Introducing: Metalico Cowl Knitting Pattern

Hello, pretty yarn! I received a hank of Metalico by Blue Sky Alpacas during our Christmas yarn swap at my knitting group. I hadn't seen the yarn before and I fell in love! Metalico is a blend of baby alpaca and raw silk. The yarn is shiny and luxurious and I wanted to make something I'd wear a lot. So meet the Metalico Cowl! This cowl is knitted using just one skein of this yarn and it's the perfect size. 

Metalico Cowl – #211
Size: 6" high x 21" circumference
Yarn: Blue Sky Alpacas Metalico - 147 yards
Color Cinnabar #1615 – 1 skein
Needles: US 5 16" circular needle
Supplies: stitch marker, darning needle
Gauge: 22 sts to 4" in stockinette stitch

The Metalico Cowl knitting pattern is available for sale in my Ravelry store. Click here to view on Ravelry.

Fandango Cowl {free crochet pattern}

Here's a fun, quick crochet cowl pattern! The Fandango Cowl has a fun crochet fan stitch and is worked in the round. The yarn, Sister Yarn by Knit Collage is soft and lofty so this cowl works up fast and looks great! 

Fandango Cowl – #210
Sizes: One size fits most
Measurements: 8" high x 27" circumference
Yarn: Knit Collage Sister Yarn, 115 yards
Color Turquoise Heather, 1 hank
or
115 yards of very chunky weight yarn
Needles: Crochet Hook: Size N, 10mm
Gauge: 2¼ dc clusters over 4".

Begin:

Ch 44, join with sl st to first ch to form a ring being careful not to twist chain.

Round 1: Ch 3, work 2 dc in same ch as sl st, sk next 2 chs. *Work 3 dc in next ch, sk next 2 chs.* Repeat from *to* around. Join with sl st to beg ch-3.

Round 2: Ch 3 and TURN. Work 2 dc in sp between t-ch and first 3-dc cluster. *Work 3 dc between next two 3-dc clusters.* Repeat from *to* around. Join with sl st to beg ch-3.

Repeat Round 2 another 10 times. You should have 12 rows total. Fasten off and weave in all yarn ends. 

Click here to download the Fandango Cowl Crochet Pattern PDF.

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New day, new year, new thoughts

I'm happy to welcome a new year. 2012 was hard and it will be good to have a new start. I'm not into resolutions but there are some things I'd like to change so today is a good day to make personal goals.

I perpetually struggle with organization and knowing myself I am not going to resolve to be more organized because I won't. I will set myself some achievable, specific goals that could turn into long-term habits. For example, about halfway through 2012 I decided to knit daily. It took a little time for me to ramp up to that but now I am more productive than ever. I even managed to knit a couple of Christmas gifts (and mail them!) by Christmas along with knitting new samples for my Ewe Ewe and Heather Ink pattern lines. Knitting daily has become a good part of my routine rather than a stressful, rushed burden. I'm taking this goal-turned-productive-habit as inspiration for this new set of goals. Here are my ideas for three simple goals:

1. Make something every week. I am always up to something. There's always a new project, recipe or tutorial that I've got my hands in and I think it would be a good idea to keep track of them. I love to cook, knit and design and making new things usually involves learning something new. I want to remember, share and reference those somethings. I'll try to post a project each week!

2. Take time to plan. The day, the week, the month. At work I can easily get caught up in the "putting out fires" methodology. That doesn't serve anyone well. I hate being rushed and why should I be, I work for myself! Taking the time to plan the day, planning out the course of a new project, and maybe putting deadlines on a monthly calendar could really improve my workflow and in turn positively affect my creativity. I also don't want to get thrown off course if my plan doesn't work out for a day or two. I need to just realign and get back on track. I have some good tools for this and I will write more blog posts about time management and project planning. If you have any good ideas please share them! I love to learn how other people work and organize.

3. Keep the common area clean. My husband and I both work from home and we do a good job of working during work hours and stopping work as if we were at an office. We have seperate offices that are set up with the tools we use to work. Neither of us are good at keeping these areas tidy. We work in a flurry, we always have and we always will. But when we leave work I want the flurry to stop. I want to keep the living room, kitchen island and dining room table free of chaos. I'm not sure how to manage this other than to start today with my already tidied home. This is the hardest and most daunting goal for me. One day at a time says Fly Lady: I am not behind! I will not try to catch up; I will jump in today.

What are your goals? Is today the day you're going to start one? It's ok if it isn't, just think about it until you feel inspired to make a change because then the change will last.

There's A Chill in De Aire

This blanket is one of my recent finished knitted items, or FO for knitters in the know. I made this big cozy blanket for my sister-in-law in Boston out of Plymouth De Aire merino wool yarn. De Aire is a super chunky yarn that is constructed out of a knitted link and it holds stitch patterns beautifully. I used color 404 called New England Nights, how great is that? I knit this blanket on size US 19 needles and I loved every minute of it. I hope she loves it, too! 

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30 Minute Scarf Pattern

I hopped in to Yarning for You and saw this adorable scarf my friend Deb wipped up. It seriously takes 30 minutes to make from start to finish! Plan 10 minutes to knit the scarf, 10 minutes to cut the fringe and 10 minutes to add the fringe to the knitted scarf. It came out great! You can find the pattern here. Get it!