Tagish Mitts

Wow, I have no idea where the last week went!  I had planned to introduce this pattern last week, but I seem to have blinked and about 8 days disappeared.

This is the third and last pattern that went live on Knit Picks on April 1.  The Tagish Mitts (Rav it) were created to be a complementary accessory to the Tagish Cowl, or they can be perfect on their own.

This is a super simple project that can most definitely be finished in an evening or two.  Perfect for a last minute gift!

Details

Pattern:  Tagish Mitts (Knit Picks link)
Yarn used:  Knit Picks Swish Bulky in Merlot Heather, 1 hank
Notions:  Tapestry needle, three 1/2 in buttons
Thanks to my test knitter, Allison H (yes, another Allison H lives in my tiny little town!)

Tagish Cowl

As promised, here is another of the patterns that were released yesterday in Knit Picks Independent Design Program.  I give you Tagish Cowl. (Rav it here)

I've been admiring this lovely shade of Swish Bulky for awhile now, and searching for the perfect cowl pattern to create with it.  But that cowl pattern never surfaced, so I took it upon myself to make one of my own!

As discussed in yesterday's post regarding the Taiya Scarf, I've been on a bit of an all-things-brioche kick lately.  I just love how the stitch is so light and airy.  And having it wrapped around your neck is a little piece of heaven.

I knew that I wanted to incorporate buttons somehow, and in the prototype of this pattern I had initially had 7 buttons/buttonholes all the way down the closure.  But that seems a little bit much, plus it had already been done, so decided to cut out a few buttons and make it an asymmetrical closure instead.

The top of one end of the cowl is buttoned to the bottom of the other end.  This created less bulk around the neck and I also like how on one side the cowl flips over at the top and on the other side it flips up on the bottom.  A cute little detail that keeps things interesting!

Details
Tagish Cowl via Knit Picks IDP
Yarn: Knit Picks Swish Bulky in Garnet Heather
Needles:  Size 9 and 10 straights

This is such a quick knit...great for last minute gifts or just some mindless movie knitting!  I hope you'll check it out.

Taiya Scarf

Thanks so much for the overwhelming response to my giveaway!  It's been inspiring to read all of the comments...makes me wish spring in Alaska would get here already!

Well, I thought I had another week to get my blogging act together before my new patterns went live in the Knit Picks Independent Designer Program, but *surprise* they went live today!

I'm so excited to debut Taiya Scarf (Rav it), Tagish Mitts (Rav it), and Tagish Cowl (Rav it).  These are the stealth projects I've been working on these last few weeks.  I'm so glad to finally be able to reveal them to you!

I'm going to profile each of them over the next couple days, and today I'll start with Taiya Scarf.

I've been on a bit of a brioche kick lately (in this case, I used a variant of brioche, Fisherman's Rib) and I was hoping to combine my love of that squishy soft stitch with my obsession of lace knit in bulky weight yarn.  And this is how Taiya Scarf was born.

As I draw inspiration from my Alaskan environment on a daily basis, I found it was only fitting that I name my patterns after locations or places here in the North that inspire me.  The mighty Taiya River flows just east of my Alaskan town and every summer there are vast amounts of wild irises that bloom at the mouth of the river where it meets the sea.  When I was working on this scarf, the purple hue of the yarn reminded me of the color of the irises, hence the name.

I love the fact that the squishiness of the Fisherman's Rib is the part that wraps around the neck.  It's like wearing a cloud!  And the diamond lace at either end of the scarf keeps things interesting.  

Details:

Pattern:  Taiya Scarf (Knit Picks link)

Yarn:  Knit Picks Cadena, 3 hanks in Blackberry

Needles:  Size 11 straights

Model:  My good friend, Trish.  The best model/friend/spin drive companion a girl could ask for.

Stay tuned over the next couple days where I'll be showing off the Tagish Cowl and the Tagish Mitts!