Yew Tree: A Lacy Ring

Here it is Groundhog Day already. That’s crazy. I feel I’ve just gotten over Christmas! Once again, a pretty crazy week here. I had 4 written patterns due in various places which meant size-grading and pattern writing to two different style sheets…always a challenge to the ol’ brain. In an odd, geeky sort of way, I really enjoy it. It’s a little like cleaning a closet. 1) It’s never as bad as you thought it would be. 2) It feels so good when it’s done. 3) You wonder why you didn’t do it sooner (and more often!). Apart from a lovely leisurely (diet) lunch with Bubba, that was pretty much my week. That and preparing swatches, sketches and rough material for the upcoming week’s work. Lucky, lucky me, to knit for a living :D!

It’s still fairly chilly out there, although here in south Louisiana, we do get those spells in the 60’s & 70’s. We’ve got a big run of carnival parades coming up starting on Saturday with Chewbaccus. Our girl Lauren, a co-founder of the Tipsy Knitters, is marching, so Miss Laura and I plan to be on hand to cheer her on. Last weekend, we backed up Miss Pat, who is a member of the Goddesses of Krewe Delusion. They braved the rain and brought it!

Sometimes, especially with the big uptown parades such as Muses and Nyx, we find ourselves standing out doors for long stretches of time waiting for parades to appear. Those are evening parades, so it can get quite chilly. Perfect time for something soft and pretty ’round the neck!

I THINK THESE NEXT FEW COLD WEATHER WEEKS MIGHT BE A REALLY GOOD TIME TO THINK SERIOUSLY ABOUT KNITTING A SNUGGLY COWL. SO ON FRIDAYS BETWEEN NOW AND GROUNDHOG DAY, I’M GOING TO OFFER A WEEKLY DISCOUNT ON A DIFFERENT COWL PATTERN FROM MY RAVELRY STORE.

Today, on the last day of Cowl Month, the offering is the Yew Tree Cowl. It’s a lacy ring etched with pretty leaves in dainty boxes. This is an easy lace pattern to knit, bridging the gap between chart and TV knitting. It’s a great beginner pattern if you haven’t tried knitting lace or working with a chart. Yew Tree can be worked from a single skein of fingering/sock weight yarn, making it the perfect opportunity to use a special skein. You’ll get lots of pretty cowl without lots of work.

If you’re new to lace knitting, a simple repetitive pattern worked in the round is perfect. Because a chart is simply a snapshot of the right side of knitted work, it’s easiest to start by working in the round where you’ll always be working on the face of the fabric. Every round will be worked from right to left and there will be no need to convert stitches to be worked on the wrong side. The chart shown is worked over 10 stitches, so cast on multiples of ten and Bob’s yer uncle. What you see is what you get!

So! Today’s coupon code is YEWTREE4. You’ll get 50% off the Yew Tree Cowl pattern through the end of day on Friday, February 9, 2018. I hope you enjoy it!

Stay warm,