butterfly stitch | bonnyknits

It has been a productive week for me. Let me try to catch up by sharing a finished object from a few days ago: the purple Kerr Diamond Cowl. I started it in early April, after getting both the yarn and pattern from Show Me Yarn at the Knitting in the Heartland event. (So amazing. I had SUCH a good time. Shighhhhh…) Then it got pushed aside for other things until finally I realized my WIPs were at an uncomfortable amount and I needed to start finishing some stuff. Ergo, the complete cowl!

The yarn is amazing, soft without being limp, not splitty at all, and rich colors. It really was a perfect combination of yarn and stitch pattern. I think the whole thing is gorgeous.

Here’s the back, where I grafted the two ends together.

The ribbing at the back of the neck really is a genius feature, decreasing the bulk nicely.

Now, I have to add a couple of caveats: this was not my favorite thing to knit. The pattern is well-written, easy to follow and simple enough for advanced beginning knitters who maybe want to try a couple of new skills like grafting. It’s well-matched to the yarn.

But it just didn’t match my personal knitting preferences. I had already made a bag, two hats, and two scarves with the butterfly/diamond stitch, and it’s a bit fiddly to knit, and I was just over that stitch. Also, I prefer to knit cowls in the round; I just adore knitting in the round. And finally, Kitchener Stitch is evil/amazing/horrible/awesome. I mean, it looks so good when it’s done but man, is it stressful. I go to knitting to get away from stress, not add to it.

Still, the pattern has a lot of great qualities and like I said, I love the finished object. So yeah, it was totally worth it. Just don’t ask me to knit that stitch again anytime soon!!

Pattern: Kerr Diamond Cowl by Kris Carlson.

Yarn: Show Me Yarn Cyclone in color All Dressed Up.

Ravelry notes here.

We survived another school year; I’m now the mom of a junior and an eighth-grader. After a celebratory lunch at Steak n Shake, where I successfully resisted the call of a milkshake, I managed to find some knitting time. I took a break from the mermaid blanket and picked up a WIP that had been neglected for six weeks. I’d done the easy part, the ribbing, but was waiting for the right time to start the more complicated pattern. Once I got going, I realized it wasn’t that complicated after all! It’s called the Kerr Diamond Cowl but I’ve done the stitch before as a Butterfly stitch. After the first time through the repeat, it’s been smooth sailing. It’s working up nicely and is a lovely way to show off the yarn. But no matter how hard I try to keep the yarn loose, it still puckers up, which is what I noticed the last few times I used the butterfly stitch. It’s just heavily textured, and I’m okay with that. Gives it more visual interest. The yarn is Show Me Yarn’s Cyclone in the All Dressed Up colorway, and it’s marvelous to knit with.

It was a nice knitting break, but now I feel I must return to the mermaid blanket.