Shawls v cowls

The PPS

I asked a question on Twitter recently about whether people preferred making cowls or shawls and it generated such a vibrant debate that it prompted me to sit down and think about why we choose to make the things we do. Why we choose one pattern over another. And why in some cases do we choose to make the same pattern over and over again.

There are millions of patterns out there - both knit and crochet. The choice is astronomical, but for many of us we stick to many of the same familiar designers or styles.

In most cases I stick to the mantra of never knitting the same thing twice - life is too short after all. But there are a few notable exceptions. I must have made well over 10 Honey Cowls during my time as a knitter - most have obviously been given away as i think I only have one left in my drawer. I’ve also made quite a few of my own Fuss Free Festival shawls (and not just for sample knitting).

Both of these patterns share common features. They are relaxing to knit, they don’t require very much active thought - leaving your brain free to go off and do it’s own thing. And they both work with a variety of yarns. meaning that you can ‘shop your stash’ at 2am and cast on exactly when the mood takes you. Sometimes the planning of phase of project is enticing and enjoyable - the yarn selection, the ordering, the swatching. But sometimes let’s face it you just want to grab your yarn and needles and get cracking.

Anyway, back to shawls v cowls. Shawls won the day but only by a narrow margin. I do love a good shawl, don’t get me wrong but when it comes to actually wearing my handknits, my cowls are worn far more often than my shawls. Especially these days where I’m rarely doing anywhere fancy. For me, cowls are way more practical for everyday wear.

I guess that’s another point isn’t it. There’s a difference between what we choose to knit for fun (maybe to give away or just ‘because’) as opposed to what we knit because we want to wear the end product. but that’s a philosophical question for another day.

With my mind on all things neckwear I thought I would put together a discount across all my shawl and cowl patterns - running from now until the end of January. Another bonus of shawls and cowls is that they knit up quickly, so if you cast on (and you are in the northern hemisphere) you still have a few months of cosy wear ahead of you. And if you are in the southern hemisphere - well you are just getting cracking ready for autumn.

You can find my shawl and cowl patterns here, and you can buy as many as you like with the 50% discount code WARMTHOUGHTS.

So, how about you - are you Team Shawl or Team Cowl?

New Year, New Blanket

I think everyone needs a good dose of colour at this time of year, and bright cheerful colours were very much the order of the day when I was planning this simple crochet blanket.

My youngest son (now 15) asked for a replacement stripy blanket as his old crochet one was showing distinct signs of wear and tear after many years of faithful use. He wanted stripes - “quite thick and not too holey” so we settled on a crochet blanket using simple UK treble stitches.

After a lot of faffing over yarn choices we opted for Stylecraft Special Acrylic DK, mainly because of the amazing colour range. My preference was strongly for natural fibres but it proved difficult to find a range that offered the colours he was looking for at a price point I could afford :)

When starting the blanket I asked for advice online - as the looong foundation chain needed for straight blankets is always my undoing with crochet. I was recommended this superb method for avoiding the foundation chain altogether. It was so straightforward to do and got me off to a flying start in no time - highly recommended if you haven’t tried it before. The video is from the very talented Sarah who is @yarnandblarney on Instagram.

REQUIREMENTS:

Stylecraft Special DK - 15x100g (colours listed in order below)

Hook: sized to give a fabric you like. I used 3.5mm as I am quite a loose crocheter

Terminology used is UK throughout - Treble (tr) and Double (dc) stitches are used.

STARTING:

Start with 200 stitches in the first colour - Grape

Row 1: continuing with Grape ch3 (counts as 1 tr). Tr into each stitch all the way across. At the end be sure to work the last tr into the top of the last st of your starting row.

Row 2: Turn. Ch3 (counts as 1 tr) and continue to work tr st all the way back. Break yarn and join next colour.

Following colour repeat below, continue to work 2 rows of each colour.

Repeat until blanket measures 66” or until desired length.

BORDER

I used 3 colours, working 1 full round of each. Join yarn and work 1 round of dc stitches. At each of the 4 corners, work 1dc, ch2, 1dc. When you get back to the first stitch, join with a slip st to complete the round.

COLOUR ORDER

1067 Grape
1432 Wysteria
1188 Lavender
1302 Denim
1003 Aster
1841 Cornish Blue
1708 Petrol
1062 Teal
1722 Storm Blue
1019 Cloud Blue
1820 Duck egg
1842 Spearmint
1712 Lime
1065 Meadow
1203 Silver

This pattern is offered for free here with love. If you would like a PDF with all the information clearly laid out along with tips and tricks that I, as a by-no-means proficient crocheter found helpful, then you may use the button below to purchase a copy at nominal cost.

Credit: Full credit for the colour choices go to my son, Joseph Tilbrook who dreamt up and then laid out the design. All proceeds from the sale of the PDF go to his college fund.

A Summer KAL

The Pattern Please Shawl - small version

I wanted to let you know about a relaxed, no hassle KAL that I’m running over on the Everyday Knitter Mighty Networks community. If you are a member of the group, the pattern is being made available free to you for the duration of the KAL so do pop over there to get the code. And if you haven’t joined us yet, please do consider checking us out - here.

If you would rather knit-along in your own way there is a 50% discount code as well - see below for details.

About The PPS

It stands for Pattern Please Shawl - a slightly cheeky reference to the eternal ‘pattern please’ requests that pop up perennially in Facebook groups. The PPS is an elongated kite shape, that is fun to knit but does take a little more yarn than the average ‘one skein’ project.

Where can I get the pattern?

Go to the link below and use the code PPSSUMMERKAL, this will allow you to download the pattern for a 50% discount (until 31 August 2021)

https://payhip.com/b/DY5j

When does the KAL run?

It will start on Monday 2 August and run until 20 September 2021

Yarn requirements (uses 4ply/sock weight yarn)

Small version: 70" long and 12" wide/deep (pictured above)

• 60g main colour plus 5 x 10g contrast colours (CC1-CC5) - 50g contrast in total

Large version: 90” long and 18” wide/deep (pictured below)

• 2 x 100g skeins 4ply/sock weight yarn

Stashbusting

With 60g of main colour and 50g contrast colour (for the small version) this is the perfect project for making use of mini-skeins if you have any to hand, or using up odds and ends for the stripes. 

January Cowl - a cosy knit on darker days

January Cowl

Sometimes you need something cosy, something not too complicated and something that will work with whatever you happen to have in your stash.

I found myself in somewhat of a knitting crisis recently. A sudden urge to knit a worsted weight, cosy cowl in a textured stitch that I had been playing with. The only problem was that my husband was occupying the spare room (now office) where my stash was housed.

He was on a marathon length Zoom call with colleagues and I was desperate.

But I did have two skeins of Eden Cottage Yarns Pendle 4ply to hand in my emergency stash. So I decided to wind them and hold the yarn double to achieve the required worsted weight type squishiness. Success!

1 skein of yarn held double is enough for a single loop cowl, 2 skeins held double will give a more generous double loop version.

And in case you fancier a lighter weight version I have also given the numbers for a version with the yarn held singly, in which case half a skein would be sufficient for a single loop cowl, or a full skein for a double loop.

Both versions are included within the pattern.

The cowl is knit flat and seamed or grafted at the end.

The 2020 Temperature Blanket: Completed

Well, it happened.

2020 is done and dusted and so is the blanket to end all blankets. Much like 2020 itself, the blanket was seemingly never-ending and it has turned out slightly larger than planned.

And by larger I mean that folded in half lengthways, it’s the perfect size to cover our double bed.

It is well over 8ft long and no - I haven’t measured it as I don’t have a big enough house :)

I did do a few basic calculations though and worked out that it comprises approximately:

• 792,000 stitches

• 293 hours of knitting

• 1.98kg yarn

I managed to get a stretched out photo by employing a handy helper and commandeering the stairs.

We have agreed that the blanket can live downstairs as a family TV blanket snuggler, on the understanding that it lives on my bed at night and I think we are all happy with that arrangement.

If you are curious as to how I actually knit the blanket you can find my planning post here and at the end of this post I have given details of the yarns I used. I didn’t keep track of actual amounts though. At the blankets widest point it was 550 stitches across (2200 per day) so I ordered yarn as and when I needed it. It’s safe to say that I used at least 2 balls of each colour apart from the 2 extremes of temperature.

If you are interested in how to knit your own Temperature Blanket you can find my e-book here.

Barn Door Cowl

Barn Door Cowl

Heavens, the last few weeks have been a bit full-on haven’t they?

I have to confess that I have been off line a little more than usual, trying to dissolve my anxieties with hot drinks, warm baths and my knitting. I’ve also been reading at a pace I don’t think I’ve managed since my teenage years. There’s something therapeutic about losing yourself in a good book - I’d quite forgotten how it can take you out of yourself and your worries and put you in a whole different mindset.

This cowl has been patiently awaiting publication for a few weeks now - it flew off the needles back in October and I’ve been wearing it pretty much constantly ever since.

It’s knit in DK yarn (the sample is Eden Cottage Yarns, Hayton DK) and 1 x 100g skein is sufficient for a single loop cowl.

It is knit in the round using a fun textured stitch - which is surprisingly easy once you get the hang of it. I have included links to two short videos in the pattern though just so you can see where the yarn is supposed to go, when you get to the tricky bit.

In line with my policy of transitioning all pattern sales away from Ravelry, this pattern is available for purchase on Payhip. There is a pattern page up on Ravelry for this design but the purchasing link will take you across to Payhip. If you buy the pattern and would like a copy for your Ravelry library please do let me know and I can gift a copy to you.