All In A Day's Work

Stephanie wrote:

Some days I'm amazed at what I can accomplish when I focus my time and energy. Yesterday I woke up and decided I was going to put all my knitting time into one and only one project. I surveyed the pile of possible candidates and chose this project already underway. It was to be my companion for the whole day, and it was a good choice - a lingering holiday gift.

This is Pretty Thing, a simple yet entertaining cowl pattern. The yarn is our Alpaca Sox Eggplant (sorry, still not up on our website). We had this yarn spun especially for us. It's a blend of 60% superwash merino, 25% alpaca and 15% nylon. I love working with this yarn. It takes the dye beautifully and has a subtle alpaca halo.

The cowl saw a dance class, various other errands and finally a quiet night of knitting. And in the morning I woke up to this - all done except for the bind off.

Before I let myself pick up another project, I had this one off the needles, bathed and blocked.

I like this so much that I think I'm going to have to make one for myself.

I especially like the way this pattern plays with the color variation of this yarn. The pattern calls for 164 yards making it a good choice for a small amount of luxury yarn. I added a repeat for this cowl and didn't use the full 50 gram/245 yard skein.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of two knit alongs hosted by Dye Dreams. The Mitten Club features the Celtic Frost Mittens. The Sock Club will be knitting the Fishbone Gansey Sock. Both events are happening over at our Ravelry group, Dye Dreamers.

Thanks to everyone who responded with comments to the contest. There has been a wide range of responses which I think is healthy. Remember the contest is open until Sunday. Leave a comment and let me know where you find your knitting inspiration.

For those who have been following events in Haiti Stephanie has put up the Knit-Signal for knitters who want to respond. Today I heard one veteran radio reporter moved to tears on air. The tragedy is overwhelming. As always events such as this offer an opportunity to pause and reflect.