Ice, Ice, Baby

"Many of the phenomena of Winter are suggestive of an inexpressible tenderness and fragile delicacy. We are accustomed to hear this king described as a rude and boisterous tyrant; but with the gentleness of a lover he adorns the tresses of Summer."

- Henry David Thoreau

Icicle Scarf
$4

Two Sizes - Small: 7 in. wide by 48 in. long
Large: 7 in. wide by 96 in. long

Materials: 1 (2) skeins ArtYarns Beaded Mohair & Sequins (color 178S)
Size 8 needles
Skill level: beginning lace knitter, written directions.

I absolutely LOVE this one. I made the longer, two skein version so I could wrap it around my neck several times and still have ends to play with. But the shorter one skein version would still be lovely. The pattern has directions for both.



The small size can be completed in just a couple evenings by the fire; the longer version over a weekend - easy...


I was surprised to find that the beads and sequins didn't slow me down much, when worked on size 8 needles. Mere speed bumps along the way.This gives it an extra lacy and open feel that prevents beads from winding up on the wrong side of the piece. It sets off the sparkle to perfection.

Here's a shot in her natural habitat.


Would that all of winter were so warm and lovely...sigh...

Pattern will be released tonight or tomorrow. As soon as I get it written up.

*****

And now, for those chilly souls that still need warming, I present...

Hearts & Flowers

With Valentine's day just around the corner, here are two patterns in Artyarns luscious Silk Rhapsody (although any DK weight would work.)

I know that the label says "worsted," but I took the needles down two sizes to a Us 5. this compresses the fibers a bit and adds better stitch definition. The silk knits beautifully at that gauge, with a hand reminiscent of silky merino, but the mohair adds a bit of halo that adds a lovely softness to the finished pieces.


Hearts is the larger of the two pieces, straggling the line between scarf and stole. The color is 115 Marguerite, sort of a cross between red and coral, deep pink.

It features an interlocking heart design that is easily memorized after several repeats. I tried for an entire morning to get a rounder appearance on the top of the heart, and this was the best I could do.


This surface shot shows the texture better


For want of a better terminology, little squiggles surround the hearts.


Hey, I could have called them heart-worms...yuck...don't think so...

Flowers is smaller, definitely a scarf.This delicate color is 171, a lovely soft rose of a shade.


Flowers features a line of bas relief flowers down the center, flanked by feathered vertical dividers and openwork patterns evocative of leaves.

Both patterns will debut on February 1st at a special "sweatheart of a deal" price. They will be available separately for $6 each, but you can purchase both patterns for only $10 through the 14th.

After that, they will be available only at the regular price.

Love is all around us. If we just know where to look...

Feels warmer already...