Midwestern Knits/ Beechwood Hat and Cowl

To wrap up the updates on patterns released since I've been away, I'm excited to share a bit about Midwestern Knits.

A while back, I was asked by fellow knitters Carina Spencer and Allyson Dykhuizen if I would like to contribute to their project which focused on Midwest designers who have a love for the Midwest.  I was beyond excited about the idea and thrilled to contribute two accessory patterns to the book.

The book features 13 designs that are divided into four categories: Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall (we do like our seasons here in the Midwest, right?!).  Tucked into the Winter section, you will find The Beechwood Hat and Cowl Set.

As a young girl, my last hoorah of summer was always spent in Ludington, Michigan in the company of friends and extended family.   Ludington State Park is comprised of three campgrounds: Pines, Cedar, and Beechwood. The Beechwood campground is nestled in the back of the park amidst towering trees, calm streams, and rolling hills.  It was there that many of my earliest memories were formed. 

 With our 10-speed Huffy bicycles, the world was ours.  We could get anywhere we needed to go, with a band of friends right at our side.  It was the best of both worlds- the carefree lifestyle children often enjoy with the freedom to decide our own itinerary.  We filled our days with hiking, swimming, and riding, while our nights held promises of campfires, smoky clothes, and s’mores.

My grandfather, who lived in a more suburban area, enjoyed his time in the great outdoors.  Back at home, Grandpa loved watching the squirrels and birds in his backyard.  In Ludington, he would collect acorns to bring back for the coming winter.  He took advantage of the all the free time his grandchildren had by putting us to work, all while teaching us the value of a (literal) dollar.  Grandpa would hand the kids each a brown grocery bag, send us up into the woods, and pay us a dollar when we came back with a bag filled with acorns.

This set was inspired by those late summer afternoons, the time spent among the meandering trails of dark soil searching for acorns, filling our bags full.  Making our forever Midwest Memories.

A couple months ago, I led a (my first ever) knit-a-long for the set.  If you haven't tried cabling without a cable needle, it's a great pattern to try the technique on! Here's the set I knit for myself, which has become my 'everyday' hat and cowl here in Michigan since the weather has gotten chilly.  

Both hat and Cowl is knit from less than two skeins of Three Irish Girls Springvale Worsted (which is totally luscious and perfect for the cable and garter combo!).  The colorway used in the book is Driftwood; pictured above, Skipping Stones.

You can purchase the hard copy of the book directly from the website, or download the ebook with all 13 patterns on Ravelry.  The hard copy of the book also come with a code to download the ebook into your Rav library.  Individual patterns will be available for download later in 2016.





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