Go me!

Second, the good news: I completed my cowl and I LOVE it! It's so soft and squishy and I've already received compliments. I'm so happy with my yarn/pattern combo. It's definitely going to be my go-to scarf/cowl for the rest of the winter season.

So what's on the horizon for the month of February? Very soon I will be casting on my Phoenix project. I'm confident that since I ditched the NEWT project, I should be able to complete this Phoenix project in time. Stay tuned for a Phoenix Cast On post. :)

knit with more than five skeins of madelinetosh A.S.A.P in colorway Farmhouse White

Welp, my NEWT cape is still on the go (closing in on the 75% mark), but mostly I'm just sooo glad to be done done done with this monster cowl.  I don't usually knit with super bulky yarn these days, so I did some deep stash diving for the fabled Lemongrass... turns out, I'm allergic to it (!) and so took the necessary precautions while plowing through the almost-500 yards of fiberstuffs.  Please let this not be a theme for this year.  I put it on myself just once for an arms-akimbo photo shoot, but even during that limited time, having it so close to my face simply solidified its status as "Infinitely Giftable."

You ready for this?  I'd make you promise not to laugh, but that's asking a lot:

knit with 4.5 skeins of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in colorway Lemongrass

Suffice it to say, between the it's-eating-my-head nature of the cowl-haircut combo and my inescapable wool allergy, this lovely cowl has found another wonderful home, far away from me.

And on to the next!  See you in February!

The Fluted Cowl pattern is available for free from the Purl Soho website -- check it out!

WIPs Wednesday: January Edition

Winter blechs and various sicknesses have hit Chez Cyprienne, so things are all thrown off every which way!  The hooded cape is ready for the crazy beaded knitted-on edging; I'm terrifically scared about it -- much more than I should be, considering I've done similar things before -- and the only way I can hope to feel better about it is watching Downton Abbey and marathoning Gilmore Girls.

 

 

bad lighting makes for pretty colors / winding skein 5 of 7

Lemongrass Fluted Cowl is at 6" and holding -- it could be that I'm allergic...
or maybe the pattern moves me to openly weeping with its simple elegance.
Anything's possible?  I do really like the pattern.

An apple a day will stop me from wheezing?

Life, well life for me has been busier than expected. Busy in a good way. :) This has led to a delay in the whole, frog and start over on the NEWT cape plan. I am, however, almost done with the Fluted Cowl. At this point in time, my plan is to quickly finish the cowl over the next day or two then frog and re-cast on the NEWT. Once I start over on my NEWT, I plan to make some serious headway before casting on any other projects this month. By the way, I'm really enjoying the cowl pattern. It's simple enough that it's easy to memorize but interesting enough that it's not boring. It's been incredibly cold where I live which is why I've been in a big rush to finish the cowl as opposed to working on my NEWT.

The NEWT that's full of errors. 

(Please excuse the scrape on my hand.)

The Fluted Cowl that's almost finished.

January Cast-On: Cowls of Warmth

Several years ago, I knit a cowl. I used itchy, 100% wool yarn and it felt like it took me forever to knit because it was a boring pattern. Don't get me wrong. It was warm but I didn't enjoy wearing it. I received compliments, but didn't enjoy wearing it. And I like to knit hats. Hats in all sorts of colors but couldn't wear my favorite hats on the coldest days because they don't match my one, hand-knit cowl. And so I was excited when Cyprienne and I decided to knit the Fluted Cowl for our January KAL. I decided to search for soft, warm yarn in a neutral color that would go with any of my winter coats and any of my winter hats. I'm very pleased with my yarn of choice: Madelinetosh A.S.A.P. in Farmhouse White. And so far I really like this pattern. It's knitting up quickly since it uses super bulky yarn and the pattern is interesting enough not to be boring but also easy to memorize. For me, it's the perfect project to work on while watching movies or during my public transportation commute. I can't wait to finish this cowl so I can start wearing it.

So I like cowls -- cowls are not shawls (which hold my heart, deeply and abidingly), but they can get the job done, especially on the job.  More importantly, cowls are perfect for me to use up a.n.c.i.e.n.t stash, since cowls are meant to be squooshy and generally use heavier-weight yarns, and all my new stash is laceweight and laceweight-adjacent.

Enter Lemongrass:

Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in colorway Lemongrass

It's not at all fancy and won't win any beauty contests, but it's striking and it's cozy and it's been hanging around for like five years...  time to be useful, Lemongrass!  I think five hundred yards of Lemongrass leaving my stash is an excellent way to start the new year.  :)

Casting on while webchatting - almost 200 stitches!