Gift Ideas - Cowls

Cowls have been so popular and what a great gift idea too. They keep you warm and looking stylish. There's still plenty of time to knit up some of our favorites and a couple of them in just an evening! Here are a few ideas:



The Cozy Como Cowl is a great last minute gift. Knit in the round on US #17 needles, it can be done in an evening! We used two balls of Debbie Bliss Como, a baby soft blend of 90% merino wool and 10% cashmere.
Free pattern with yarn purchase!


Refashion Cowl is knit with one skein of Refashion, a bulky weight soft and textured yarn made from recycled wool/cashmere/nylon/rayon. We used one skein of Refashion and size US #10.5 needles. A fun and unique cowl!
Free pattern with yarn purchase.



Arwen's Horai Scarf by Hiroku Fukatsu, a free pattern featured on Hiroku's blog and Ravelry.
Knit on a US 10 1/2 knitting needle, she doubled the yarn and used 3 balls of Luna in color Sunbeam #26. Luna by Stacy Charles is a lace weight blend of 71% mohair/20% silk /9% metallic making it fluffy, soft and just the right amount of sparkle.



Treat a loved one or yourself to the Cloud 9 Cowl. Appropriately named because it feels light as a feather and soft as a cloud around your neck. Knit using one ball of Superior, a lace weight blend of 70% cashmere/ 25% silk/ 5% merino on a US #9 needle.
Free pattern with yarn purchase.



Add a little glitz to your outfit with the Constellation Cowl. A squishy garter stitch cowl knit flat, twisted and seamed together. We used two balls of Lanalux, an aran weight blend of merino and nylon on US #11 needles.
Free pattern with yarn purchase.



The Burberry Inspired Cowl is a great gift idea. We had a lot of fun with this pattern last winter using different yarns and decided to revisit it this season because we love the classic pattern. This one is so soft, it's hard to take off! Knit using 1 skein of Cascade Eco Duo, a blend of 70% undyed alpaca/ 30% undyed merino wool and $12.45 a skein. It's a quick gift knit on US# 10 needles and just lovely!



Parapluie is a fabulous cowl designed by our Emilly. Knit in seed stitch with a soft cable running down one edge. It's knit flat and seamed together, making it easy to change the length. She used two ball of Ariosa, one of my favorite yarns and US #11 needles. Ariosa is a bulky weight single ply 90% merino/ 10% cashmere. The colors are all beautiful and this cowl will look fabulous on anyone!
Free pattern with yarn purchase.



Fez Cowl designed by Debbie Bliss from her booklet, Fez is a wonderfully warm and cozy cowl with a fun stitch pattern to follow. Knit with two balls of Fez, a blend of 85% merino/15% camel on US #8 needles. This is one of my favorites.

-Annie, Yarn Garden Staff

Gift Ideas - Hats

With the holidays fast approaching, we thought we'd share some of our favorite patterns! Starting with hats.





Eucalyptus is knit up in a couple hours with one skein of Big Montana and US#17 needles.
Six fluffy cables come together at the top creating a little point. Very cute.
This is a free pattern with yarn purchase.




The Elf hat knit with one skein of Toboggan. This is a great last minute gift knit with size US 10 needles and chunky yarn. Adorable.
This pattern is featured in the Toboggan booklet from Classic Elite Yarns.





Voyager is a reverse stockinette hat with one beautiful cable. This is knit using one skein of Berroco Voyage.
This is a free pattern with yarn purchase.




The Alpaca Silk Slouchy Hat is perfect for anyone who's sensitive to scratchy yarns. Knit using two balls of Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk, it should pass the soft test!
This a free pattern with yarn purchase.



My mother just finished the Fresco Simply Slouchy Hat . A nice stockinette hat with a rolled brim and a little bit of ribbing. This one is knit using two skeins of Fresco. I love how fluffy this yarn gets!





The Lace & Cables Beret is a sweet pattern knit with one skein of Weekend, a 75% acrylic/25% cotton blend, perfect for those with allergies to animal fibers. We embellished this one with a fun ceramic button made by One of a Kind.
This is a free pattern with yarn purchase.





Hermoine Hearts Ron is a soft and fluffy cabled hat knit with one skein of Classic Elite Fresco, a 60% wool/30% alpaca/10% angora blend. Fresco is one of our favorite yarns, it's a nice sportweight and the little bit of angora creates a soft halo.






Urchin is a beret knit sideways in garter stitch on a nice big US#10.5 needles. We used one skein of Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Chunky in a nice bright red.





Feather & Fan is a vintage looking hat knit with one skein of Baby Alpaca Grande Handpaint on US#10 needles. I love how the pattern creates a scalloped brim that perfectly covers your ears. This a free pattern with yarn purchase.



Man Hat is a wonderful pattern by Haven Leavitt using a chunky weight yarn and size US#8 needles, making a nice warm fabric. This one was knit using one skein of Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Chunky.



Here's another Man Hat knit with Me Too Print, a machine washable merino wool blend that slowly fades from dark to light. This hat is my brother's favorite!



Turn A Square by Jared Flood is a unisex beanie.
We knit this one using two skeins of Tahki Rio, a thick and thin 50% alpaca/35% merino/15% silk blend and US#7 knitting needles. This is a fun hat to knit and using two contrasting colors makes it hard to put down!


These are all hung in the shop, so come in and get some inspiration and we'll help you find those perfect gifts to make!


-Annie, Yarn Garden Staff

Upcoming Class: Baby Surprise Jacket

If you are knitting for babies, this fun one-piece Elizabeth Zimmerman invention is a must! It's a great class to learn shaping, buttonholes, applied i-cord and reading a pattern. This class is rated as an "Easy", the skills needed to take it are Cast on, Knit, Purl and Bind off.

Class starts on Monday, November 21st from 6:30-8:30 and meets:
Mon. • 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm • 11/28/2011
Mon. • 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm • 12/5/2011

You can sign up online at yarngarden.net or give us a call at 503-239-7950.

Michelle's Baby Surprise pictured above was knit using four different colors of Baby Cashmerino, a soft and squishy blend of merino/cashmere/microfiber that is machine washable.

This little one is knit with Kureyon Noro, a self striping wool with a beautiful range of colors.

-Annie, Yarn Garden Staff

Toboggan

New from Classic Elite this fall/winter is Toboggan. A blend of 70% merino/ 30% superfine alpaca twisted into a soft, weighty skein of bulky yarn. It's one of the coziest bulky yarns and comes in 16 beautiful colors. A staff favorite.

The booklet for this yarn is full of cute, simple garments and accessories that are quick to make and perfect to wear! Here's a look inside:

Elf is a pointed hat with instructions for two sizes pictured with Rosebud, mittens worked with an after-thought thumb. Both projects use one skein each. Shown in color Garnet, 6758.



Sleigh Ride is a top down raglan cardigan with a ribbed yoke and garter stitch edging. Shown in color Honey, #6750.



Bobsled is a cabled hat with 2 strands held together on the crown for extra warmth. Shown in color Eggplant, #6795.



Flexible Flyer shown in color Teal, #6746. This warm and fuzzy cowl uses two skeins.



Mogul Run is a cute fitted cardigan with big squishy cables. Pictured in color Emerald, #6794.

Here is our Elf in color Fuchsia, #6732. Just took one skein and knits up quick on size US #10 knitting needles. This hat is my favorite, a cute little pointed top will make any cold rainy day fun.

Sprite is another one skein hat with a garter stitch brim that can folded up. Shown in color Periwinkle, #6731. These two hats are hanging up in the shop, come in and try them on!

-Annie, Yarn Garden Staff