The Scholar Collar and Other Ramblings

The holidays came and went. My house saw a whole lot of knitting - which may come as a shock to you since all you've heard from me in the last two weeks is a whole lot of nothing. Rest assured, I'm semi-refueled, at least for the time being.

A quick summary:

* The huge red blob? Turned into something wonderful. You'll have to trust me on this one cause I can't show you for a while.

* Shifting Sands grew in a crazy way. Not done, of course, but I'll show you an updated photo later this week.

* The School Products Cashmere Merino garter swatch evolved. See below.

* More sweaters (plural) were started (somewhat shamefully)

As for Christmas knits, they were basically non-existent this year. And that felt great. I gifted the Swallowtail Shawl that I finished in August (to the most grateful recipient. Most deserved indeed). I felt fine leaving it in worthy hands.

The only other Christmas knit was a collaboration between Luigi and I - the creative vision was all his. All I did was round up the good fibers, buttons and ... the garter.



Pattern: The Scholar Collar (Ours)
Materials: School Products Cashmere Merino Blend (Bulky)
Needles: US 10/6mm
Buttons: Faux leather from M&J Trimming


Thoughts: The project seems almost too simple to write about. A rectangle with two buttonholes thrown in and some cool buttons. Form and function are both about as straight-forward as possible. It's clear that the yarn choice is this one's claim to fame. The Cashmere Merino Blend (50/50) from School Products is, hands-down, an all-time favorite for me. Its also one of SP's most popular sellers. The price is borderline criminal (in a good way)(for a bulky cashmere blend) and the color options leave you inspired... rather than the more common "okay the yarn is cheap and nice... but the colors suck. What could I possibly get by making with one of these options that doesn't look absolutely ridiculous..."

It's also true that I love garter stitch. It hasn't always been this way, though, and I'm sure my Zimmermann obsession has heavily tempered this preference over the years.




now with real buttoning action!
There should be more activity occurring around here, at least relatively. I'll tell you now, January will be a rough and busy month for me, but I'll do my best to keep up some fiber flow around here. Happy 2007.