It has finally turned Wintry here in Southern California. It always seems that Winter will never arrive and then all of a sudden you know it's Winter because it's freezing cold outside. I find myself wondering, when I venture out into the brisk morning air, why it is that I wished for it to be Winter. I certainly don't enjoy freezing on my morning jog. Ah, yes. Now I remember. It is because I can wear my knitwear! Enjoy cozy days inside! Warm my tummy after dinner with a glass of liqueur! And, in general, enjoy cocooning at home!
This is Haven a Kim Hargreaves design knit with Rowan's cocoon yarn. I have always loved the cozy hat and scarf sets that appear in magazines around this time of year so decided that this year I would make one for myself.
When I first felt the cocoon yarn in the skein I wasn't that impressed. However, it was surprisingly soft to knit and the final washed and blocked product couldn't be more warm and cozy.
Please don't examine the hat too closely. It will pass with non-knitters, I believe. It seemed so simple a concept. I would just knit a panel of the Haven scarf design in the round to make a matching hat. This would have worked perfectly but for my failing to take into account the increases and decreases which effectively shifted the design 1 stitch over each round. I decided I would rather have the hat fit than concern myself with an exact pattern match so I merrily knit on worrying not about the lack of perfection ~ which is an attitude I try to bring to life in general.
Particulars: Haven from Heartfelt the Dark House Collection; US 11 needles; 3 skeins Rowan Cocoon (including hat); colorway Polar. Modified by simply doing 1 lace panel instead of 2 and only 18 of the 28 pattern repeats with the goal of having an opulent but more traditionally sized scarf (wash/blocked 62"x9"). My hat is a wonky version of Haven in the round.
I will warn that if you wash this yarn you must be extremely careful how you do so. I just tossed the scarf and hat into a warm bath and came back 20 minutes later to find that the yarn had relaxed and grown at least 12 inches. I went into shock and required ER procedure, um, actually it was the yarn that required ER procedure and somehow I managed to coax the hat and scarf back to their original shapes. Now that it's dry, I love how springy and lively the yarn is and maybe that always happens when it's washed. I would just be careful that you don't allow it to stretch too much when washing.
You may recall that my neighbor Chris (Mom to Mr Puffy's best friend, Ralph, who Mr Puffy was referring to in his award speach) and I knit this project together. We had lots of fun sharing laughter and mistakes, not necessarily in that order! Chris chose to knit hers exactly as designed and it really came out fabulous. But she was a little shy about having her picture taken so it was fortuante that Mrs. Santa Claus agreed to stand in. Both the picture above and below are of her lovely Haven taken amongst her Christmas decorations.
Lastly, if you are not yet feeling the Christmas spirit, take a look at this link and prepare yourself to feel Christmasy! Christmasy link (you will need to click "download original attachment" to watch the video) .
Have a great week everyone ~ and try having a small glass of liqueur after dinner to warm you inside :) My favorite is Grand Marnier of Crepes Suzette fame and I would love to know yours!
