How to Make a Yarn Tassel

So here's the thing - tassels are an excellent flourish for many knit projects, and can take a hat or a scarf from "blah" to "bam!" They're also very easy to make by following the steps below.

1. Cut a rectangle of cardboard. The height should be at least as long as you want your tassel (you can always trim the ends; you can’t make ‘em grow!), and it should be wide enough to fold in half easily.

Diana's Cowl

Diana's Cowl

The story behind this cowl is simple: a lovely friend sent me a wonderful Galentine's Day package, and I wanted to reciprocate with a knit good (or a good knit! See what I did there? Yes, I'll show myself out...). Anyway, she gave me the item and the color, and I designed something that (I hope) will suit her perfectly. And while this particular item is made extra-scrumptious by the alpaca yarn, I think a cotton or silk would also suit it well.

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Pure Alpaca (100% Baby Alpaca; 220 yards [200 meters]/100 grams); #3003 Ruby - one skein

The pattern. It's got holes!

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 7

Notions: Tapestry needle, three stitch markers

Gauge: 18 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

So let's do this! First, cast on 91 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Then we'll knit the following marker placement row:

Marker Placement Row: k1, (p1, k1) 17 times, place marker, k21, place marker, k1, * p1, k1; rep from * until end of round

And now we'll move on to a few edging rows that begin to use our pattern, which incorporates a strip of Double Herringbone Mesh from page 301 of Barbara G. Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, and goes as follows:

Edging Row 1: p1, * k1, p1 * until you reach first marker, slip marker, k2, (yo, ssk) 3 times, yo, slip 1-k2tog-psso, (yo, k2tog) 4 times, yo, k2, slip marker, p1, * k1, p1 *

Edging Row 2: k1, * p1, k1 * until you reach first marker, slip marker, knit until next marker, slip marker, k1, * p1, k1 *

Lace Cable Fingerless Gloves

Lace Cable Fingerless Gloves

First and foremost: I highly recommend against viewing these photos larger. We are in the middle of a cold, dry winter here in Wisconsin, and my hands are SCARY. Luckily, not everything is quite so terrifying. And that includes these gloves, which are designed and knit on straight needles for all of my dpn-despising peeps. Of course, if one of my dpn-loving peeps wants to see this pattern adapted for the round, just hit me up in the comments and I'll help you out too!

Sizes: small (medium; large) (the small will fit a hand roughly 7" - 8" in circumference at the base of the thumb, the medium a hand about 8" - 9", and the large 9" +)

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Cascade 220 Heathers (100% Peruvian Highland Wool; 220 yards [200 meters]/100 grams); #9461 Lime Heather - one skein

A close up of the pattern.
Leafy, no?

Needles: One set of needles in size US 7, one set of needles in size US 5, one cable needle (cn)

Notions: Tapestry needle, two stitch markers

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches on size 7 needles

So let's get started! We're going to work our two gloves a teensy weensy bit differently (the cables will be reversed). So, for the first one, you'll start by using your size 5 needles, and casting on 38 (42; 46) stitches loosely. Then we'll work the following ribbing rows, which will be the same for all sizes:

Ribbing Row 1 (wrong side): p2, * k2, p2; rep from *