Tanis Fiber Arts

FO: A Thousand Splendid Moons Cowl

| yarn & yarns
I have Julie of Knitted Bliss to thank (or is it blame?) for my introduction to Tanis Fiber Arts. I’ve long had my eye on the Dove colorway and decided to splurge on this wool-cashmere-silk blend. So when it came time to cast on for the January TFA knitalong, I grabbed this heavenly skein for a little selfish knitting. What better way to kick off the new year?

And now I have my first FO of 2012.

 

Today was an uncharacteristically overcast day in New Mexico, but I think it helped capture the yarn’s mix of colors with a little less gleam.  There’s something very lunar about this combination of yarn and pattern — not that I could bring myself to include “craters” in the name.

 

Knitting all those little moons/craters was a challenge… Not because it was a difficult pattern, but because trying to keep my tension consistent was driving me mad. With help from my wise sister, I decided to relax and start honoring the imperfect. All in all, a good practice to start a new year.

WIP Wednesday: Just Ducky Chadwick

| yarn & yarns

In a strange turn of events, I think it’s because I love this one so much that it keeps getting pushed to the side. I used the promise of it back in October to tackle a pile of finishing. Then it was set to the side for the rest of my holiday knitting, with full knowledge that it would travel to MN with me and be my reward vacation knitting.

All well and good, or at least I thought so. Then I passed the halfway mark only to discover that I had unintentionally made a “design modification.” See that band of three Chestnut stripes in the sea of Mallard? Those are supposed to be purl ridges.

I don’t know if I had the pattern wrong in my head from the start, or if the stopping and starting caused me to forget that detail. Crazy thing is I even wondered while knitting them, “Hmmm. Why did he start these rows on the opposite side?” Doh.

To frog or not to frog? It was good timing that I had a TFA Knitalong to cast on for in January and reason to set this aside for a good think. At the moment I’m leaning towards embracing my unintentional individuality and carrying on — although I do have moments of wanting to just rip back and do it “right.” But then I wonder how much that’s prompted by my desire to hang onto this WIP just a little bit longer.

So I’m throwing the question out to you. To frog or not to frog? That is today’s question.