We’ve added Pooling is a Cinch to the Starfall KAL, so now it’s a PDXKnitterati Assigned Pooling KAL!
Starfall cowl
We’re kicking off the knitalong on January 9 via Zoom. I’ll be there to demonstrate some techniques and give you pointers on how much more you can do with Starfall and this fabulous yarn!
The Starfall pattern is available through Ravelry, link here. It is also available through Payhip, link here.
Check out Keith’s colors here; choose a color that works for assigned pooling in 100g fingering weight for Starfall. There are a lot of pooling colors to choose from. Your yarn purchase will get you on the Zoom invite list. Order your yarn by December 27 so you can knit with us in January!
Pooling is a Cinch in Times Square colorway
UPDATE: We’re adding Pooling is a Cinch to our KAL; if you order this yarn (it’s worsted weight, so an even quicker knit) from Keith, you’ll get the Zoom invite, too. Wednesday Dec. 27 is the last day to order to get your yarn on time for the January 9 Zoom. Jump into the pool with us!
AND! I’ve opened a thread in my Ravelry group so we can discuss both of these projects and the KAL. Here’s the link. Hope to knit with you in January!
Those two Starfall cowl samples that I knit recently? I’m having a knitalong with Keith Leonard’s beautiful Yarn Snob yarns!
Starfall in Wine Mom colorwayStarfall in Keith’s Irresistible Iris colorwayNew colors, and the colors I used
We’re kicking off the knitalong on January 9 via Zoom. I’ll be there to demonstrate some techniques and give you pointers on how much more you can do with Starfall and this fabulous yarn!
The Starfall pattern is available through Ravelry, link here. It is also available through Payhip, link here.
Check out Keith’s colors here; choose a color that works for assigned pooling in 100g fingering weight. There are a lot of pooling colors to choose from. Your yarn purchase will get you on the Zoom invite list. Order your yarn now so you can knit with us in January!
Pooling is a Cinch in Times Square colorway
Keith’s colors are amazing. He also dyed the yarn for my first pooling pattern, Pooling is a Cinch. I love this colorway; I used it again for my Firefly Trails cowl. It would make a great Starfall, too. Tempting? Of course! Come knit with us!
UPDATE: We’re adding Pooling is a Cinch to our KAL; if you order this yarn (it’s worsted weight, so an even quicker knit) from Keith, you’ll get the Zoom invite, too. Wednesday Dec. 27 is the last day to order to get your yarn on time for the January 9 Zoom. Jump into the pool with us!
AND! I’ve opened a thread in my Ravelry group so we can discuss both of these projects and the KAL. Here’s the link. Hope to knit with you in January!
Remember these two beauties? I last posted about them, wondering which color I’d use to knit a Starfall sample. I have now knit three cowls with these two skeins. (You’ll see why/how in a bit.)
Wine Mom, first swatch
At first glance, I didn’t think there was enough going on with Wine Mom. And the color run was longer than in my previous Starfall cowl, so there was a lot of color on each side of the star. This swatch was knit on a US5.
Keith’s Irresistible Orchid
This colorway called my name. I was knitting on a US4.
Starfall Cowl, unblocked
I knit this over the Thanksgiving holiday, but I wasn’t really happy with it. The stars are pretty small, and the fabric is a bit firmer than I like. There’s a lot of color at the sides of the stars, too. I wondered if it would be better on a US5, even though I thought that looked a little puny with this yarn. What if I made 6 stitch stars instead of 5 stitch stars? Would there be enough yarn to finish the cowl? I didn’t want to frog the whole thing and reknit it, if it could mean losing at yarn chicken.
Of course that meant that I should knit an entire cowl with Wine Mom, just to make sure the yardage would work out. Behold, 6 stitch stars on a US5 needle.
Starfall cowl in Wine Mom
I love it. Which meant I had to frog and re-knit the first cowl. And that’s how I’ve knit three cowls with these two skeins of yarn. I re-knit the Irresistible Orchid cowl in 3 days. Don’t try this at home; my arms are definitely feeling some tendinitis. Oops. But I did binge watch the current season of Virgin River on Netflix, so that was fun.
Bisquee is ready to help with blockingStarfall encore
The stars are bigger and there’s less color leakage at the sides of the stars. And the fabric feels right, too. Winner! I also added one more 4 row repeat of the old shale lace at the bottom edge, because there was enough yarn left to do that. I would have added that to the end of the Wine Mom version too, if I had thought of it. It all depends on how much yarn you have left.
Blocked photos coming soon. And I’ll figure out if kits are happening with Keith, the dyer of these gorgeous yarns.
Oh! While I was knitting, I realized it would be easier for me (and you, the knitter), if I gave row numbers throughout the triangular increase section, instead of just telling you to repeats rows 2 and 3, 39 times. So I edited the pattern. If you purchased it through Ravelry, the updated pattern is available to you. I’ll get the Payhip version updated today, too.
Now I need to finish my qiviut cowl, and think about a sweater I want to knit for DH, and design something with some fun new yarn from Knitted Wit. Never a dull moment, right?
I’m planning to make a sample of my Starfall cowl with Keith Leonard’s fingering weight Yarn Snob yarn. I love his yarns for assigned pooling. We’re planning to do kits.
The fronts, Wine Mom and Irresistible Bearded IrisThe backs, Wine Mom and Irresistible Bearded Iris
He sent two skeins, so I could choose. That’s a difficult choice when they’re both utterly gorgeous. Which one sings to you?
Starfall assigned pooling cowl
We started talking about kits when I told him how quickly I sold the extra yarn from my assigned pooling class.
A Wondrous Worsted in Times Square colorway
He’s waiting for a shipment of worsted to dye, so this kit is on hold for now. Soon!
I’ve been designing and knitting a lot of bandana cowls lately. This is a great shape to wear; it pops on over your head, and stays put. I love wearing these when I’m teaching; they don’t fall off when I lean over to look at a student’s knitting. But how do you block this shape?
Cosette
You could block it this way, but it will leave creases at the back neck and front.
Using tubes of some sort, or rolled up washcloths, will keep you from getting creases as your cowl dries. This tall neck could probably have used a separate set of tubes for the cowl portion, separate from the triangle.
I upped my blocking game for my Starfall assigned pooling cowl, because it needed a more assertive blocking to set the stars and open up the lace border. Here’s the whole process.
Soak cowl in cool water with a bit of no-rinse wool wash for 20 minutes. Gently squeeze out excess water (do not wring). Roll up cowl in a folded towel and walk on it (!) to remove more water.
Block cowl to desired dimensions, pinning out scalloped lower edge. I also put wires along the neck edge to maintain a straight edge. It’s easiest if you lay it out with the triangle face down and the back of the cowl on top so you can pin out the scalloped edging of both the front and back at the same time.
Place tubes into the sides to avoid creases; I use the tubes my blocking wires came in. For this particular cowl, the center spine is the center front. The end of the bind off is the center back (it’s the arch of the scallop, not the point).
See how laying the cowl down with the back side up allows me to pin both the front and back scallops?
Starfall blocking, now front side up
I usually flip my cowl over the next day to speed up drying; you can pin out the scallops on the just the front because the back will be dry already. Let dry completely. Sew in ends.
Have you blocked a bandana cowl before? Would you do it this way? I really like it!
Starfall is a fingering weight bandana cowl featuring a cascade of assigned pooling stars on a stockinette stitch background. Knitting begins in the round at the neck with a reverse stockinette rolled edge. Simple shaping at the center front creates the look of a triangle shawl, and Old Shale Lace adds a beautiful, scalloped edging.
Choose a yarn that is dyed for assigned pooling, with an accent color run of about 8 – 10” long. Hand-dyed yarns vary, and the pooling color length can vary from skein to skein! You may have a longer pooling color run, which you can address by having color streaming on each side of your stars. Suggestions are given in the pattern for managing your color.
Blocking is magic! You’ll want to wet block this piece to make it the star of your dreams. Pattern includes a blocking tutorial.
The pattern is now available from Ravelry, link here.
Use coupon code METEOR for 15% off through May 15. If you’re taking my Zoom class through For Yarn’s Sake on June 4, the pattern is already included in your class fee; don’t buy it twice!
Thanks to tech editor Jen Lucas, test knitters Carmen Adkins, Peggy Baker, Ann Berg, Shelly Dinh, Angela Gronewold, Desta Packan, Jamie Waclawik, and model Sharon Hsu. It takes a village and we had fun!
I’m scheduled to teach my Embellishment Cowl class on Sunday, May 7, from 1 to 3 pm Pacific. The class (and cowl) features slip stitch quilted lattice, a fancy fan stitch, and beads! I’d love for you to join me; I need a few more people to sign up before the class is a go. If you’re interested, you can sign up via For Yarn’s Sake here.
Saturday June 3 I’m teaching Petite Brioche, beginning 2 color brioche in the round. Sign up here.
Sunday June 4 I’m teaching another assigned pooling class. I’ll be using my new Starfall Cowl pattern, which is included in the class fee. The pattern isn’t out yet; my test knitters are having fun with it. It should be out the first week of May. You can sign up for class here.
That’s all I have on the Zoom schedule for now; I’ll start Zoom classes again in the fall. Carpe diem; let’s knit!
Still on the assigned pooling bandwagon! I just blocked this, and I love it. It’s a fingering weight bandana cowl with a cascade of assigned pooling stars, and an Old Shale lace edging. This is one of my favorite looks to wear; it looks like a shawl but it stays on without a fuss.
I just finished writing the pattern and video tutorial, and it will be tech edited this week. I’m looking for a few test knitters; you’d need one skein of fingering weight yarn that’s dyed for assigned pooling, with a color pop of about 8” long. I used Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere.
Find my patterns on Ravelry: Michele Bernstein Designs
Here are some of my favorites, and the newest. Many of my designs are also available through my Payhip store.
PDXKnitterati 