NEW: Greenfinch Cowl
Well, here we are at the end of February already! Although the days are still short, and the weather here in the UK is still pretty wintery at times, the birds are definitely starting to chatter and herald the awakening Spring.
To me this is the real New Year - I don't know about you but I always feel a bit out of sync with all the January New Year intention making. I’m just never ready then for all that goal setting and action taking that the season calls for. I’m somehow always late to the party. Are you always up and at 'em come January 1st? Or like me, do you find attempts to move forward at this time feel forced and rushed?
For me, January is the time to simply ponder, take stock and reflect. The setting out of intentions for taking action always come a bit later, with the first stirrings of spring. This often leaves me feeling like I've somehow missed the starting blocks, with a sense of having to scramble to catch up. This year though, I choose another course, and if this resonates with you, I hope you do too. Instead of feeling like a guilty latecomer, I'm going to simply honour my natural rhythms and accept that I need to sense the subtle shift of energy that comes with this transition from winter to spring before I can get on with my year.
Unfinished sentences & New Year intentions
Like many folk, I’ve had a lot of change and disruption over the last few years (plenty of good stuff as well as not so much) - and that’s before The dreaded C word hit. This has meant having a lot of what I call ‘unfinished sentences’, which basically applies to unfinished projects, shelved plans and unactioned ideas. Given the current times I’m sure we all have our fair share of those don’t we?!
This year I’m focussing on dusting these down, picking up the threads and finishing what I’d started. In some cases this might mean accepting the time has now passed and letting go. Thankfully though, as I tend to follow my heart rather than following trends when it comes to knit design, much of my paused design work should still be useable. An example of this is my Feathered Friends collection - I’ve been dreaming this up for a few years now…
Feathered Friends
Birds are an enduring source of inspiration for me. I’ve designed numerous bird themed knitting projects, and I won’t be stopping there!
Inspired by birdsong and the promise of spring, the Greenfinch Cowl is the first of my Feathered Friends collection and it’s out today. Knitted in the round, it has a mock eyelet cable rib to the edges, while the main bodyis in reverse stocking stitch with my signature birdy feet formed with twisted stitches. Both these stitch patterns are easy to memorise so it’s not an arduous knit - though you will need to keep a gently eye on what you are doing. It’s not a beginners knit, but if you can knit and purl confidently you’ll be able to do this just fine, and if you are an experienced hand it’ll be a satisfying and quick project.
The yarn I used (Juniper Moon Farm Findley DK) is sadly discontinued, but that’s not a worry as the pattern is evergreen - it’s in a standard weight DK so you’ll have endless possibilities for a suitable yarn. To show off the stitch work and feel good against your neck I recommend using awool/silk mix, high twist is good, and solid or semi solid colours. For guidance on choosing the right yarn for your showing off fancy stitchwork go here, and for tips on substituting yarns, see this post.⠀
The pattern for Greenfinch Cowl is now up on ravelry, and you can use the code SWOOP10 to get 10% off until midnight (UK/GMT) on Mon 1 March (or if you're one of my lovely email subscribers, you’ll have a bigger discount code awaiting in your inbox). If you aren’t subscribed yet it’s too late for the special discount this time, but you can sign up below if you don’t want to miss out in future.
Coming Soon
With the promise of spring in the air, there is also a promise of companion mitts to follow in a few weeks! If you want the head’s up when the Greenfinch Mitts pattern is released into the wild, then sign up to my mailing list:
