A year of taking -- and making -- time each month to knit a fabulous new something for yourself or the perfect gift for a loved one.
January is almost over and I'm happy to report that I have in fact finished not one, but two Lansbury cowls for our Simple Knits Knitalong! This was a fast and fun knit that can easily be knit in a weekend or a few evenings - with 2 days left in January, you could still cast on and finish in time. *wink*
These are my finished cowls:
They're awfully pretty, aren't they?!
Lansbury #1:
Yarn: Leizu Worsted by Julie Asselin
Raveled: Ancient Gold Lansbury
Julie's yarn arrived at Firefly Fibers this last summer and we got a small selection of the Leizu Worsted just before the holidays. I was looking for a perfect one-skein project for this yarn and Lansbury was definitely it! After our knitalong began, the Leizu Worsted was quickly getting gobbled up, so I began thinking of alternate yarns that would be a good fit and I found one...
Lansbury #2:
Yarn: Extra by Blue Sky Alpacas
Raveled: Lansbury in Shale
Extra is the newest addition to the Blue Sky Alpacas yarn family and it's lovely! This cowl has a very different personality with the "folksy texture" of alpaca and merino and I love it just as much as the first and I really can't pick a favorite because they are each special in their own way. I'm hoping to knit a sweater with Extra at some point this year as part of my 2015 sweater goal - I have yet to finalize all of my sweater details, but I already have one sweater completed and the Tin Can Knits ladies are each completing 12 sweaters this year, so I'm feeling a little less crazy about what I have in mind for myself.
I really enjoyed knitting Very Shannon's Lansbury (even watched some Murder She Wrote while knitting) and our shop knitters have commented on how much they enjoyed (are enjoying) the pattern as well. In addition to her awesome knitting and sewing designing skills, Shannon is also a one of my favorite bloggers... as I read her blog yesterday on #makingourselves, I found myself relating as she shared her struggle to find balance in life and her hopes of overcoming the lack of balance this year. Our KAL is a little part of how I'm trying to find balance this year and I found further motivation in Shannon's blog post and I think you may enjoy it as well.
Are you excited for February and a new Simple Knits project? I am! If you missed January, you can join our Knitalong at any time - details are here in our Raverly thread. We'll have a few giveaways during our year of knitting (including some goodies from our featured designer - thanks Shannon) to keep us motivated along the way. I can't wait to knit again with you next month!
Happy Simple Knitting & Cheers!