Warm knitting patterns for January

Brrr... It is cold in Kansas this January and it looks like a large part of the world is dealing with frigid temperatures.  So what do I do when it is so cold?  I sit next to our fireplace in a very comfortable chair and knit with Merino wool yarn.  The yarn I am using currently is Merino and silk yarn.  (I like warm and soft wools, hence the choice of Merino)  This way I stay warm and comfortable and provide a warm choice for others looking to stay warm.

Here is a wonderful pattern that I made my husband.  He wanted a fingerless glove so that he could continue to feel the wood he works on in his heated shop.

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I  made a pair to sell in my Etsy shop using cotton and tencel to add to the ease of washing.  I love the color

pre-made mens fingerless gloves

Of course, I couldn't forget the women out their who love to make warm fingerless gloves.  I love pine trees and see very few of them in Kansas so I decided to design some in this lace knit pattern.

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I loved this lace pattern so much I just had to design a scarf to go with it.  I used Misti Alpaca lace weight yarn which is quite warm and soft. 

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 The pattern also gives directions for making it into a hat/scarf called a scoodie if you wish.





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Last year, my neice asked my to design a scarf for her using purple as the color.  I came up with lace knit design for people who love the wonderful iris flower.  I used Cascade's Merino and silk DK weight yarn for this pattern

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If you don't want to knit the pattern your self I have a long scarf already made for you out of this fabulous yarn in my Etsy shop.

luxurious lacy merino and silk iris scarf in Etsy shop

I am currently working on a shrug design I hope to have out soon using the same wonderful Cascade Merino and silk yarn.  It is so soft and warm.

 

What do you like to do when the temperatures turn cold to help stay warm?

 

luxurious lacy iris scarf pattern

April is such a busy month at our house.  Not only is it tax season but this year was Easter.  Now add my birthday and my grandson's birthday and it is hard to get anything else done.  My husband delighted me this year with a gift that brings out the girl in me.  He got me an entire fairy village.  Of course I had to set it up with a carosel horse to visit the village.  Here is how it is set up right now. 

Anyway, April has been fun (except for taxes).  My wonderful niece asked me to spin some angora and Merino wool into yarn and design a scarf for her.  Her favorite color is purple so I decided a lacy iris scarf would fit the bill.  This is my new favorite spinning wheel.

It spins so fast the yarn was made in no time at all.  Then came the design process.  I love lacy knits and my niece lives in Phoenix so I thought a little lace in this warm and soft angora/merino yarn would be appreciated.  Here is her scarf finished.

  

 

When it was time for the making a pattern, I looked around for some yarn that would be as soft as the yarn I made, since pattern buyers don't all spin.  I found a new yarn that I love on sale at Craftsy.com for a excellent price.  You can get your own here: cascade-venezia-sport-yarn

 

They even had the perfect color of Orchid Haze.  I love, love, this yarn.  It is so soft and it really shows the stitch definition.  It is 70% Merino Wool and 30% silk to add that shimmer.

 

I will be buying more.  Well the pattern is finished and back from two separate testers.  One of them is using the pattern to make a pillow top.  Here is a picture of the finished scarf.  I still am looking for a model.  The mannequin works to start the process.

 



 

The pattern is for two sizes: 

8 inches (20.32 cm) wide by 67 inches (170.2 cm) long or

    Long Scarf: 8 inches (20.32 cm) wide by 100 inches (254 cm) long. 

I love how it came out.  What do you think? 

All in all, April was a wonderful month.