First of July and Last Project of June

Hello there - today is July 1, which is for some reason is a surprise to me, though it shouldn't be since it's eleventy billion degrees and a bazillion percent humidity, as one would expect in July.  Ugh.  But, as another month begins, there's a clean slate and that's always good.  June was a tough month in our house, but there were two good knitting-related things that happened.

First, I finished the socks and sent them off to their recipient.  Last week, I received one of the nicest thank-you notes ever - and a real one, sent via snail mail that the person took the time to write and send.  Such a nice surprise! 

Second, I finished my Crazytown Cowl.  Two projects in one month finished is a record for me!  Here is where I started:

Project:  Crazytown Cowl
Pattern:  The Shift, by Andrea Mowry
Yarn:  Stonehedge Fiber Mill Crazy - this yarn is made from mill ends, and no two are alike.  They also don't have colorway names, so I can't help you there.  ;-)
Needles:  Size 5US
Modifications:  Yeah, right.  It took me 5 tries to properly get it started!
Notes:  I LOVED knitting this!  I was inspired to try the pattern and the yarn when The Tim, Hamlet, and I stopped at Hidden River Yarns, and the owner, Lisa, was making one using this yarn.  Hers looked so pretty and so unique, I decided I wanted to try it.  I already had two skeins of Crazy in my stash, so I only had to buy one more (which pleases me, since I've been trying not to buy yarn). 

It's knit in seven sections - this is after Section 1.

I took it along while we were in WV for Memorial Day.  Every morning after taking Hamlet for a walk, we would sit on the front porch until everyone else got up, and I would knit on this project.  I managed to get halfway through Section 2 by the time we got home.  Jack approved.  :-)

Oh my sweetie, how we miss you! xoxo

Once you finish the first section, you are basically in the groove, so to speak, and just mixing different yarns at different times.  Each row is only one color, and the color patterns are created by slipping stitches.

Once I wove in the ends, it was time to block it.  With the humidity and rain in mid-June, it took 4 days to dry!  Then it was time to sew the back seams together, et voila!

The front:

The back:

I am SO excited with how it turned out!  Plus, I learned how to do the I-cord bindoff, which was much simpler than I was expecting.  When I saw that bindoff in the instructions, I was a little hesitant.  Then I remembered that one of the people who taught me to knit said that the best way to learn something was to follow the instructions and not think about it.  The instructions in the pattern were incredibly clear, and - it worked!

This is the only modeled photo you'll get at this point - I would have passed out even inside if I'd put it on and tried to have The Tim take photos.  Fortunately, the Molly hanger is happy to step in for now.

Now I'll put it away with the hats, gloves, etc. until the cooler weather arrives, when I know I'll wear it a lot.

I could see making another one down the line - every time you made one with different yarns, it would look completely different.  It is one of the most fun projects I have ever knit.  It would also be a good gift knit for someone special.  I can't recommend this pattern enough, really.  If you are at all interested, give it a try!

Thank goodness these good things came out of June, so it was not a total loss.  On to July knitting!  (And stay tuned for some developments ...)