Hats: 2, Carmen: 2!

While I was really excited about the Grace Lace Beret when I finished it, I was even more excited about this finished product -- the Turn A Square beanie by Jared Flood. This was fun to knit and turned out very neat and clean. It's classic and modern at the same time.

I LOVE the colors that I used for this and think they're perfect together. The black/dark green as a contrast is subtle but stands out well in the light. I'm totally thinking about making it again, just reversing the colors this time. I should have more than enough yarn left from the original skeins.

I learned how to knit jogless stripes with this hat, which is a method that helps to make the changes in colors along the seam less noticeable (or "virtually invisible" as Jared Flood puts it).

This was knit for Lenny (good job on picking the colors, Lenny!) and he's been wearing it a lot since. It fits him well and looks good, if I do say so myself.

Yarn:
Cascade 220 (100% Peruvian Highland Wool)
100g/220 yd skeins
1 partial skein Black (8555)
1 partial skein Avocado Tweed (9413)

Needles:
US5 (3.75mm) 16" circular needle
US7 (4.5mm) 16" circular needle

Scarves are SO last year. Cowls are the new black.

I've always loved knitting fun textures using only knits and purls. Partially because it was something I could figure out early on, partially because it appeals to my love of checking off lists (one row at a time) and partially because it looks more complicated than it really is.

I saw the Darkside Cowl hanging on the wall when I went to class and wanted to give it a shot. It's a pretty close fitting cowl, not one of the trendy ones now that are super bulky and huge. I think it would be great for active things, hiking, skiing, running, though I haven't exactly tried that yet...

It's great for every day too... pretty and totally reversible. The one thing I'd do differently is make sure to cast on and bind off extra loosely, as one edge is tighter than the other and just a tiny bit difficult to pull on. Really no biggie, though.

Yarn:
Di.Ve' Autunno (100% Fine Merino Wool)
50g/98 yd balls
2x Forest Blue (46389)

Needles:
US7 (4.5mm) 16" circular needle