My Friend Evelyn

Still on the subject of friends made via the internet . . . Last week my friend Evelyn emailed me asking if I'd do a little knitting project together with her.  She sent me the link for the newly-released BFF Cowl, designed by Ysolda and Tiny Owl Knits.  What a cute idea!  Interlocking cowls, knit in pairs and exchanged with a friend - a knitterly take on the friendship necklaces I'm sure we all had as kids.

Well, how could I refuse?  We tossed some color ideas back and forth, and then I took myself off to the LYS in search of some yarn to use.  I ended up finding a yarn Evelyn had recently used and loved - perfect!  Even more perfect was that it was in the sale bin!  I took it as a sign.

We agreed to cast on Sunday and each do a blog post today.  As I was just finishing my cast-on yesterday, a message from Evelyn popped up - she had just started her cowl too!  So funny!  And it turned out that she chose to start with Ysolda's cowl, while I had chosen to start with Stephanie's cowl!  So we've got two different yet coordinating WIPs to show you today.  Here's mine:

 

This is Cascade Yarns' Cloud, in the colorway Lupin.  Cloud is a very apt name for this yarn - it's a soft, squishy chainette.  Now that I've got it in my hands, I can see why Evelyn raved about it so much!  You can see Evelyn's cowl on her blog post today - the seedpod stitch is so beautiful.

If you'd like to join the fun with a friend, Evelyn has started a BFF Cowl KAL page in her Project Stash KAL Group.  I really love the idea of having a little piece of a friend's knitting to help keep warm over the winter!

Miranda July Prize

Remember when I said I was going to be making the July prize for Evelyn's Miranda Hat Charity KAL?  Well, it's one of the things I made in my busy week of sewing last week.  And I must say, I think it's the best one I've ever made.  I'm really in love with this bag!

The exterior is turquoise twill, enhanced by a red zipper and a tab that matches the ditsy floral lining. 

If you'd like a chance to win this bag, all you have to do is join the Project Stash group on Ravelry and knit one Miranda Hat and post it to the "July FOs" discussion thread by July 31.  Evelyn will be selecting one winner at random, and then I'll ship off the bag!

There will be prize drawings in August and September as well, and a grand prize in October for the knitter who contributes the most hats.  So keep your eyes open for those!

The response to the group has been really fantastic - there were 132 members as of this writing!  Many of my friends from this blog have joined along - I thank you for that!

Miranda

Remember when I told you about working with Evelyn to edit her new knitting patterns?  Well, for the last week or so, we've been working on a new hat pattern, which went live as a free Ravelry download on Friday.  And in conjunction with its release, Evelyn started a charity knit-along, complete with its own Ravelry group! 

After I joined, I invited some of you who are my friends on Ravelry to knit along with us.  If I didn't invite you, it's because after I did several invites I got bored and lazy, and decided just to send out a general invite via the blog!  Yes, I'm a little ashamed of myself!

This morning I started my first Miranda hat for the KAL.  I've been really excited about this because believe it or not, this is my first charity knitting experience.  I have to admit I'm a very selfish knitter and sewer - most of the time, if it's not for me, I just get bored with a project!  But this group is full of people I know via their blogs and Ravelry, and it's fun for me to do a project like this along with a great community of knitters.

So here are the beginnings of my hat:

I'm using some Valley Yarns Northampton in the Claret Heather colorway, which I had left over from Hubby's Very Warm Hat.  This yarn is 100% wool, so it will be nice and toasty, but for future hats I'd like to use superwash or blends, so that the hats will be machine-washable.

If you'd like to join in with us, check us out at the links above, or read about the KAL on Evelyn's blog here.

Oh, and did I mention there are going to be prizes?!  There will be a drawing at the end of July, August and September for one prize each month.  July's prize is going to be a Box Bag which I will be making.  Prizes for August and September to be announced.  At the end of the KAL, a grand prize (also to be determined) will be awarded to the knitter who donates the most hats.  So get out those needles, folks!

Wholehearted

Remember the beginnings of the Wholehearted shawl I showed you last week?  I finished it a couple days ago, but I've already moved on to the next project and totally forgot to post about it!  I was just reminded a few minutes ago by a comment on the original post, so I thought I'd get it up here while it was in my mind!

I always pose my shawls on my knitting chair!

I really loved making this pattern - I think I finished it so quickly because it's one of those things I just didn't want to put down!  It was really great for working on when I didn't want to think too much (like I have to with Miette).  That said, I did miss a couple of increases so my stitch count was down by 4 at the end!  Oh well!

Lavender merino and charcoal merino/silk,
both handspun fingering weight.

I steam blocked this shawl with my iron, like I usually do.  Quick and easy!  I pulled it more straight, rather than letting the edges curve, although they do curve a little.

I'm really happy with the way this turned out, and I'm pretty sure I'll make another at some point.  It was so fast and easy, because although fingering weight yarn is used, it's done on US6 (4mm) needles, and since there's no lace there's not too much to keep track of.

If you'd like to make this shawl too, Evelyn at Project Stash has a KAL going on until May 31.  And don't forget that the proceeds from the sale of this pattern go to helping the designer's daughter, who lost her home in a fire recently.

I know a few of you are making this already.  Anybody else tempted?