Show and Tell: PB&J Cowl

Today, our show-and-tell chat is with Lara Neel, who stopped by to see us in June!

Jessie: What inspired you to tackle this project?

Lara: When I saw the Hello Purl batts lined up in a neat little cubby at StevenBe, I thought of my mother immediately. Like my mom, these batts had a lot of interesting elements and a little sparkle, too. So, even though I was just a beginning spinner, I took a chance and brought one home. My mom’s favorite color is purple, so I chose the PB&J batt.

The batt, split up and ready to spin.

Jessie: How long had you been spinning at that time?

Lara: About 3 months! I should have been nervous, I guess, but the batt was made so beautifully, I had no trouble at all. It spun up really easily. I just tore off strips from the batt, predrafted them a little, and spun them. I designed the cowl to knit out of it because I wanted to really show off the yarn, but also make something that wasn’t too boring. I made a cowl and called it the PB&J cowl, after the batt.

Singles.

Jessie: How did you end up with your design in the Ennea Collective?

Lara: I had been reading The Ennea Collective blog for a little while, and I had emailed them about design submissions. They answered that they liked distributing knitting designs, but they LOVED them if they also included handspun yarn. I had already knit up the cowl, and had written a pattern, so I photographed it and sent them a submission.

I was so excited when they said they wanted to publish the pattern! I think it’s a really fun one that could work in a lot of different yarns, and is easy (but doesn’t look TOO easy).

Jessie:
Well, I think it’s really cute! Can people still buy the pattern?

Lara: Yes. You can buy it from the Ennea Collective or on Ravelry.

Thanks for that, Lara! It’s really lovely work.

We still have a few batts, but, if you don’t have the time or patience to spin, any yarn that knits up at 4 stitches per inch on #10 needles will work for the cowl. You only need about 141 yards (128 meters) of worsted or heavy worsted weight yarn.

Cascade 128 Superwash would work well. It comes in tons of colors, too. Plus, it's machine-washable! You might be able to squeeze a cowl out of just one skein, but it would be safer if you had two skeins.

Malabrigo Rios could work, although your cowl would probably end up being slightly more narrow, because the gauge on it is closer to 4.5 stitches per inch.

Or, you could use three skeins of Freia Ombré Sport, held three strands together. Freia Flux Sport is a multicolored, handpainted, striping yarn of 100% wool. Each ball starts and ends with the same color. The long color changes would probably produce some really fun shifts as you knit the cowl.

For a slightly larger version, you could use Misti Alpaca Chunky or Hand Paint Chunky. You might need two skeins to get a good-sized cowl, but the baby alpaca would be so cushy!

Lara produces a blog and podcast at journalgazette.net/craftyliving and you can find her on Ravelry as math4knitters. Her podcast is called Math4Knitters, Crafty Living, and you can get it, for free, on iTunes. All photos in this post are hers.

Want to share your story? Email me at jessie at stevenbe dot com.

Want to buy something you read about here? Call us! 612-259-7525.

Upcoming Classes including an evening session of Magic Loop Mittens!

Reversible Fair Isle Headband with Lori Phillips at Yarn Garage in Rosemount.
This is a two session class on Monday, January 18th and 25th from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.  This is a $28 class with the pattern sold seperately.

If you have always wanted to try two color knitting, then this is the perfect class for you! Lori has designed this reversible headband that will teach you a provisional cast on, two color knitting from a chart, and seaming. You can pick your own motifs and use traditional or outrageous colors.  We used Misti Alpaca Tonos Worsted, but why not use Spud and Chloe Sweater or Noro Kueryon? You must come to class with your yarn wound and ready to cast on!  Click here for more details.
 
 
Baby Hat & Booties with Lori Phillips at Yarn Garage in Rosemount This is a two session class on Monday, January 30th and February 6th from 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM. This is a $28 class that includes the pattern.

Learn to make these adorable hat and booties! You can make them super girly with pink and white or in the colors of your favorite sports team. We have a huge selection of colors for these fun and fast hat and booties! Lori will teach you to knit in the round, increase, decrease, and short row shaping. You must already know how to knit and purl to attend this class. Please come with your pattern, yarn, and needles ready to cast on! The first session will teach the hat and the second session will teach the booties.  We suggest using Cascade Fixation as we love the colors and the stretchiness due to its cotton/spandex blend.  Click here for more details.

Toe-Up Two at a Time Socks with Lori Phillips at Yarn Garage in Rosemount This is a two session class on Wednesday, February 8th, 22nd, 29th, March 7th from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. This is a $48 class with the pattern sold seperately. Note there are two Wednesday sessions that are not consecutive due to the amount of knitting needed to be completed.

Here is your opportunity to learn how to make socks two at a time while making them toe-up. This is the only way to make socks! This is an intermediate class for those who have already learned the Magic Loop knitting technique. We suggesting using some of the new Malabrigo Sock yarn or the new Zen Yarn Garden.  You must come to class with your yarn and needles ready to cast on!   Click here for more details.



Magic Loop Mittens with Lori Phillips at Yarn Garage in Rosemount This is a two session class on Friday, February 3th and 10th from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. This is a $28 class with the pattern purchased seperately.

Come to the Yarn Garage on a Friday night to learn the Magic Loop Mitten with Lori! This is the first and only evening session we will have for this class. You must already know how to knit, purl, increase, and decrease. You also need to come to class with your gauge established, your yarn wound and needles ready.

Lori has written this pattern with four gauges and four sizes.  Please come to the shop to pick your yarn and knit a gauge swatch prior to class.  You can use Malabrigo Rasta, Cascade 128 Superwash, Plymouth Select Worsted Superwash, or Sublime Baby Cashmere Merino Silk D.K.  Click here for more details.

Lori's Favorite Seams at Yarn Garage in Rosemount This is a one session class on Wednesday, February 20th from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM.  This is an $18 class.

Seaming got you down? Don't be frustrated with finishing anymore! Come to this class to learn the mattress and kitchner stitches. You will forever have perfect seams!  Click here for more details.