Saturday, January 3, 2015

First finish of 2015


The New Year has started with my computer getting ill.  Darn it I feel completely crazy without it.  I am posting this from my son's Macbook and I find it all so confusing.  I am a Microsoft girl, even though I have an iPhone and iPad, it is what I am familiar with but I am giving this a try.  The computer doctor is paying us a visit on Tuesday, so I will have to try and use this between now and then.



I have my first finish of 2015!  A lovely cowl made from the Cascade Yarns Eco Alpaca I traded in for my husband's Christmas gift.   Can I tell you that I just LOVE this yarn!!  It is so soft and so smooth in your hands.  When I take myself off yarn restrictions I just might buy some more.  There are no dyes in this yarn which makes it even nicer.


This cowl is based on a pattern called the Cozy Ribbed Cowl on the blog Lady By The Bay.  I saw her beautiful cowl on Pinterest and thought I would give it a go.   The designer used chunky yarn, size 15 needles and a 2x2 rib.


I combined two yarns, used size 11 circular needles, and a 3x3 rib.  Here is my pattern but remember I am giving credit to the original designer.

With size 11 circular needles (I could easily have used 10 1/2) and holding two thinner yarns together I cast on 108 stitches, carefully joined the round, placing a marker to show where the beginning of the row was and started with a 3x3 rib, 3 knit followed by 3 purl all around the round.  I continued on until I was almost out of yarn and cast off in the stitch pattern.  It made a long tube that opens beautifully into this cowl.  

I ended up using most of the two skeins of yarn which were 220 yards each.  I have my first finish of the year and have already used up 440 yards of yarn!  This was not stash yarn as it hardly had time to say hello to the other skeins of yarn in my yarn cabinet. 

I love how soft it is.  Since it is a rotten 80 degrees out right now with high humidity I am not sure if this will be mine or not.  It may end up being a gift.  Whoever wears it will be thrilled with the softness that surrounds them. There we have it my first finish of 2015.  My first post on a MacBook and oops I almost forgot.


My first crochet flower of 2015 (actually broach) made with my leftover yarn, with my brand new Bryspun crochet hook.  Thank you for the great idea Ingrid.  Ingrid made lots of broaches up recently using a beautiful flower pattern, check out her blog and see for yourself.

See you after Tuesday when my trusted old computer gets repaired.   I can't wait!

38 comments:

Amy at love made my home said...

It seems as if you did pretty well with the posting on a different computer! The cowl you made is beautiful, it looks so soft and cosy through the screen and the colour is incredible. Totally not for wearing in 80 degree weather though I agree! You will have to go on a trip somewhere very cold!! You can enjoy wearing the brooch though in the meantime! I hope that your computer is better again very soon. xx

Bridget said...

Very nice! Sometimes you forget that something so easy can also be really lovely.

I hope your computer recovers soon! I'm like you - Macs make me nuts trying to do anything on them!

Ingrid K. said...

Hi Meredith!!

Oh, I love the look of your cowl!!! And I can imagine just how soft it must be, because I am also knitting with Alpaca! (It's a dream to use!)

Just one question: how big is the cowl, what are it's dimensions?

Congratulations on finishing your first project!!! :)

And well done for making a second one: the flower brooch, it looks lovely!!! <3 (And thank you for giving me an honorary mention!) You are so kind!!!

I'm looking forward to see what you will do next with all your beautiful yarn!

Oh, and sorry to hear about your computer, hope it will be fixed very soon!!

Have a nice weekend!
Ingrid xx
http://myfunkycrochet.blogspot.be

Willow said...

oooooo! I love that cowl. I'm going to have to look for that yarn at my lys.

Do you have a go to place for crochet flower patterns? I'm not a great crocheter but want to learn to make cute flowers.

Happy New Year! May your computer get well quickly!

CJ said...

A finished thing already, gosh, you're fast. I've knitted about seven rows so far this year. Probably why I don't ever finish much. Must try harder. It looks lovely, really soft and thick and warm. I do hope Yarn Restrictions are lifted soon! CJ xx

Apple Blossom Dreams said...

This is an incredible project. It is so classy and stylish and will go with anything. Good choice Meredith!!!

Wishing you a Happy New Year from cold Utah!

kathy b said...

I feel all out of whack when my computer is down.
Im so sorry.

I LOVE your cowl. You knit so beautifully!!

I love your Ingrid flower too

Unknown said...

So pretty! We are starting to have problems with our router. Guess they are phasing them out. We are thinking of going with AT7T uverse, but not sure yet. Hope this router can last until we get something else. I haven't finished anything this year yet. So I guess I am behind. lol. Pretty white snow out there today.

Gracie Saylor said...

Whew! 80degrees is pretty warm to even try on the pretty cowl you made, but if you head north in the winter to visit your family you will no doubt be thankful for the cowl's soft warmth. Your little flower is very sweet and a good use for a bit of yarn. Sans the ailing computer you are off to a great start for 2015, Meredith! xx

Betsy said...

That is beautiful Meredith. What a fast knitter you must be. Gosh. It's plenty cold up here for a nice warm cowl like that. Maybe I'll have to try to make one for myself. We are actually in a Winter Storm Warning right now. 6-9 inches, (minimum) of snow predicted by tomorrow night. Yuck! I'm SO OVER winter.

Sorry to hear about your computer issues, but you did a great job on your sons computer.

Blessings my friend,
Betsy

Teresa Kasner said...

Oh my.. I wondered why your blog post looked so wonderful! It was that you were on a (cue the music of angels) a.. *Mac*! :-) Maybe you should give up on MS and go with the cadillac of computers.. like your son. LOL! That cowl is C'est Magnifique! You are amazingly fast. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Grammy Braxton said...

Wow, a finish already! You go, girl. I'm still piddling around. I haven't even taken down the Christmas tree. The Hubs and I have worked for the last 2 weeks on rearranging, decluttering and changing the office into my office/craft room. Hope your computer ills are easily healed and you are back to posting happily on your familiar one soon.
Hugs, Sharon

mamasmercantile said...

Wow, you are certainly quick off the mark, I haven't even started anything yet. The cowl is beautiful and I love the brooch. I often make brooches for little gifts. Good luck with the computer repair.

Géraldine B. said...

Very Beautiful cowl !!! Good luck with your computer ... that's not very confortable for you !! I hope it'll be fiwed soon !! Have a lovely sunday !

gaia said...

Lovely!

linda said...

That is lovely Meredith and you were very quick with your first 2015 make, it looks so cosy and warm. I hope you manage to get your computer fixed but you have done really well with your sons Macbook. Congratulations too! your oliver twist shawl was one of the most clicked links in the november stash link party! :) xxxx

http://lindacraftycorner.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/the-stash-busting-continues-and-new.html

Tanna said...

Oh, my word, Meredith!! That is a stunner!! LOVE. LOVE. LOVE!! it! I may have to copycat you on this one! You've started out the year with a big bang! Yea!!! Thank you for the eye candy and the inspiration! blessings ~ tanna

Ljubinka said...

So beautiful cowl,lovely flower!!
Have a great week, hugs.:*

Claudia said...

One word: Mac.

You should make the transition to a desktop Mac. Yes, there would be a learning curve, but it's so intuitive that you'd soon be saying, "Why did I wait so long?"

Beautiful cowl, sister. Lovely!
Scoutie is sixteen today, Aunt Meredith!

xo
Claudia

Babajeza said...

This cowl looks good! My first knit this year has the same pattern, but is a hat. Npw I am on my second for hubby. :-) All the best, Regula

Anonymous said...

Ooooooooooo, my golly, that is lovely. It looks soft as a cloud!

Congrats on the finish. You might get to wear it this week after all. I hear Wednesday and Thursday are going to be quite chilly!

Caffeine Girl said...

I was wondering, as I read, if this cowl was practical for Florida! It just looks very warm!

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

My kids have Macs but they certainly work differently and I seriously hate trying to figure out new programs. The cowl is lovely and a great color to go with so many things. I dropped my iPhone this morning ... well actually, I placed it on something and thought, hmmm, that's not very level, but I walked away anyways and then I heard the crash. Darn it! First day back at school, heavy fog and we thought Yusef arrived today, turns out it is tomorrow morning. Ha! Thankfully we actually figured it out last night and not at the airport this morning. I am hoping weather will be much better tomorrow as there were delays and diversions this morning.

Pretty little broach. Definitely my kind of project ... quick and easy. ha! Best wishes, Tammy

Stins said...

Your cowl is amazing and looks indeed very soft and snuggly!
Xxx Mirjam.

Chris said...

Holy doodle!! Look at you! I love your cowl and I was checking out the Eco Alpaca yesterday, it is soo softi am definitely going to have to knit something with that yarn!!! I love your brooch, what a great idea too. Our laptop crashed and burned awhile ago so we are just getting a new one up and running, patience builder ! 80 deg, I can't imagine! Stay cool!!!

Mrs. Micawber said...

Wow, it's amazing how elegant a simple tube of ribbing can be ... Caroline looks incredibly stylish. (Is it Caroline?)

Hope your computer feels better soon. Maybe it needs some of those antibiotics you and LB were on.... :D

Jennifer Hays said...

Your new cowl is gorgeous, Meredith. It looks like something a winter fairy would wear.

Judy S. said...

Nice cowl, Mere! I love Cascade yarn also. Isn't it amazing how dependent we are on computers? Our modem croaked recently, and oh my, it couldn't get fixed fast enough. Hope you're back online pronto!

Anita said...

Isn't it lovely when you get a super soft yarn that you love to knit with, it really makes the project enjoyable and the cowl looks fab!!! I always have to find something to make with leftover yarns too and it seems that I crochet lots of flowers to use on other projects. Happy knitting.
Cheers, Anita.

Kris said...

That is gorgeous!!!!
XO Kris

Gillian said...

Gorgeous cowl and I really love the wee brooch.

Toni said...

What a beautiful cowl! Great way to start the year!!

Pammy Sue said...

I love, love the cowl! So pretty! Wish I had it to wear today. It's very cold and I'm going to venture out and do a little shopping for a change. Hope you have a great week.

elns said...

Happy New Year Mere! I love your cowl, it looks super cozy and soft. Your lovely description of the yarn helps that. I hope your computer issues get resolved soon. I'm with you though. apple is OK for the gadgets, but I like me some MS ... I'm looking at maybe a surface, next ?!? maybe?

Ana BC said...

Great start for the year. I LOVE, LOVE, your cowl.

My Garden Diaries said...

That cowl is beautiful!!! My goodness you should be so proud of this piece! So stunning buddy! Wishing you a great week...and let me just say I would take that 80 degrees as we are minus 15 right now! Nicole xo

Carla from The River said...

I need that cowl right now. We are to have -50 wind chill Wednesday!! Yes, it is true, I am not kidding. :-)
I just might show up on your door step. LOL

Good luck to the computer Dr. :-)

Anonymous said...

Good work! Love the broach (did I spell that right? must be the meds).