A Bowl and a Cowl


Don't you think that bowl and cowl should rhyme?  Well it was just a thought.  I finished my daughter's cowl last night while watching the very last Harry Potter movie with the family.  The drama had the stitches flying off the needles!  I only just soaked it early this morning and I am not sure if I will get a photo of it being worn.  I have my fingers crossed but just in case here are two photos of it drying in the guest bedroom.


I always block my knits and I always use a wool wash.  I like knowing that I do not have to rinse the soap out of the knitwear.  I think soaking allows the fiber to "bloom", it also removes any chemicals and last bits of dye that are still in the wool after it has been processed.  It always feels softer to me.

I fill up the sink (or tub) with very warm water and add a splash of wool wash then throw the knitted item in and submerge it.  I soak at least 20 minutes.......I have been known to soak for 7 hours because I forgot and that's okay too.  Then I wring (yes, wring) it out.  I try to do it very very gently.  If it is a sweater I toss it into the washer and put it through the spin/drain cycle.  DO NOT wring cashmere-it is too delicate.  I only wring wool, alpaca, and silk fibers.

If it is lace, I pin out the project right onto my carpeting.  Otherwise I just lay it out and gently reshape it.
I am to much of a chicken to try the hand wash cycle on my front loader, I am afraid I would be crying buckets of tears if it felted my knits.


So anyways, since the word bowl is in the post title, here is a wonderful gift I received from my father and his wife for Christmas.  It's a hand crafted yarn bowl from one of their local artisans.  Right now it's just holding some lace weight yarn.  I have some ideas of some yarn that would be perfect to use in this bowl and see if it really works.  When visiting my sister, she was knitting a scarf for her son using the bowl to control the yarn-great invention!  I also think it is lovely to look at.


Comments

  1. Tracey ~ CloverJanuary 5, 2012 at 10:35 AM

    Karen, thank you so very much for this post! I have been winging it with soaking my knits as I was never quite sure how, now I know!
    I am very envious of your bowl! I was just telling my husband that I needed one as I use a cereal bowl now. I must show him yours when he gets home so he can see what I'm talking about. Enjoy!
    Oh, and the cowl turned out just great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lori annJanuary 5, 2012 at 10:35 AM

    Your cowl looks great! Well done on finishing in time for your daughter. I do the same with blocking, and if the wool is even a bit scratchy (my husband brings me home yarn from his travels and sometimes it can be) I'll add some organic hair conditioner to the soak water. It usually does a great job! And I love your bowl, I've always wanted one of those!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ErinJanuary 5, 2012 at 11:21 AM

    Love the cowl! And that bowl!! I have been coveting one I saw on Etsy just like it for a while now, but fear that to buy it is asking for trouble... toddler + rambunctious dog = broken teacups on more than one occasion!

    ReplyDelete
  4. *kateJanuary 5, 2012 at 11:33 AM

    That bowl is so cool! And the cowl is lovely :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousJanuary 5, 2012 at 12:19 PM

    The cowl is lovely -- the slight color variations are just gorgeous.

    And the bowl is amazing -- I could just leave my yarn sitting in it and having it be a decorative piece. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  6. OrangeBlossomJanuary 5, 2012 at 12:27 PM

    The cowl is beautiful! I haven't tried other yarns expect those that are machine washable ... I too am too scared that it'll get washed and then felted. I guess I could always give it to a little one...

    The bowl is beautiful! What a great invention.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Only in Louisiana ~ documenting the adventures we call Life!January 5, 2012 at 12:48 PM

    I LOVE that cowl.....even if it doesn't rhyme with bowl! Don't you feel sorry for people trying to learn our English language? I downloaded the pattern to the cowl and hopefully will get to it soon....it is so beautiful! My daughter left today so things are starting to quiet back down (I think)

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousJanuary 5, 2012 at 1:26 PM

    I've seen a bowl like that before. I suppose it would be prettier to use than my ss bucket! The cowl came out very nice. Are you sure your daughter doesn't read your blog?

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  9. AnonymousJanuary 5, 2012 at 1:55 PM

    I have a knitting friend who is recovering from foot surgery who I planned on dragging to a not-very-local knitting shop this weekend--for the express purpose of buying yarn bowls!!! I hope their offerings are half as pretty as yours! (gorgeous cowl, too--lucky daughter!)

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  10. Melanie RouthierJanuary 5, 2012 at 3:16 PM

    Lovely cowl! I've always been curious about those bowls... would love to hear your opinion once you've used it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. house full of jaysJanuary 6, 2012 at 2:32 AM

    Oh your bowl is beautiful! And the wool it's holding as well. So lovely. My friend has one like that. I hope it works for you!
    Well done on the cowl! My stitches were flying over that movie as well!

    ReplyDelete
  12. cpcableJanuary 6, 2012 at 7:48 AM

    What a beautiful cowl! I love the subtle detail. And thank you for going through your finishing process. As someone who has actually finished very few projects, this was very helpful to me. :) Love the bowl too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. JacquiJanuary 6, 2012 at 9:48 AM

    The last picture is stunning - what a lovely gift. Thank you for the blocking info. I tend to just spray mine with tepid water and pin it madly to a towel. xxx

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  14. EmilyJanuary 7, 2012 at 7:41 PM

    Such a lovely yarn bowl! And it looks like it is nicely sized. I made one for my Mom a year ago because the ones we saw only held one ball of yarn. Love it!

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  15. embracingitallJanuary 9, 2012 at 2:52 AM

    That bowl is such a wonderful idea. The cowl looks gorgeous too. Jacinta

    ReplyDelete
  16. pinkundineJanuary 9, 2012 at 4:33 AM

    Love the cowl, such wonderful colours :) I know what you mean about soaking/blocking - it really does finish everything off nicely.

    The yarn bowl is beautiful, lucky you :)

    ReplyDelete

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