Walking Rib

September 11, 2013





Felted Tweed Aran, the whole wheat toast of yarn.

This is the second post of my travel knits for Accessory Week here at Knitionary.  The best travel knits are knit in one piece, require no fitting and have an easy to remember pattern.  This one is by far the fastest and easiest of all my travel knits, plus it's beautiful.

The pattern is the Walking Rib Cowl by Churchmouse Yarns.  It's a stair stepped k2, p2 rib pattern that is easily memorized and so very fast.   I love that Churchmouse loves Rowan as much as I do, they often design patterns showcasing their yarn.  This time they chose Rowan Felted Tweed Aran.  It's funny, as many times as I've used the Felted Tweed DK, I've never used the aran weight.  Now I'm a convert.  FT Aran is the whole wheat toast of yarn.  It's earthy and hearty and substantial yet still refined.  The four plies seem to be felted together, hence the name.   One thing I appreciate is that in all the color ways, the tweedy bits are neutrals.  I think tweeds are prettier that way.  Once I knit with a black tweed whose tweedy bits were mostly neon red and lime green.  I spent half my time pulling them out but it was as futile as pushing back an ocean wave, they just kept on coming.  I love this charcoal gray with snippets of white and pale gray.

Here are the links!

Rowan Felted Tweed Aran at Churchmouse Yarns,


This was a great knit for my recent train travels.  I take the Amtrak Coast Starlight from Northern California to Southern California and back again.  My train ride is 10 hours, and while I think that long on the train would terrify most travelers, I have to admit I love it.  The train hugs the coast for over half my trip and it's just beautiful.  I load my iphone with audio books, I go to the observation car and listen to the docent nature lectures, I'll have a few casual conversations, but mostly I look out the window, knit and daydream.  The accommodations are comfortable, the seats are large with foot and leg rests, the windows are huge, train travelers are mellow and friendly, and the scenery can't be beat.  If we're not viewing the ocean, then it's all chaparral, farm land, vineyards and orchards.  Beautiful California.  Here are a few pictures out the window from my train seat.  Oh man, I love my state so much. 


Usually there are a lot of surfers in the water, but up and down the coast the waves were pretty small that day.



The kids are back in school and the campgrounds are less than half full.







Come back on Friday when I'll share a great lacy travel knit.
The next week is Party Week at Knitionary, I'll be sharing some great parties,
and I know you like parties :)


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7 Comments

  1. There is alot to love in your state, including my youngest daughter. Thanks for a beautiful post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love your state too! Some day, I'm going to take that train trip!

    ReplyDelete
  3. That Coast Starlight route is just what I've been looking for. Next time I'm in California.... Thanks for the tip! Chloe

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've taken this train from San Francisco to Seattle! THAT is a long trip! Thank you for the link to this cowl. It looks easy enough for me!

    ReplyDelete
  5. The pattern page you link to is no longer there. Is the pattern simple enough that you can post it for us?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Carolyn. I did a search and Churchmouse is not offering the pattern for free anymore. Here is the link to purchase the pattern: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/walking-rib-cowl--muffler

      Delete
    2. Thank you for your lightning-fast response!

      I like knitting and train rides also. California is gorgeous. Sometimes I wish I lived there, like now when we are having nonstop rain in Seattle.

      Delete

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