Enabling: DIY Odyssey Cowl Kit

Last December, I was gifted an incredibly opulent project kit from Bijou Basin Ranch which included all of this amazing stuff:

For those of you keeping track at home, the specific contents were: the Odyssey Cowl pattern by Laura Chau, a skein of Tibetan Dream sock yarn dyed by Miss Babs, a pair of Signature circular needles, an Allure Sampler Pack, some Purrfectly Catchy stitch markers, and a custom-made project bag by St. Clair Designs using reclaimed fabric and an exquisite upcycled button from Balwen Woodworks. Yeah. that's quite a package!

There were only a small number of these project kits made for the 2015 holiday season, and they sold out pretty quickly (can you guess why?)....but the good news is that you can now make your own version of the kit, because almost all of what you need is available in online:

Yarn: Tibetan Dream is available in a lot of interesting color options, some of which are dyed by the one and only Miss Babs - and there are some new gradient, ombre and self-striping options from ModeKnit yarns to choose from, too!
Pattern: yup, you can also buy the Odyssey Cowl pattern online here.
Allure: Snag a sampler pack or go all in with a large bottle of your favorite scent (mine's Prairie Breeze)!
Project Bag: a limited number of the custom-made, hand-sewn "Bijou Bag" are back by popular demand here.

All that's missing in the needles and stitch markers - but if you're like me, you probably have a bunch of both of those things in your collection, right?! Of course, it's never a bad idea to stock up on stitch markers. For this project, I highly recommend buying a large quantity so that you can place one in between each chart repeat - and then, of course, you will want a unique stitch marker to mark the beginning of your round. Over the weekend, I cast on for my Odyssey Cowl and used some pretty green stitch markers from The Tangled Skein to separate each repeat:

Conveniently, Bijou Basin Ranch is having a sale through midnight tonight, and you can save 15% on your entire purchase with the coupon code NOTATSTITCHES. So go crazy and treat yourself to some delicious indie-dyed yak yarns! If you need a special occasion to justify your purchase, allow me to assist once again by reminding you that today is Washington's Birthday. You're welcome!

You might like to know: the folks at BBR sent me a complimentary Odyssey Cowl kit. If it weren't totally awesome, I wouldn't be blogging about it here, though!

Comments

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends, so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks). The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels? I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b

handmade by stefanie

Search This Blog