braided cowl for kids

Today I have another guest post on The Purl Bee! Although it is hard to imagine, fall is right around the corner, and nothing beats a cozy hand knit cowl for keeping you warm. I particularly like cowls for kids; they look great and somehow seem easier to manage than a scarf.

This is a perfect project for a weekend away...it only takes one skein of yarn and only a few hours to knit. The chunky yarn and simple braid add lots of texture, and I just love Blue Sky Worsted with its subtle hand dyed variations and super soft touch!

This is a very simple pattern even if you have never knit a cable before. The kids were all fascinated to see how to knit a braid! The instructions along with how to photos are all on the Purl Bee in the Project Journal for the Cowl...you can find that HERE.

P.S. Although I designed this pattern with the boys in mind the cowl fits every member of the family. Adam has already put in a request for his!

style: jordana martin

My friend Jordana is one of those people who simultaneously inspires and intimidates me...she is a wonderful artist and maker of beautiful things. We bond over the crafts we love, and admire many things in common. We both knit and love textiles but here is the thing...when I knit I make a sweater...when she knits she makes art. Never was this more apparent than the last time we met for lunch, and I asked if I could stop by her studio.

I had already seen the amazing crocheted chandelier and pouf. I had already been dazzled by the flowers, made of wool, that creep up the exposed brick walls as if they grew there out of the remnants of paint. But now, the walls are also covered with these amazing creations that she has made on her knitting machine. Many are necklaces: some of the simpler ones look like reptilian chains, others are organic shapes whose beauty is in the simple curve of the fabric, and then some are like a knit flower on a stem which drapes around the neck. There are also 3 dimensional shapes that make me think of sea urchins -- I love them as wall art -- but they may also become beads on more necklaces.

As I admired all of her work, furiously snapping photos all the while, I felt all of my inadequacies rising to the surface. But then, as Jordana always does, she encouraged me to come and finally take a lesson on the knitting machine I bought when the boys were still babies -- the one that has sat idle on my closet floor ever since. I am finally ready to take that first step...if only so I can copy jordana's beautiful work. 

sheep and wool festival

Last year I had the pleasure of going to the Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival for the first time. I had heard about it from various yarn loving friends over the years, so when I heard that my dear friend Page and her Purl Soho partner Joelle Hoverson were going (Joelle was doing a book signing for her book More Last Minute Knitted Gifts) I asked if I could join them. 

In the end Page and I decided to bring our families, and although I felt like I was asking Adam and the kids to tag along on something that was clearly all about me, we all had a fantastic time. We started out admiring the sheep, goats, and alpacas -- they have such whimsical faces that I could have taken a hundred photos. Then, while Page and Joelle and I spent way too much time pouring over all the beautiful wool in all its various forms, the kids and dads got to sample lots of sweet treats, listen to music, and play games. They even went to an airshow at the nearby Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome. At the end of the day we found the amazing animals created from fleece that the kids are holding in the photo at the top of this post. They are their favorite stuffed animals to this day, and have already asked if they can each choose another this year.

The photos above are just a few of the many things I could not resist buying. The photo on the left is skeins of wool roving...I had admired one just like it hanging from a knob in the living room at Page's house before we went to the festival and was so happy to find it and copy her!  The photo on the top right is more roving, just presented differently. The pale grey spiral on the bottom right is actually an enormous bag full of carefully combed roving that I plan to crochet into a rug...we will see when I actually get to that project. I am slightly terrified of ruining it!

I think this may be an annual tradition for Page and me and our families...I know we will be going back this year on October 15th...my kids have been asking about it since June. It is a great way to get out of the city on a beautiful fall day. All the details of the festival can be found here.