Free For All

Earlier this month, I found myself in need of a simple, portable project for work knitting. I came up with something that wasn't quite as simple or portable as other projects have been, but it gets extra credit for using some of my handspun stash. I used the Free For All Cowl pattern, which calls for worsted weight yarn, with this skein of handspun. Regular readers may recognize this as the "Bad Polwarth" from a couple years ago (it was a really bad prep but I managed to get a skein anyway):

The project worked up pretty quickly on US 7 needles. It has a well-designed seamless graft, too - if you follow the instructions your join will be invisible. Unless, like me, you used a gradient yarn that reveals the join spot! Here's the front:

And here's the back, with the join:

This isn't a long cowl at all, as you can see. I don't normally wear little things like this, but maybe I could try it. Does anyone feel like this cowl was made for you? If so, speak up!

As a bonus, you get to see my compost bins in the background. It's been a while since I shared those...

In other fiber news, I experience a bad case of startitis over the weekend. I started THREE projects. First, I wanted a really low bandwidth knitting project for watching TV during Pandemic Times. I turned to Bonny's favorite pattern ever, Hitchhiker. Here is my baby Hitchhiker right at the beginning of its life. It has many more teeth now and I need to photograph it again. I'm using handspun for this and feel like I should get bonus points.

I also warped up the 15" Cricket loom to make an easy project - easy because I've made it before. I'm working another version of this waffle weave scarf, out of the very same yarns, just with the colors reversed. So this time I have the teal color in the warp and purple in the weft. It's so nice to not have to think very hard about how much yarn to use or any of the other choices one makes at the beginning of a project. I totally know how to do this and it's very relaxing:

And finally, since that twill cushion project is off the 25" Flip, I warped it up for the project that was next in line: these Stripes and Blocks Kitchen Towels from an older issue of Handwoven (of which I was able to purchase a digital copy - thanks, Internet). I'm using navy as the background color (the pattern photo shows grey) and shades of purple for the stripes and blocks. The pattern makes two different towels, and at least one is a 40th birthday gift for a friend who chose the colors. She probably thinks I've forgotten all about this, but I haven't.

I've been working remotely since Wednesday of last week. Today was Day 4. I'm starting to learn all the ways in which WFH is different. We've been stressing that our college students are going to need time to learn how to be online students, but I sort of overlooked the corollary - which is that employees will also have a period of adjustment! I'm starting to get the hang of it. I'm very happy to have 3 projects from which to choose when I clock out at the end of each day this week, and grateful that I know how to occupy my hands and mind in the act of creation.