Summer Wrap from JJill catalogue

 Early this year JJill sent out a catalogue that featured a gauzy scarf that appealed to me.  I decided to use the photo to design a wrap made out of summer yarn.  I chose Miss Babs Fingering yarn Damask which is a mix of 65% Cultivated silk and 35% Bleached linen.  Each skein had 420 yards and was approximately 110 grams.  The suggested needles were 1-3.  I chose to knit the wrap on size 3.  The care suggestions are to hand wash and dry flat.  Below is the photo from the catalogue.

I LOVE this scarf! 

 

Naturally colored cotton and Sally Fox

Today I received an e-mail from Handwoven Magazine that talked about natural colored cotton.

https://handwovenmagazine.com/colored-cottons-without-dye/?utm_source=drip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Colored+Cottons%E2%80%94Without+Dye%21&utm_content=HW+03.23.23+Newsletter 

I remember vividly having read about this subject in the 1980s and knowing about Sally Fox and her efforts to promote these naturally grown colored cottons.  These are cotton plants that produce cotton fiber that is not white.

I would bet my last dollar that I can walk upstairs in my craft/playroom and put my hands on cotton yarn that I bought in the 1980s in amazingly beautiful colors.  Unfortunately I am not at home and can't prove my point, but I'll look when I am home again and perhaps pull this yarn out of my stash to use for a project. 

Fringed Cowl

 I bought a cowl from Stitch Fix in the last year or so.  I was quite surprised by how much I like the cowl.  It is soft and easy and is fringed,  I wanted to duplicate it, but that has not proved to be so simple.  I have started and given up on several ideas.  The one I am now working on could possibly work,  I am in Boston.  I brought some red white and blue yarn that I thought I might use for a DAR wrap, but I haven't yet done so.  So I took out the Red yarn in DK weight,  It is Indiecita DK  100% Baby Alpaca.  I bought a cowl pattern by Ambah O'Brien called Zaggy Cowl for inspiration.  However, I am not following the pattern exactly.  I cast on slightly more stitches:  138.  It is a repeat of only two stitches, so any even number of stitches should work.   It lends itself to notecard organization which makes it fairly mindless.  I am liking it so far,  I just didn't want to loose my thoughts this morning.  I'll update my post as I move along on this project.

Standard Hat sizing

 Harps and Thistles had this in their weekly e-mail today....

Bayshore Wrap.....I-Cord Tab Cast on

In preparation for my knee surgery, I am doing a lot of silly "stuff"....not working on my yard.....not buying Christmas gifts....nothing practical.  I am spending time deciding which yarn to take with me to Boston and which patterns.  

I figure I am going to have a lot of down time.  Something I am not used to having.  And it would seem that without my tennis and golf and projects, there will be an unusual amount of time for knitting and genealogy.

I have some pretty yarn called Nebula that is self striping.  It is fingering knit on size 3 needles.  I have two balls with 416 yards in each ball.  The pattern calls for two colors, but I will let the color changes speak for themselves.

I looked for the perfect project that would be simple to keep me occupied interesting to finish.  I worry that my brain will not be up to anything complicated.  The pattern I chose is called Bayshore Wrap.

I like the shape an size.  But I decided to work the I-Cord Tab Cast on before surgery as these tabs can be challenging.  This one was simple but as DAR would say, it was fiddly

 

However, I am extremely happy with my results on the tab after tearing it out and restarting two or three times.  So I am ready to do the easy knitting on the project.  For future reference, the keys to getting this tab looking this good is to follow the directions on the Bayshore Wrap and to put self locking markers on the stitches to be picked up after row 4 in the tab.  You want to do this immediately after you knit the first row 2 as she suggests in the photos on page 6.  This one hint saves all sorts of craziness!  When you see her photos in the pattern this will make sense.

I am ready to start section 1 on page 4.  I have already done the set up.

Finished the shawl January 2024.  I was a bit disappointed when I blocked it, but then found that I LOVE it when I actually wear it.  It goes with everything!

How much Yarn do I need

Lion Brand yarn sent an e-mail this morning with a chart that estimates how much yarn one will need for various projects:

 

Wrap to match jeans: Olives Pink

 The other wrap that I plan to make to match the jeans I bought for Mary's wedding is yarn that I bought from Harps and Thistles when she was having a sale:  I think it is hand dyed yarn that was kind of odds and ends she had left over.  But I loved the yarn when she sent out an e-mail

I am using Olive Pink for the pattern.  ,

Finished February 2023.  I like it a lot!