I love accessories!!!

I really should finish Breezy Cables from Interweave Knits Spring 2006, but it's starting to get warmer and I want to knit fast and furious! Ok, warm is a relative term - we've actually only broken freezing, but I have spring fever. Plus, am I really going to need a cardigan in May in Orlando? Yeah, baby, that's right...vacation!

I'm into accessories now! My favorite new books are Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson and One Skein by Leigh Radford. These books have wonderfully quick projects that would make superb gifts for someone you love or yourself! Plus, who doesn't have a stash to use up? Picture the Tomie de Paola book Strega Nona and you might get an idea of what my stash is doing to my house!

Last summer I knit Aiblhinn (Knitty Winter 2004) with S.R. Kertzer Marble in Patagonia. It's a DK weight 100% acrylic yarn that is soft and self-striping.


The pattern is adorable, but I realized halfway through my third skein that I would need another to make Aiblhinn the full length. Try as I might, I could not find the Patagonia colorway anywhere. So, I shortened the piece to about 17" and it really is perfect. It's a little floppy as a cowl, but one day I pulled the edges down over my shoulders and realized it makes the perfect little capelet! I can pull it down completely so it's off the shoulders or it can be pulled just slightly over the shoulders, keeping a cowl neck. Even though it's not as long as the original pattern, I still have enough length to pull it over my head while keeping my neck covered. I love wearing fitted tees and this is the perfect accessory when I'm a little cold working at my desk. The spiral rib is fun to work, pretty to look at, and it makes this piece so stretchy that it would fit many builds when worn in this manner. I have a 36" bust and I can stretch this piece several inches away from my body. It feels like a hug!
This pattern and wearing variation inspired me to make another one with Patons SWS in Natural Earth. It's such a beautiful yarn and I really love a single spun yarn like this one (you know, one without multiple plies). Because this yarn has more body and is the weight that was intended for pattern, I'm sure it will work better as a cowl and it will be a warmer capelet. The thought has occurred to me to turn it into a seamless sweater a la The Sweater Workshop, but that one needs a bit more research. Plus, with spring around the corner, I don't need a sweater. Stay tuned for that one in the fall!

I'll share more of my adventures in accessories as we near spring!