UPDATE: 6.11.15: Congratulations to winner Ge Ge with the correct answer of Irene! Ge Ge check your email! If you didn't win, head over to Dragonfly Fibers where they've made kits using the same colors I did! kits available here.
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I've been on a cowl kick lately, dear readers. The summer is always a hectic time - school is ending, we need to switch our mindset from SCHEDULE EVERYTHING to kicking back a bit and relaxing. Our family spends more time in the car together on long-distance trips this time of year and I like to grab a few project bags with smaller projects to take with me when we hit the road (and let's be honest here, I spend more time thinking about what knitting I'm bringing with me than anything else we pack). If you're like me, you happily relinquish the wheel and would rather be on the passenger side because that means more knitting time. Tucked in-between car snacks, a zillion project bags and a gallon of iced tea you'll find me happily knitting away as we roar down the highway.
Cowls are the perfect car knitting project. They fit easily in your lap, they don't take up much room, they're easily put down and picked back up again and they make perfect gifts. With cowls you don't have to worry about if it'll fit whomever you're knitting for and can focus more on pattern, color and fiber. There's no right or left, minimal finishing and they're one of the best projects to learn a new technique on.
It's no secret I'm addicted to Fair Isle. I'll shout it from the rooftops all day long - BRING ON THE STRANDED COLORWORK KNITTING! We all have our favorite techniques, and this is mine. With that in mind, I'd like to introduce you to my latest TanisKnits designs, the Khuno Cowl and the Garner Cowl, both fair isle cowl projects.
Knitting up on US 10 24" circular knitting needles on the wonderfully squishy and soft hand dyed Dragonfly Fiber's Super Traveller, Khuno is inspired by a dream I had about being on an archeological dig looking for Incan artifacts (maybe I've been watching too much Indiana Jones?). A great excuse to use that super bulky hank of variegated yarn you have in your stash paired with a solid, or use 2 highly contrasting solids (if you have trouble choosing colors, read my color theory post here), big yarn = big stitches = fast knitting. I love Latvian Braids and here they add texture as well as weight to keep the ends from curling over. I know the warm weather just got here after a brutal winter, but I'm looking forward to the temperatures dipping back down so I can wear this little beauty around my neck.
If you're looking for more traditional colorwork knitting, the Garner Cowl will appease that craving. Designed and knit while watching my way through Alias, the tone on tone stranded colorwork is a nod to the Scandinavian influence seen in some fair isle work. Knit in Imperial Yarn's Erin and knit up on US 7 24" circular knitting needles, I love the two blues together and how it creates unisex appeal. Because stranded colorwork makes a double-thick fabric, this classy cowl will keep you super warm. If you work in a chilly office that keeps the air conditioning cranked up, why not knit yourself one to keep you from shivering under the vent?
Now for the giveaway... One lucky reader will not only win a copy of the Khuno Cowl pattern, but the wonderful folks at Dragonfly Fibers are generously letting that same winner pick 2 colors of Super Traveller (winner's choice of what colors they want) to make the cowl with! Thanks, Dragonfly Fibers!
Answer this trivia question correctly to be entered in to win the random drawing: What is the name of Indiana Jones' secretary (in The Last Crusade Indiana Jones says her name) and is also the name of one of my grandmothers? A winner will be chosen at random on Thursday and contacted by me via email. The winner will be posted on this updated post that same day. Good luck!
Happy travels this summer, wherever the road takes you. Pack lots of knitting and drive safe!
Download the Khuno Cowl pattern here and the Garner Cowl pattern here.