pattern – Cowtown Knits

Introducing Capitol Hills Wrap

April 12, 2019Leave a comment

For the first time in a long time, I’m happy to announce the launch of a new pattern!

This one is a pretty lace number that’s perfect for spring and summer wear, and it’s called the Capitol Hills Wrap.

I’m very lucky to live in a great neighbourhood (Capitol Hill, here in Calgary) with an incredibly high proportion of fibre artists. We recently started up a Fibre Arts Club at our community association that’s drawing a surprisingly large crowd of crafters who knit, crochet, Tunisian crochet, cross stitch, embroider, sew, and dye yarn!

One of those crafters is Jenn, the incredibly talented dyer behind Fibre Goddess, who happens to live just a few blocks from me (our kids even go to the same school). When I got my hands on her Artemis yarn, a silk and linen blend, I knew it could be something special.

I wanted a shawl that I could wear every day. I sometimes struggle to find a good way to wear triangular or semicircular shawls, so I decided to go with a simple rectangle instead. I also wanted to utilize the beautiful drape of the yarn, so I made it nice and hole-y. I found a geometric wallpaper pattern I really liked on Pinterest, and converted it to knits, purls, and yarn-overs, because that’s the way my brain works. And because I wanted it to finish with points on either end, I started it from the middle and worked outwards.

Construction starts at the middle of the wrap with a provisional cast on, and a narrow band is then worked in opposite directions to form the horizontal centre panel. Then stitches are picked up along one side, and a broad chevron pattern is worked vertically in one direction, ending with a peaked edging. The process is repeated in the opposite direction to complete the wrap.

I’m so happy with how it worked out! The yarn is scrumptious, and the wrap is something I can wear every day, which is pretty much all I’m ever looking for in a knitted piece.

You can buy the pattern (which is $2.00 off until end of day April 19th) on Ravelry by clicking the button below.

Or come visit Jenn and I at the Fibre Shindig at the Hillhurst Sunnyside Community Association on Saturday, April 13th, from 10am – 4pm. We will both have kits at our booths that will include 2 skeins of Artemis as well as a hard and digital copy of the pattern (at its discounted price).

This collaboration is all about great neighbours and lively neighbourhoods, which I’m so grateful to have!

It’s a 2-Pattern Kinda’ Day

July 29, 20163 Comments

This is a big day Chez Cowtown Knits. I’ve been working on two collaborations with Third Vault Yarns, and both have just been published. Lola and I chatted about working together on some kits while sitting at Knit Night a couple of months ago. She has dyed up some gorgeous yarn and I designed a couple of patterns that I hope do the yarn justice.

The first pattern is Lambton Panes. This is a top-down shawl featuring garter stitch stripes in a gradient (Cowtown colourway!!!) and a semi-solid, with slipped stitches travelling down to make a lattice pattern. The way the gradient changes through the background makes my heart sing!

The pattern has both charted and written instructions, and a photo tutorial for the two-colour Cast On. And because I have a technical-editor-extraordinaire (aka Eleanor Dixon), the pattern is easy to follow. All of this is to say that there’s no need to be intimidated.

The other new pattern is for the Chainlink Mitts. These are a simple, fun little fingerless mitts with a touch of stranded colourwork. These were designed to highlight Third Vault’s Gytha Worsted yarn and look great with the variegated (Drink Me) colourway as the MC or the CC. If you grab two skeins, you can easily get a couple of pairs of mitts out of it – one for you, one for someone on your gift list.

From now until August 13th, if you purchase both patterns at the same time (both must be in your Ravelry cart at the same time) you’ll get £1.00 off the pair.

The Pippa Toque

June 22, 2016June 22, 2016Leave a comment

I’ve decided to start hosting the Pippa Toque pattern on my website. The pattern is still the same, it’s just downloadable from here now. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the download link.

Pippa Hero cropped

The Pippa Toque is a cute little hat to keep heads and ears toasty and warm on cold winter days. The close stitches and stranded colour work make this a nice thick fabric for great insulation.

You can find a photo tutorial for making pompoms here in the Tutorials section of the website.

Suggested Yarn
Jil Eaton Minnow Merino; 100% Extra Fine Superwash Merino; 77 yds 70 m / 1.76 oz 50 g.
MC: 2 skeins of Mango (4751).
CC’s: Less than 20 yds each of Elderberry (4727), Snow White (4701), Pinque (4789), Light Blue (4747), and Peacock (4709).

Needles
US #8 5 mm 16” (40 cm) circular and DPNs, long circular for magic loop or two circulars—or size needed to obtain gauge as listed.
US #6 4 mm 16” (40 cm) circular—or 2 sizes smaller than that needed to obtain gauge.

Notions
Stitch marker, tapestry needle.

Gauge
23 stitches and 26 rows / 4 inches 10 cm in Chart 2, blocked.

Sizes
Finished measurement: 13.5 (15.75, 18, 20.25, 22.5)” / 34.5 (40, 45.5, 51.5, 57) cm circumference. Intended to be worn with 1” 2.5 cm of negative ease.
Note: Sample is shown in 18” 45.5 cm.

Skill Level
Intermediate: requires ability to work in the round, stranded colourwork, various increases and decreases.

Click the link below to download the pdf. I hope you enjoy the pattern and the hat!

Pippa Toque V3.1

Or maybe this hero

Introducing the Mount Rundle Mittens

September 14, 2015Leave a comment

Hello! Long time, no see! And boy, has life been happening since I last posted. Most of the radio silence of late was a result of a move to a new continent. My husband’s office in Calgary was closed down, and he was lucky to get an offer to transfer to the office in London. Three months later, here we are.

In order to focus on the logistics of moving a whole family across an ocean, I put designing aside until we got here. I gotta tell ya, that was not easy! Ideas were festering in my brain and I so itched to get at my yarn and spreadsheets. But there was so much else going on, I knew it had to wait.

Luckily, I had a pattern that had been completed back in June that was waiting for the right season for publishing. As the days have started getting shorter and colder here, I’m feeling confident that now is the time. So, I present the Mount Rundle Mittens.

These mittens were originally designed for an event at The Loop, my local yarn store in Calgary. They had a Craft Cruise coming through and wanted some patterns and yarns from local artists and I was fortunate that they asked me. These mittens are my homage to the tall mountains and sunny skies of Alberta.

The original sample was knit in my own hand-dyed yarn. I loved how it looked in the navy blue and silver. But, when moving, I decided that the yarn-dyeing operation was best left on hold. Then I was left not wanting to have a pattern only suggesting a yarn that wasn’t commercially available. So, I picked up some incredible Mrs. Crosby Trunk Case from The Salty Sheep while on vacation in Swansboro, NC. The new sample is knit up in Hollywood Cerise and African Grey – both stunning colours with such depth and subtle variation.

The pattern is now available for purchase on Ravelry and Love Knitting. I hope you like it, happy knitting!

Introducing Ribbon Weed

March 20, 20154 Comments

Not only have I chosen my favourite set of names from the naming contest, I’m ready to announce the publication of the first pattern from the collection.

Without further ado, let me introduce you to Ribbon Weed, a super-bulky cabled throw.

You will be able to whip up this cabled throw in no time! The Cascade Magnum produces a luxurious and stylish fabric that is super cozy to snuggle under.

The throw features large double-seed-stitch-filled cables nestled in reverse stockinette stitch and a garter stitch border.

The pattern is available for purchase individually or as part of the Fundy Tides Collection, which will also include two pillow patterns. You can find more information about the collection here.

Once again, thanks go out to Eleanor Dixon for technical editing. And this time a huge thank you goes out to my mom, Pat Bostwick, for test knitting, proof reading, and coming up with the great names for the collection.