Modern Quilt Wrap (yum!)
It's
true: I hate to knit scarves. I don't know why. I just do. I am
thrilled to have other people knit scarves, and in snowy January, I
love snuggling up in a sweet little neck-wrap just as much as the next
person. However, while I understand intellectually that knitting a
scarf is the same as knitting a sweater sans shaping, I remain stalwart
in my dislike of Knitting Scarves.
(I do, however, love crocheting scarves. This split scarf
personality is no doubt a sign of some deep personal conflict, but
there you have it: Crocheting scarves, yay! Knitting scarves, nay.)
Thus I find it particularly ironic that two weeks ago, I had my
heart stolen by a knitted scarf pattern. I was flipping through a copy
of Mag Kandis' new book Folk Style, and suddenly, my little knitter's heart went pitty-pat at the sight of the Modern Quilt Wrap
scarf in all its gorgeous multicolored glory. I was captivated. And
despite the current ban on New Cast-Ons in my house, I caught myself
standing in front of my stash, contemplating this yarn or that yarn,
debating colors in my mind, wondering what I would do if I were
knitting the Modern Quilt Wrap for myself.
(I can fool myself, you see: It's not really a scarf, because it's
wide...So: It's really a stole. Or a shawl. There. I feel much better
now. I simply fell in love with a stole pattern, not a scarf at all.
Whew.)
This scarf (er, I mean, stole) pattern has all the elements of a
Perfect Knitted Scarf: It's built out of little mitered-square bits
that you can take along to knit wherever you go. It's designed in a
yarn that needs to come with a Surgeon General's Addictive Substance
label, Rowan's Kidsilk Haze.
It looks like a Log Cabin quilt design, only fuzzier and with yarn
instead of calicos. And the colors are glorious (Mags, you are a genius
with color!).
Mag Kandis' Folk Style
So naturally, when I was asked to choose one pattern out of the Folk Style book to feature on Knitting Daily, I chose the one that had stolen my heart: the Modern Quilt Wrap. I hope it steals your heart, too.
This is just ONE of the beautiful patterns in this oh-so-beautiful
book. I actually had a rather hard time choosing between the Quilt
Wrap, and Kate Gilbert's Paisley Shawl, and the cover project, Felt
Appliqued Skirt by Gayle Bunn, and Leigh Radford's Urban Hand
Warmers...you see my dilemma. They are all such fascinating and fun
patterns.
I have to say that working for Interweave in no way
helps my yarn addiction, nor my addiction to casting on new projects.
It's like working in a crack factory, people. And this Folk Style book, well, it's just a particularly gorgeous way to feed anyone's knitting addiction.
You can thank me later.
Red Scarf Project
The astute amongst you will have noticed that there was a video of me knitting a scarf in last Friday's post, once again proving that my hatred for knitting scarves apparently has a few cracks in its mortar. However: It's not just any scarf, it's a Red Scarf. It's for orphans, as part of the Red Scarf Project,
and thus totally worth the self-discipline of scarf-knitting. I mean,
really: My life is so full of loving people and generosity, I could
knit a thousand scarves and still not have given back enough. Time to
pass it on and pay it forward...The pattern will be available on Knitting Daily next week.
Teva Durham Podcast: Podcasts are a great
companion to your knitting--they are an entertaining alternative to
watching TV during those endless stockinette stitch patches! Download Eunny Jang's interview with Teva, who has a new yarn line from Tahki Stacy Charles
called Loop-d-Loop. (I also like to listen to podcasts while I am doing
the dishes or pulling weeds--makes the task seem to fly by!) Have a
question you'd like to ask Teva? Send in your questions and we'll post the answers on the website.
Sandi Wiseheart is the editor of Knitting Daily.
What's on Sandi's needles? About 38 inches' worth of cables and twisted stitches for my Red Scarf, coming soon to Knitting Daily.
Someone asked if this was the ONLY thing on my needles...you caught me!
I am the Unfinished Objects Fairy, spreading my little stardust magic
over as much casting-on and as many needle sets as possible.