Published in 2016 the Brianna Cabled Cloak is a simple top down seamless hooded cloak with three cables perfect to layer as the temperatures turn crisper and the seasons change! One larger cable panel runs the entire length of the back and two smaller cables run just inside the front edging. The edge dips downward at the back to form a high low hem that adds length while conserving yarn.
The Brianna Cabled Cloak is available from Ravelry, WEBS, LoveKnitting and Craftsy!
This summer our Boy Scout Troop went to Wyoming for their summer camp. I packed my knitting in the car and made the trip out to Wyoming with another Scout Mom to share some of the fun! We went to Yellowstone, drove over mountain passes, saw snow in July, learned about grizzly bear safety, stayed in a nice cabin (the moms, not the Scouts and Scout Leaders) and drank some really good craft beers (the moms again and not the others obviously). I’m super glad we went to make the memories with the boys and to offer some moral support since the borrowed bus had multiple breakdowns on the road. Our golden retriever, Kaylee, came along and she ended up being the unofficial Troop mascot for the trip with every single boy (even the older cool ones) petting her or taking charge of her at some point.
One more wonderful thing about this trip – my traveling buddy introduced me to podcasts! I cannot believe I made it all the way to the middle of 2017 without them. My podcast queue is long, long, long now. So far I’ve learned about poisons and artificial gravity and the history of toilet paper and knitting books and shark mating and why to never take off your space helmet and artificial intelligence and running your own business and the list goes on and on. I love it!
The Sedona Cowl uses simple knits, purls and basic cables to evoke the vortexes in the Sedona area of Arizona. Vortexes are swirling centers of subtle energy coming from the surface of the earth. The Sedona Cowl is perfect for a quick, easy gift as well as a good introduction to cables. The cowl is extra-long for a draped-scarf feel. Cables are written and charted. Sedona Cowl is part of my Arizona Collection along with the Rock Art Shawl and Grand Canyon Scarf.
The Sedona Cowl just finished test knitting and is available now! Look for the Rock Art Shawl (in test knitting now) and Grand Canyon Scarf later this Fall.
The Rock Art Shawl uses the garter tab cast-on to blend seamlessly with the garter stitch edging and form a smooth finish to the center top line of the shawl. The initial instructions can be confusing, but it is well worth the extra effort!
Once you understand the basic plan, the process is simple. I took pictures of a recent sample shawl as I worked and below I walk you through my process. Like many other top-down triangle shawls, the Rock Art Shawl starts at the center top with just a few stitches.
For the initial cast-on the first lines of the pattern read “Garter Tab cast-on: Loosely cast on 2 sts. Knit 7 rows. After the last row, gently stretch your rectangle up to form a line with your 2 live sts. Pick up and knit 3 sts in the garter ridges along the edge of your rectangle. Pick up and knit 2 sts from the cast-on edge. (7 sts)” See photos below for the steps.
Voila! You’ve finished the garter tab cast-on.
You can see here how it forms a smooth top horizontal line for the tiny sample shawl. From here the Rock Art Shawl shawl grows down the body with garter stitch edges, yarn over increases and two sides separated by the center stitch.
You can skip the garter tab and cast on your first 7 stitches however you like best. But do be aware of the center dip and break in the top horizontal edge of the shawl that will result.
You can see here what I mean. It really is hard to miss that center dip.
The Rock Art Shawl is in test knitting and will be available as part of my Arizona Collection along with the Grand Canyon Scarf and Sedona Cowl later this Fall.
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