After a nasty blast of winter last week, I've finally unthawed. Did not have a "bombogenesis" on my weather bingo card for early November! Admittedly I had no clue what one was until our local weather fella mentioned it; it's when rapid intensification of a storm caused by a sudden and significant drop in atmospheric pressure : the development or intensification of a bomb cyclone. A cyclone is a low pressure system and a bombogenesis occurs when a storm intensifies, rapidly losing 24 millibars of pressure in 24 hours. (Thank you, Merriam-Webster's dictionary! Brief aside, their Instagram account is hilarious. Check them out if word play is your jam)
So yeah, low barometric pressure (hello, weather headache), super high winds, and the first snow of 2025. Jakey, Silsie and I just kind of cuddled up, and spent a couple days in massive blanket nest to be perfectly honest. Floofy boy hates wind and required Auntie and Sisfur to protect him.
This has meant a burst of knitting speed to get my latest ear-warmer off the needles, and onto my rapidly icy-feeling ears. I'm down to the second i-cord tie as of this morning. So yay for a nearly finished project! This was taken last night as I approached the end of the ear-warmer's shaping:
As if often the case, I've been in deep thoughts about which design to get on my needles after the ear-warmers are all knit. I have a spreadsheet where all my ideas live, and the column for "idea/chart/swatch" is often where I look for the next thing. I've had a chart done for a 3 color double-knit scarf/cowl set for quite awhile (chart is dated 2021), and I purchased yarn to knit the sample cowl last year. But I have to be honest with myself and you: I'm not feeling another d-k scarf right now. The ear-warmers have me wanting to continue playing with shaping double-knitting rather than just creating plain old rectangles.
Fiber friends, I've gone and created the chart for a hood to go atop a short cloak/cape in the last week. A double-knit hood involving not just decreases but also short-rows.
Ok, I'd be super remiss if I didn't acknowledge where the whole hood inspiration came from. Are you familiar with the designs of Nim Teasdale🔗 (link goes to her Love Crafts profile)? Probably best known for lace shawls of phenomenal artistry, this summer and fall saw a set of 5 hooded short ponchos/long cowls emerge. Inspired by medieval fashions and the tales of Robin Hood these are a glorious set of colorwork enhanced whimsical yet practical items to keep the wind off your ears and neck, while confounding the Sheriff of Nottingham. I want to knit them all!
And armed with my supposed-to-be-a-scarf chart, that's where this hood of mine obviously got its start. I'm not sure if this is going to go anywhere, but I'm probably going to at least swatch the shaping portion at some point.
And yes, this is reminding me that I have Countess Cathleen glaring at me from the top of my dresser awaiting her pattern to be written/tech edited/released to beta knitters/published. She's definitely not forgotten, but my mind is having a bit of a time figuring out how to write the pattern in multiple sizes. I've knit enough of them, it shouldn't be that difficult but... Yeah. I do have charts and stitch counts, so that's helpful at least.
Oh look, more rain coming the next few days, with another wind warning. Thankfully my tea reserves are very robust, and I have many woolly layers to burrow into while drinking my weight in tasty hot teas, and knitting.
Oh! And don't forget: the Fasten Off Yarn Along is fast approaching! Cast-on is 9pm Eastern Standard on November 21st. Designer signups concluded last night but I haven't seen the final count yet. I do know several new-to-FOYAL designers have been joining and saying hello on the Discord server🔗 (link to the server), which is awesome! I love discovering new-to-me designers. And of course a lot of old friends are back, both designers and makers, which really makes it such an amazing event.
I did notice one returning designer in particular that gives me an excellent and timely personal project. I got a lovely mitten pattern during last year's FOYAL, Voss by Anniken Allis🔗 (link to pattern page in designer's Payhip shop), and I think that's going to be my first cast-on for FOYAL 2025. I think the pattern will pair nicely with some Briggs & Little Sport I have onhand, and I can keep my hands warm this winter. I also have the patterns for Vaffel Votter and Vinter Votter by her but I'm less sure on my colors of B&L Heritage for contrast purposes. They're all lovely patterns. Do check out her Payhip shop; she also has a number of really beautiful lace patterns.
Ok, that's my rambling musings for this evening! Hope you're keeping warm, or cool depending on your location, and have an engaging project or two (or more ;) on your needles or hooks
Yours in yarn, and kitty snuggles
Síle
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