Pearl Infinity Cowl


June 2020 features the Pearl Infinity Cowl. The sixth pattern in the Birthstone Collection. The theme for 2020, where each month I have a cowl, scarf, or shawl pattern in the color of that month’s birthstone.

Other patterns available in the Birthstone Collection:
Garnet Cowl – January
Amethyst Scarf – February
Zoe’s Aquamarine Infinity Scarf – March
Diamond Shawl – April
Emerald Asymmetrical Shawl – May
Ruby Shawl – July
Peridot Shawl– August
Sapphire Shawl – September
Opal Shawl – October
Citrine Scarf – November
Turquoise Scarf – December

The Yarn

Most of us know that pearls come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. When it came to this month’s design, I knew that I didn’t want to have just a plain white or off white. I searched tons of images of pearls and these are the images and colors that really spoke to me:

As luck would have it, I just happened to have the perfect colors in my stash. The yarn I used is Knitpick/WeCrochet Brava Sport. The four colorways I used are: White, Silver, Seraphim, and Blush.

My favorite color out of the four is the Seraphim, it is this gorgeous purplish-grey color; very similar to a shade of purple in the yarn I dyed using Kool-Aid. You can read about how we dyed our own yarn using Kool-Aid HERE.

The Pattern

In April 2020 I was given the great opportunity of being a guest designer on Made With A Twist blog. My featured design was the Pearl Headband. This cowl was the design that I was working on when I thought of the Pearl Headband. You can read all about the Pearl Headband HERE.

The Pearl Headband is the perfect project to get the hang of the stitches I used to form the ‘pearls’. The cowl is worked to be reversible, where as the headband is not. I wanted the cowl to have the textured stitches on both sides so when its twisted and folded back over there isn’t a right or wrong side.

I love the texture that the ‘pearls’ create. There are plans to add to this collection later in the year, so be on the lookout.

Supplies

– Approximately 850 total yards of KnitPicks/WeCrochet Brava Sport. With the 4 colors, I used roughly 212 yards of each skein; a little more than three-quarters of each skein.
– H/5.00 mm crochet hook
– Measuring tape
– Scissors
– Yarn needle

Stitches Used

Although the design uses basic stitches, I would considering it more an advanced beginner pattern. I say this because of the way the stitches are worked, working two different stitches into the same stitch can be tricky for someone just starting out on their crochet journey.

The basic stitches used are:
Ch – Chain
Hdc – Half Double Crochet
Sc – Single Crochet
Sk – Skip
Tr – Treble Crochet

Pattern Notes

I changed colors at every 4 rows, so at the row 5 repeat. But you don’t need to change colors at all.

Worked in rows and seamed at the end.

If changing colors, leave ends long enough to use the tails to weave and connect the side at the same time.

Color A – White
Color B – Blush
Color C – Seraphim
Color D – Silver

Finished Size:    (When laid flat)
Width – (before seamed) – 94” – (after seamed) – 47”
Height – 9” tall

Availability

This pattern is available to purchase on both Etsy and Ravelry.


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I Dyed Our Own Yarn

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I have been following a few independent yarn dyers for a few months now and find the entire process so interesting. While I have no future plans of becoming a professional yarn dyer, I do like seeing the final results. However, I did have a whole lot of fun with the kids on our yarn dying adventure using Kool-Aid.

I stumbled upon Chemknits on YouTube last month and fell in love with her video series on dying yarn with Kool-aid. After watching her video “Dyepot Weekly #197 – Dip Dyeing Yarn in Two Flavors of KoolAid – A Great Beginner’s Project!” I knew this was a perfect project to do with the kids while they are learning from home.

The Yarn

I wanted to use the yarn that Rebecca from Chemknits used, Sparkle Sock, for a few different reasons. The first reason is because I knew this yarn would work since she used it. Secondly, I’ve been working with a lot of fingering weight yarn lately. The last reason, THE SPARKLES!!!

The yarn can be purchased at DyerSupplier.com. The Sparkle Sock is a blended yarn containing: 70% Merino Wool, 20% Nylon, and 10% Stellina. There are A LOT of other options to choose from that you could use instead, and they should work the same way.

Sparkle Sock Yarn by Dyer Supplier. It’s hard to capture the sparkles on camera but if you look closely its you can tell it’s there.

The Kool-Aid

We have a large stash of Kool-Aid in our home. I tend to buy packets in pairs to make a gallon at a time, but I do have a few flavors where there is only one. According to Rebecca’s directions, I would need one packet of two different colors.

Once my yarn arrived, I dove into our Kool-Aid stash to see what color options I had. I saw that we had a single packet of Watermelon that was past the expiration date. One color down, one more to go.

The only other colors I have that would work well with the pink were red and purple; Cherry or Grape. Since I wanted two different colors, I decided on the purple that the Grape would provide.

Dying The Yarn

Using Rebecca’s video as a guide, I grabbed a large container that we rarely use to let the yarn soak in tap water for about 30 minutes. While the yarn was soaking, I grabbed all the other materials we would need.

I asked the kids which color they wanted to do, luckily they didn’t argue about it. Zoe wanted to do the Watermelon/pink and Gavyn picked the Grape/purple. Gavyn grabbed the pot and I had Zoe measure out the 8 cups of water we needed (a great way to practice fractions).

While the water was heating up on the stove, I added the first packet to the water. Rebecca advises to use the least concentrated color first, so pink it was. It worked out perfectly since Zoe wanted to do the pink, she will be the example that Gavyn needed to see. When the water reached a low simmer, I placed the pot on the kitchen floor. This made it easier and safer for the kids to reach.

Zoe did a great job and followed directions really well. She slowly lowered the yarn into the pot and made sure each strand was able have access to the dye. After a few minutes 95% of the color was in the yarn and we just put the rest of the hank into the pot. I returned the pot to the stove and removed the yarn to a separate container to cool off.

We followed the same process for the Grape/purple color. While the water was heating up again, I moved the zip-tie to the opposite end from where it was for when we dipped the pink. Gavyn dipped the yarn a few time and then gave up. It worked out perfectly so I could have a turn too.

The Results

After washing and drying overnight, I was able to put the yarn back in hank form. The results are stunning!

The way the sparkles shimmer and shine against the contrast of the darker purples is absolutely gorgeous. I don’t know how long I can wait to start a project with it; oh wait, I already did.

Right after I took these pictures I got my yarn swift and cake winder out. Ten minutes later, I had the cutest cake of yarn ready to be made into the project.

I ended up dying another skein in a semi-solid purple, using just the grape. I didn’t have enough to make my Amethyst Scarf in just the one color. I love the end result!

Purchase your Amethyst Scarf Pattern on Ravelry & Etsy.


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