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.

Very Shannon Logo

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!

Times moves much too fast and there really aren't enough hours in the day for everything that I want -- or think I 'need' -- to do. Can you relate?With each New Year I promise myself that I'm going take the time to knit some small, simple projects for myself and gifting throughout the year, but life takes over and so many of the things I would love to knit get pushed aside, or are knit in a last-minute frenzy. In reality, I know I allow life take over, and I'm determined to change that this year....

Simple Knits is a year of knitting one project each month that is simple, yet enjoyable, because of technique, yarn, design, or all of the above - you know, those projects that just let you enjoy using two sticks & some string to magically create fabric. A year of simple projects that are a fabulous 'something' to knit for yourself or perfect for gifting to a loved one, yet... most won't take more than a few evenings or a weekend to complete.

So, what can you expect? Well, I surely don't want to spoil any surprises, but I can tell you that some of my favorite designers will be featured in the upcoming months and there will be some giveaways along the way. To kick off our Knitalong, we're going to start the New Year with one of my fave's -- Very Shannon.

Very Shannon Logo

I adore Shannon and her designs - simple and elegant with a touch of interest for an enjoyable knit (or sew) and a very special finished project. Lansbury has been on my 'to knit' list since Shannon released the pattern nearly 2 years ago, so that's exactly what's going on the needles for January!

"Named for the lovely Angela Lansbury & her long time show Murder, She Wrote, this cowl represents all the twists & turns involved in solving a good mystery. I have fond memories of curling up watching Angela Lansbury daily with my Omi while knitting & crocheting alongside her. I still tune in regularly with reruns on netflix with my favorite tea and some twist filled knitting."

Like Shannon, I watched Murder She Wrote with my grandma many (many) years ago. My grandma has since passed and I'm sure I'll think of fondly, and often, as I knit this cowl - I may even reminisce by watching some episodes on Netflix while I knit.

One of the things that I love about this cowl, is that it's perfect for that special skein of yarn -- Lansbury only uses ~200 yards of aran weight yarn (heavier worsted). I've wound my skein of yarn and I'll share my yarn selection and progress soon - I can't wait to see the yarn you choose!

Pop on over to Shannon's blog to read more about her Lansbury cowl here. If you don't already follow Shannon... along with awesome blog, you can find her on twitter, facebook, instagram, and pinterest.

This is just the beginning of our Knitalong. With 12 months and 12 projects, you can knit a few projects for yourself and some as gifts throughout the year -you may even decide to knit duplicates! Just the thought of having some fresh knitted items for myself and the potential of being prepared for gifting before the last-minute, brings a smile to my face and I hope you're smiling too!

:: Simple Knits | A Knitalong ::

Taking -- and making -- time each month to knit a fabulous new something for yourself or the perfect gift for a loved one.

Visit our Simple Knits Ravelry thread for Knitalong details and to join the fun -- don't forget, we'll have some giveaways throughout the year for your FO's!