So who’s taking part in the Knitting Olympics/Ravelrympics? I actually kept putting off my project – I did a sweater during the Summer Olympics a year & half ago and thought I might do another – but I want to finish the sweater I currently have on the needles. I hemmed & hawed and told people here I probably wouldn’t take part…then Friday I suddenly choose a project at the last minute.

Temple Cats!
I have been in love with this pattern even before Suzanne submitted it to IDP. I haven’t done a lot of stranded color work so I decided the time was right for this pattern. I had some old Merino Style in my stash that would work well so I was all set!
I cast on during the Opening Ceremonies – which I loved, especially the tattooed tap dancing fiddle players. Though I am super annoyed …

This project felt like it took forever, and I’m so glad it’s finally done. I also love the finished result, so it was worth all that effort. Here’s my 10 Stitch Twist blanket in all its 72″ diameter glory.
I ended up using 36 balls of Palette, double stranding 2 colors together throughout. I switched out one color at a time (every 3/4 of a round or so) so that the color transitions are pretty gradual. Frankie Brown’s 10 Stitch Twist pattern is clever and simple – it’s excellent tv/movie knitting and keeps you warm at the same time!

Melissa – our color guru – helped me pick out the colors to match my sofa, and the blanket looks wonderful draped over the arm of the sofa – ready to curl up with a good book when I am. And the ample size means no cold …

Congratulations Araignee!
I hope you have chosen your Merino Style colors to make your own Shiver Scarf! We will be getting in touch to ask for your preferences!

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So in a kit planning meeting long, long ago, it was decided that we’d do an entrelac kit. It’s an interesting technique that can yield very pretty results. When it was decided that I would be writing this pattern, I thought, well, darn – I have no idea how to do that!
Turns out, it’s really easy. And Yvette is the result.

Considering I had to learn Entrelac before writing the pattern, I was concerned that I’d get frustrated with it and not come up with anything very nice. But what I found was that it’s strangely addictive. Especially in Andean Silk, which is about the best yarn ever. It’s actually much, much easier than I expected – if you can pick up stitches, then you’re ready to go!

Entrelac is formed by knitting a small mitered section of stockinette, then picking up stitches from a previous section …

I’ve used Jacquard acid dyes for a number of yarn and roving
projects, but for this month’s dyealong I wanted to try something new.

I haven’t done much natural dyeing,
and I wanted to try using everyday household items that didn’t need
special equipment or complicated recipes.  I thought I’d try using
coffee to dye my blanks – we always have it in the cupboard, and I was
playing around with the idea of using two different ombre dye patterns
in a woven scarf.

I’ve never dyed yarn before. I love to experiment, but I
don’t really like following instructions. This makes for an interesting combo
when it comes to hand dyeing. I cook a lot and like to mix different recipes
for the same dish into a funny hybrid that by nature I can never
remember how I
made. Must be a good method for dyeing yarn, right? Definitely! Well,
perhaps .
. .