Before we get to the knitting I have to say, THANK YOU. To all of my readers, old and new, I thank you for all the love you’ve shown me over the last 2 weeks. I have been overwhelmed by all of the Ravelry messages, blog comments, Instagram comments and emails I’ve gotten about EVERYTHING. It has all been nothing short of amazing, kind and at times things that have brought me to tears with your heart warming words. A girlfriend of mine who doesn’t knit but loves to see what I make read the MDK interview and the comments and said to me, ‘Those people really get YOU, D.’ That made me smile. Yarn people are my people 🙂 Okay, enough with the sentimental stuff and on to my latest finished object!
I have found that two color brioche is kind of mindless knitting for me. When you need a reset or something in between projects, brioche is perfect for me. I can memorize the pattern, I’m a little engaged but not so engrossed and I’m always a little challenged. I’m sure that’s odd to some but we all have different knitting quirks. So after my latest sweaters and in between working on my Togue Pond Tank (since summer refuses to come) I decided to make the West Knits Askews Me Shawl.
First, can I say it’s hard as hell to photograph a full shawl. I tried to pin it to a wall to get a good pic and didn’t have enough pins! This baby is huge (taller than me at 5 feet 4 inches) and it has an unusual shape, almost like a stingray. I used almost a full skein (560 yards) of Miss Babs Yowza in Sunday Funday(the lighter variegated color) and 550 yards of Neighborhood Fiber Company Studio Worsted in Georgetown, a gorgeous deep cobalt blue (I found a skein of it I thought I lost in my yarn room…clearly I’ve got to clean up more). I mix Yowza and Studio Worsted up a lot in projects (examples seen here and here to name a few), they’re both a light worsted that I feel leans more on the dk side and they pair nicely together. Added bonus their skeins are 560 yards and 400 yards so I have fewer ends to weave in when I’m finished.
I also realize I always seems to like the lighter side of whatever brioche project I create, which is usually considered the wrong side but since it’s reversible does it really matter? I photographed both sides but clearly I only liked the lighter side but hopefully you can see both sides when I modeled it worn. I really enjoyed this knit but this I’m not keeping this one, it’s going to a friend. It’s a bit of a thank you gift, but now I want to make one for myself with all kinds of stripes of color from my leftover skeins of dk weight yarn I’ve got hanging around. That might just be my next little in between project I work on. And speaking of gifts…
One of my closest friends was recently in Ireland for work and bought me what he called a cheesy souvenir but I just call it adorable. A green (my favorite color) traditional aran sweater mug!! I don’t even want to drink coffee out of it so I think it will go in my craft room and hold knitting supplies. I think that’s where it really belongs.
So have I finally convinced the rest of you to jump on the brioche bandwagon with me? I actually want to do the Askews Me Dress too!
Yards of Happiness 
Okay, that dress is actually pretty tempting! (says she who has yet to try brioche). I’m sure your version would be incredible! You deserve all the love and praise you get! It’s nice to be recognized.
Oh I could totally see you rocking that dress too. Check the project pages, there’s a really cool black one with a hot pink stripe at the bottom that I love. I just can’t narrow down what colors and what yarn, brioche gets hot!
its beautiful!!! great job and what a lucky friend to receive this!!!
She has been such a special person and I just wanted to give her something to say thanks. I’m sure she’ll love it.
I love your brioche shawl. I have taken a lesson on brioche knitting but the instructor couldn’t help me because I’m a lefty. I was not a happy camper after I paid for the class. I have the Craftsy class and just need to block out some time to teach myself. Love your blog!
Oh that sucks that they couldn’t help you! My mom is a lefty and I do lots of things backwards for a right handed person because a lefty taught me how to do it. LOL Hopefully with a few YouTube videos you’ll be able to conquer it.
I love your yarn choices for the shawl and the way you styled it with the polka dot shirt!
Not going to lie, there was no styling involved. This was the end of the day and I said I need to take some pics tonight because I won’t have time in the morning so you go my polka dot tee from earlier and some sweatpants on the bottom LOL But I would totally wear it with that tee if I were to keep it.
So exciting to follow up all the links… Love the shawl — shape, color, brioche (which I’m beginning to think I might be able to stand doing, now I’ve seen your video with “tiny audience” (LOL, love it!) I just finished Incremento for a friend, and am wondering if/how you blocked your Askews Me monster. We don’t live in a true tiny house, but our dwelling is seriously small. When I set out the blocking boards, the whole family including the cat have to walk around the edges!
So I’ve got a couple of spaces (we have a 3 story town home) and this one I was able to put on a drying rack in the basement where I do laundry. I’m fortunate to have a lot of space. My husband keeps talking about downsizing and living in the city and I keep saying no!
Since your friend didn’t bring you an actual traditional aran sweater, the traditional aran mug is a fabulous runner up gift !! I’d be afraid of breaking it too-it will look great in your craft room!
Funny thing is I’m not big on cabled aran sweaters. I think since I love color so much I always feel like that would be too much so this was the perfect little gift.
That shawl is gorgeous! Actually I like your colors better than Steven West’s… shhhh! You have a lovely smile too 🙂 Thanks for letting us sneak over from MDK!
Hey, the color possibilities are endless. My friend loves blue so I wanted to make sure I incorporated lots of blue in it just for her.
Love that shawl. I love the way brioche looks, but I am a little scared to get involved in any stitch that can’t be tinked back. Love the sweaters for your pups. I have an 85 lb. lab and now he is just pea green and begging for a cute sweater. I keep telling him the look will not be the same, but he is not buying it.
You can tink back with brioche! It isn’t as quick but my teacher taught me how to fix mistakes (which I made a couple of times with this one). Don’t let it intimidate you!!
If two-color brioche is mellow knitting to you, I’m really impressed! I’m such a lace knitter, working on my cable skills (test-knitting for Sunset Cat Knits’ Stephannie Tallent will definitely improve one’s cabling skills), but I haven’t worked up the nerve to try brioche yet. 🙂
I have to be in the mood to cable LOL and lace is so intricate! I’m always impressed when someone says that’s what they love to make.
You deserve all the kudos!!!! ❤
Thank you ☺️
Go on and ROCK that Brioche DWJ! Gor-GGGEEEOOOUUUUSSS! 🙂
Wow, you became so proficient in brioche! The shawl is beautiful 🙂 Can I also say I’m always a bit jealous of the generous skeins of Yowza yarn? I wish they sold it somewhere in Europe!!!
What?! You can’t get that yumminess in your part of the world?! That’s unfortunate.
It is!:(
Hi!! I just found your blog from MDK! I love the shawl….I am working towards trying the technique. I have many things to work on now, so I am going to finish at least a couple of projects before I start something new. Looking forward to having a new blog to read and inspire me!
Thank you and welcome!
Okie dokie…I am taking the brioche leap:) It’s been on my to learn/try list…the one stashed somewhere in my brain. I have gotten as far as picking a pattern. Which one? Brooklyn Tweed’s “Junction”designed by Jared Flood. Oh I do love Stephen West as well and shawls/wraps but I am overloaded in that area and short on scarves. You make Stephen shine even more that he already does! Absolutely beautiful shawl and I can’t wait to see the colors you have chosen for the dress! Speaking of colors…my name is Pip and I am a neutral (adore greys) kind of girl:) but I might just grab some color for this one. We shall see. Right now I have loads of hats to finish before the fall and a vest and a wrap (what else) in the works. So for now I shall be doing a bit of practicing before I begin my Junction. Thanks so much for kicking me so nicely in the a..:D
Ohhhh, by the way, I received my tote from Tanner Casey yesterday. it is perfect in every way and love it as much as I do my bag! Thank you soooo much for mentioning her and will be grabbing more of her pieces.
West Knits also has a free brioche scarf pattern if you’re interested, Bundled in Brioche: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bundled-in-brioche And the beauty of brioche is that you can have neutral on one side and color the main on the other side! And so glad you love the T Casey bag!! I love mine too.
So hope you do feel better soon Dana. The pits that you got it to begin with! Thanks for the info about West Knits pattern. I will definitely check it out.
Hi Dana, I’m one of your new readers and I just wanna say I love your attitude and enthusiasm 😉
I read your interview on MDK Monday and the part that inspired me was your comment about mastering new things!!
When someone told you “that’s difficult ya know?” And you said, if you don’t know it’s supposed to be hard you have no fear of trying it. I wish I could be like that. I have that fear of trying new things which is why I’ve only knit simple projects; hats, afghans. I’ll read a pattern and say to myself, I don’t understand so I’m going to pass on this project:( and I really want to knit a sweater for my Mom but afraid to start, get discouraged, and quit. I know this is a long post but I just felt I could share my feelings with y’all!!
Hi Karyn, welcome! In all honesty, if you can knit a hat in the round you can knit a sweater. Start simple at first, might I suggest the Jane Richmond ladies classic raglan: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ladies-classic-raglan-pullover It’s knit in worsted weight from the top down so you can try it on as you knit. And use YouTube as a resource! When I don’t understand how to do a stitch I go to YouTube for a video tutorial! I like to see someone else do it, I need visuals. You can do it!
Thx for your encouragement Dana!
I will check out that simple sweater pattern. And I have used YouTube alot to learn new things;) it helps to see someone else do it, over & over…
Recently learned German Twist cast on that way!!
This shawl is beautiful. I have a shawl on the needles that is in desperate need of my attention. You’ve inspired me to get busy.
Have you moved away from your blog then ? – why ??