Greetings, knitters, from the magnificent maple forests of upstate New York where I’m preparing to start my annual bash at the Sterling Renaissance Festival. The weather is sure a lot cooler than it was in New Orleans last week! The water level in Lake Ontario is extremely high; you can see from this photo that the docks are swamped. The breeze blowing over the cool water has an edge of crispness on it.
Today in featured projects I’ve got some simple, portable summer knits perfect for travel or cottage knitting and useful to have on hand for sunny days and chilly nights.
Inspired by the Cajun parties of the Deep South, the Fais Do-Do Hat is intended to be a shape-shifting safe-guard against the strong Southern sun. Soft and resilient palm fiber keeps the Fais Do-Do light and cool to wear while its wired brim is sculpted just the way you like. From a funky crumpled cowboy hat to a neat-as-a-pin wide brimmed straw to a demure garden chapeau, the Fais Do-Do is a real wardrobe staple that invites creative decor of all kinds. Try flowers, real or faux, shells, ribbons or jewels. It squishes flat for traveling too!
The Fais Do-Do is worked in the round from the top down beginning with a circular cast on. Spiral crown shaping makes for a pretty top. An eyelet round at the base of the crown allows for a braided cord to adjust the hat’s fit. A double knit tubular bind off creates a casing where thick soft floral wire is inserted and the Kitchener Stitch closes the edge.
The Maypole Shawl is an easy, semi-circular shawl that begins with a gentle stockinette body. Increases worked every other right side row at 8 points across the shawl produce an almost half-moon shape that is deep and snugly at the center and gently tapered at the points. Evenly spaced increases create very pretty directional shaping lines that put me in mind of a spider’s web or the spokes of a wheel. The lace border in a whimsical lace pattern of big polka dots floating in mesh is knitted continuously, pretty to look at and fun to knit. To finish, an exuberant loop-the-loop edging of I-cord creates a clever scallop.
I think the Annapolis Wrap, is as close to being yachty as I’m likely to get. It’s jaunty. It’s a long triangle with easy-to-memorize shaping worked in 2-row stripes. It provides the knitter with a good long stretch of fairly mindless “boat knitting” (for in between sailing tasks), followed by an engaging lace border which is knitted on as the shawl is bound off. A fairly large wrap, Annapolis uses the specified yarn almost completely, but adapts itself to smaller or larger interpretations. The border can be applied to any number of stitches so your final stitch count after knitting all those nautical stripes is just not that important. Choose something soft and warm in colors you love and you’ll have a toasty wrap in no time!
Through Monday, July 8, I’d like to offer 50% off these selected patterns. Just hop on over to my Ravelry shop, choose your patterns and use the coupon code SUMMERFUN2 at checkout. I hope you’ll enjoy them!
Love,
Cheryl
