CAL and Handspun Cowl Pattern

First, I'd like to share that I'm starting my very first CAL (crochet-a-long). Moogly Blog did this last year, however I didn't participate. I'm super excited to be starting it this year, and have already finished the first square "Tamara's Kismet." Basically, you get a new (free!) pattern for a 12 inch square every two weeks. At the end of November (24 squares) you'll have enough to make an afghan, using December to join/finish. I think this might be a commitment I can handle! :D I peeked through some of the finished ones from 2014, and really liked one someone did that was a totally mono-tone off-white. Inspired by her, I started with this yellow baby yarn. (I accidentally purchased a pound of this stuff, not realizing it was the wrong shade of yellow!) I'm also considering doing a second square in a multicolor palate, if I choose to do so, I'll share photos here. :) You may notice, I did add an extra hdc edge that wasn't in the pattern, my square was just shy of the 12 inch specification and the hdc add just the right amount! :)

Also, I finally finished working on a cowl I've been picturing since probably last August. I knew I wanted a cowl that was gray with a pop of another color. After lots of deliberation, I finally arrived at a hot pink color and my good friend kindly dyed wool for me using 'flamingo.' I've been spinning every since to prepare for the cowl, changing my mind on how it would look throughout, until I finally decided I was ready! Wouldn't you know it, with all that deliberation and planning time, once I finally made a choice, I jumped right into it without taking photos, measuring yardage, or anything! Darn my enthusiasm! The yarn is all wool, both are two ply and I think they are a bulky weight yarn. The middle is a 'candy cane' 2 play using solid pink and the naturally variegated gray. The outer colors are also two ply using the same naturally variegated gray. It's a VERY simple pattern, and more than likely this already exists elsewhere, but I hope you enjoy it. :)

A note about the i-cord. As you may imagine, my handspun yarn is often limited in yardage. I did have more, however it was a slightly different shade of gray and I tried very hard to limit the yardage so I didn't have to use this. For that reason, 3 i-cords were knitted and used to join the cowl. The i-cords sit on the back of your neck, and are nearly invisible if your hair is down. I originally did this to save yarn, however once I finally to to wear it, I realized that it also keeps my neck from being too hot and the wool from being too bulky in that area. (Remember, I live in Florida) :D I liked it so much, I'm definitely considering doing it on the next cowl I make. If you don't care for that look, simply make the knitted portion longer and join the edges together.

Supplies:
Bulky yarn, roughly 200-300 yds.
US size 10 knitting needles
Cable needle
Tapestry Needle
Double point needles to make an i-cord.

Construction:
I made the center section first, then picked up stitches along the edge and used a garter stitch to widen the cowl. The i-cords followed and were attached with a tapestry needle.

Middle:
Cast on 12 sts.
(Please note, I don't mention it in the pattern, but I do slip the first stitch of EVERY row to create a tight edge.)
Rows 1-4: knit in st. stitch
Row 5: (RS). k2, place 4 on cable needle, k4, k4 from cable needle, k2 remaining 2.
Repeat rows 1-5 until cowl reaches desired length. (Mine was about 20 inches or 17-18 'repeats'

Edges:
Pick up and knit stitches along the 'long' edge of the middle section. Work in garter stitch until cowl reaches the desired width. (Mine was roughly 2 inches, close to the width of the pink section.)

i-Cord Back:
Using the dpns, knit 3 i-cords 8 inches long, each.

Finishing: Use the i-cords to join the edges of the cowl. Weave in ends (I know, I didn't do this in the photos) and you're finished! Hope you enjoy!

~Farm Girl Teacher

Stash Bash Challenge!

For the first time in what feels like a very long time, I have a summer almost completely free! As a result I challenged myself to finish as many half-finished projects as possible! (Believe me, I have enough for the next six summers, lol) Anyway, I feel as though I've plateaued a bit, mostly because I add projects to my list faster than I can finish things, I'm hoping that by sharing some of my creations I can inspire myself to continue to the next project! Yay!

So let's begin with one of the projects I started a very long time ago. Back in 2009 our family adopted two wonderful Corgis from Jacksonville, FL. They have been a wonderful part of our family these last several years. When we first got the dogs my sister had this blanket, a.k.a. "Blankie," a blanket my mom crocheted over 20 years ago. My dog, Mandy, LOVED the blanket and laid on it all the time so I decided I would crochet her an afghan of her own.... I dug through my grandma's crochet pattern books and found a vintage book with a pattern I loved. (I'll fill in the book's information later, it's packed away in a box right now as we're redoing part of our floor)

Yes, she's yawning :) I didn't notice until I uploaded it....

Anyway I bought two beautiful shades of pink and began working. I finally finished about a week ago and I'm actually really proud! It definitely took some time but Mandy loves it! (Even if I'm less enchanted by the colors than I originally was--I'm terrible at picking out matching yarn colors.) The only modification I really made was that I used both shades of yarn in the fringe instead of just the main color. Partially, because I was running out of the main color, and partially to tie in the colors in the rest of the afghan. 

So cute :) She's come so far, she used to hate getting her picture taken!

So my next project was actually given to me as a Christmas present a while ago. My parents picked out what they thought was your average embroidery/cross stitch kit, however later realized it was a punch needle kit. Now I've never heard of punch needle but thought it sounded interesting, however I had to buy the punch needle separately. I went to the local Walmart, but unfortunately they'd just gotten rid of a major part of their craft section. For years I stayed on the look out for a punch needle for every fabric or craft store I walked into, however I just couldn't find it, so the kit sat, unopened. Finally, my family and I were staying in Sevierville, Tennessee when we came across a small cross stitch store in nearby Pigeon Forge. (Yes, a whole store dedicated to cross stitch, I didn't know it was possible either!) Anyway, I finally found a punch needle and fell in love!

When using the punch needle you actually work from the back of the fabric and the right side is the one facing away from you. The result is that the right side of the fabric has many loops made from the fabric. Of course, one of the downsides is that when you move the hoop you most likely will have to clamp some of the loops between the hoops.

I really like the effect, however I do feel that the smaller details don't show up quite as well because they're dominated by the other loops nearby. It's also weird to frame, because the glass smushes the loops down. I wound up removing the glass altogether.

Finally, I finished a cross stitch I picked up at the same store. The cross stitch was purchased on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. My mom and I have passes to the estate and love visiting so I thought this was a wonderful way to combine my crafting passion with my passion for historic America! The kit is from the Posy Collection. This collection is one of my favorites as it 'preserves America's history in stitches.' You seriously have to go visit their site here, it's awesome!
The one I purchased is a sampler with the house itself at the bottom. I have to admit, ever since I fell in love with The Little House Series in third grade, I have had a small but fervent obsession with samplers. 

 

It's actually kind of amazing that there is so much detail in house. (Both the actual house and the cross stitch version!) My favorite of course is the grand staircase! Under the house 1895 is the year the house was finished, my initial are on the left, and the year I finished is on the right. 

My Mommy and I in December :)

 I was amazed by the accuracy considering the size comparison, this collection is really remarkable! 

And finally, I want to include a quilt I actually made for my mom for Mother's Day. My sister and I put this together from all of our old clothing from when we were younger. There's a shirt from rodeos, every school we attended, 4-H, FFA, Halloween costumes, fairs, and so much more! It really is very cool and we were proud :)

Have a wonderful day and please drop me a line! :)

~That Farm Girl Teacher