In grade school I would get a new box of Crayola markers every August, and by May the only ones still working with plenty of ink would be the orange, purple, and brown. As you can tell, I am not much a fan of purple. But every once in a while I find just the right shade + object combination and it is love!
my sneaks!
So it was when I saw the beautiful Manos del Uruguay 5-ply Merino at PurlSoho I had to order two skeins. They call it “magenta” but it is a beautiful deep mix of purple and fuchsia, and so saturated. Quite hard to capture the exact color because it is very complex.
I decided it would be perfect as a cowl and searched the PurlBee until I found this pattern for a Leaf Lace Scarf. Of course, making a cowl version means not dealing with the dreaded Kitchener Stitch, but I did have to adapt the pattern to be knit in the round and it was my first experience with lace knitting. I even had the yarn-overs going in the wrong direction for a while… The cast on edge is garter stitch, and the other edge is a seed/ribbing mix with a fake tubular cast off from TECHknitting. After blocking it is so comfy and soft!
Leaf Lace Cowl
raccoon-like
The second skein was used for the Waffel hat over at Pickles. I had a little trouble with the gauge and ended up knitting the hat upside down. I started at the brim but it was too small, so I increased (that’s why the pattern is at a different scale than in the original). When I had enough height I bound off, then cut the cast-on edge and reknit, decreasing to the top of the hat. I love how knitting is so forgiving in this way. The smocking texture is very easy and could easily be used in a garment.
honeycomb
smocking
purple head
The hat will be going to someone who favours the color…