Cascade – Yards of Happiness

FO: Rainbow Askews Me Shawl

I love knitting rainbows. It’s fun to do the color changes and to see how the rainbow will really evolve in the pattern you’ve chosen. They make me smile and I swear I get asked more about what I’m knitting when it’s something super colorful. So after enjoying knitting the last Askews Me Shawl I decided to knit one for myself and with a rainbow yarn.

I saw this fun Lion Brand Mandala yarn in a great rainbow and picked up two skeins. One skein alone has 590 yards so it’s perfect for this shawl, I used almost the entire skein so I got a full rainbow (and a rainbow on the floor as I was photographing it!). I decided to balance my rainbow with a neutral so I finally frogged my Flax cardigan of it’s Cascade 220 Superwash in Doeskin Heather and I think it’s a perfect balance.

This is a great fall scarf and travel wrap. It’s big and cuddly and warm and can really be wrapped around you (or you dog). Below is the right side, although with brioche knitting it’s reversible but by definition this is the right side. The light camel color is the main color but the rainbow still really pops out behind it.

But of course I love the side where the color is more dominant. I always love the wrong side of brioche. I don’t know why.

Fall starts this week and I’m ready for chilly mornings so I can wear scarves and hats. I’ve even got a lovely yellow hat I’m excited to pair with this scarf, it’ll be such a happy combination. When everyone is on the train wearing black and grey coats I’m always standing out with bright and happy color.

And I think Jellybean thinks this is probably the perfect wrap to go with her banana button down shirt. I just won’t tell her it’s for me.

FO: Rye Tie for Ayo

A good friend our mine has always been impressed with my knitting but the first time he saw me post about knitting a tie he immediately responded that he wanted one. Every time he’s seen me knit one he asks, ‘When can I get one? What do I have to do?’ So when he told me his family was coming up for the Easter holiday/spring break I decided it was time to knit him his own Rye tie.
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The Rye tie is a simple (and free) pattern, you can knit with a worsted weight yarn. I’ve always used one that has a bit of silk in it, Cascade Venezia Worsted. I like the drape the tie has after you finish it and the colors are very saturated. You can knit this over a weekend. And since Ayo is a tall guy he asked if I could make it a little longer than the average tie and that’s easy to do. When I made a Rye tie for my friend Steven he suggested I add a keeper loop to the back to hold the tie in place.
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Since then whenever I knit one I either pick up stitches on the edge and knit a slim bar or like with this one I just knit a garter stitch bar and attached it to the back. An easy solution so that you ensure they want to wear your knitted gift.

Cher was extremely helpful while I was trying to block his tie. And by helpful I mean she kept standing directly on the tie while I was trying to pin it to my blocking boards. Sigh…gotta love knitting with dogs.
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But I knew the tie was a hit because I gave it to Ayo on Friday and he wore it to church on Sunday for Easter. It’s always good to know your hand knits will get a good home.

April 11, 2018April 11, 2018 by IamDWJ Categories: blue, Cascade, Cher, Color, FO: Finished Object, Knitting, Men's Knits, My Dogs, YarnTags: #yardsofhappiness, knit tie, knitting, men's knits, men's ties, Yarn 8 Comments

Stitching Status: Smaller Things

First thanks everyone for great stranded knitting/colorwork tips! I really appreciate your help and suggestions. I’m excited to dive in even deeper and really see where I can take my love of color.

I told you guys I put aside my bigger sweater and have been working on hats lately. I’m going to pick my Kangarullover back up in February but I’m just not in the mood for it right now and I’m plotting out a lovely cardigan for my Mom too but right now hats and maybe a cowl or two in the future will be on my needles.
sparkly brioche
Right now I’ve been working on the Beezee hat to really get my brioche skills better. I think I’m loving brioche because the color possibilities are endless. This is a dk weight hat knit on size 4 needles (I never swatch hats, I’m too lazy). So I dug into my stash and pulled out a very old skein of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sport (they don’t make this base anymore) in a lovely teal color called Rock Creek Park and paired it with the leftover Blue Heron Rayon Metallic yarn I had leftover from my very first the Rain Outside shawl. I loved the metallic sparkle (I enhanced it a bit with an app to show off the sparkliness) and had hoped to use it again at some point. I was initially thinking I was going to give it to a friend when I was finished and then I thought…nah, this is going to be too good so I’m keeping it for myself. LOL Isn’t that the beauty of knitting?

The other hat I’m about to start is for one of my closest girlfriends who will be in town this week. I am going to give a new hat a go and try Tread from Within Knits. I bought my girlfriend EJ one of the leopard pom poms like on my hat I knit at the end of December becase she reminded me she’s a Jersey girl who loves all things leopard. So I’m digging out some camel colored Cascade 220 Superwash out of my stash from my yet to be unravelved Flaum cardigan to knit her a hat meant for a fur pom. I’m also thinking about cowls. I like them a lot for the windy times of year and spring when you’re wearing a light jacket but want to keep the chill away. My sister Helen loves her Bandana Cowl and I saw that there’s a brioche version by Lavanya Patricella.

Worsted Brioche Bandana Cowl by Lavanya Patricella via Ravelry

So I may buy this pattern and make one for myself and both of my sisters just so I can keep up the cool color combinations of brioche knitting. And I’m also looking at stranded knitting cowls too to work on those skills. I’ll also take suggestions too.

So what are you working on currently? Share!

January 31, 2018 by IamDWJ Categories: Blue Heron, Cascade, Color, Knitting, metallic, Neighborhood Fiber Co., Stitching Status, YarnTags: #yardsofhappiness, brioche knitting, knitting, Yarn 11 Comments