Projects
In Search of a Sea Breeze
Dear Ann,
It’s super hot up here this holiday week. We are all gently stewing, and eating only cold foods. Perfect time to knit up a woolly cowl-poncho, am I right?
Having had previous experience with a similar criss-cross doodly-doo stitch pattern, I was excited to take Julia Farwell-Clay’s Sea Breeze Cowl-Poncho out for a spin, even though I do not yet have the recommended yarn, a divinely wearable wool/cotton blend called Sweater, by Spud & Chloë.
Here was the mise-en-place for my experiments:
Yes, those are Euroflax Mini Skeins on the left. What? I know that linen can be fiddly, and that the criss-cross doodly-doo maneuver used in the Sea Breeze Cowl-Poncho is a little fiddly, but Sara Remington’s lush, beachy photographs make me long to try making my own summery Sea Breeze using my favorite summer fiber, Euroflax linen. I’ll tell you how that comes out. I’m thinking: big needle, lots of holes. More Sea Breeze, less Cowl-Poncho.
Meanwhile, I cast on a terrier-sized Cowl-Poncho, 96 stitches, in Elemental Affects Cormo Worsted, and gave the criss-cross doodly-doo a whirl.
It’s so fun! The criss-cross takes place in two steps: Round 1, you triple-wrap groups of 10 stitches. Round 2, you unfurl those triple wraps, creating super-baggy, elongated stitches, which you then criss-cross, as if they were cables (but without the need for a cable needle).
Easy—but mechanical. Round 2 is not very rhythmic; it’s more like construction. But after that one round, you get a nice long session of plain stockinette in the round.
So, notwithstanding the criss-cross doodly-doo, I’m certifying the Sea Breeze Cowl-Poncho as a convenient travel-knitting project.
Heads Up, Here Is a Tip
One thing I learned: it’s important, when crissing the cross, to keep the elongated stitches in the correct order as you move them. Otherwise, you get this:
Unauthorized criss-crosses within the regulation criss-cross.
I did this only once, right out of the gate, and then quickly got the hang. This is what you want:
A well-behaved, butter-wouldn’t-melt criss-cross. The idea here: Parallel stitches.
I did not consider it necessary to go back and do-over my doodly-doo. (This is a practice Cowl-Poncho. Also: it’s for a terrier.)
I’d be interested to know if people think I’m mad to try knitting this pattern in linen. I’m thinking about the drape and the swing, and the nice feel of linen in summer. Maybe the heat has gotten to me.
I can attest, with 100 percent certainty, that the Sea Breeze Cowl-Poncho works up a treat in Elemental Affects’s lush, bouncy worsted-weight Cormo.
Love,
Kay
I love the idea of the poncho in linen!
I love the idea of seeing Olive in the terrier-sized cowl/poncho. Can’t wait!
I think the linen will be perfect. Probably more cowl than poncho—but still perfect.
I have two “Grand Dogs”, Ella and Whilamina so I’m thinking Christmas presents.
that pattern in Linen sounds beautiful! I just knit up the Hipster Shawl with a similar criss/cross stitch – I had the hardest time keeping the different strands in the right order but it turned out great – good luck with the linen, can’t wait to see it!
I can’t wait to see Olive’s cowlponcho. I’d knit one for my big boy Ranger (lab/ Great Dane) but he’s not big on wearing sweaters or bandanas and it might clash (style-wise) with his buffalo check ear flap lumberjack hat (his delicate ears get cold). I’m also going to try to excavate some linen and hemp yarns that I know are hiding in the depths of the stash. I like the idea of a breezy sea breeze.
Your writing talent and ideas never cease to amaze me. I feel that I have found a bona five PHD of knitting and all things super classy. Thanks for your movie tips and cooking tips, and all things in between. BTW, I’ve had the Sea Breeze Cowl/Poncho in my que, but I was worried about the wool in summer. Thanks for the linen tip.
Kay, I would never think that you’re mad for trying to knit anything! You already knit rings around me, and make all the things that I dream of making if my time and energy was not being sapped by real job. However, I do have one question: who is this mysterious terrier, and will you be making sleeves for their doggy legs?
The “mysterious terrier” is Olive Bergmann. If you type “Olive” in the search box you will be rewarded with links to delightful stories and images of Olive. Like this one: https://www.moderndailyknitting.com/first-annual-olive-bergmann-festival-of-songs-about-dogs/
Thanks, Laura for the link to Olive’s first birthday. I did not remember it as I was reading, but I must have been there because (unlike the links to Kay’s songs) my comment is still there. One thing that doesn’t change is that Olive sure is a cutie!
LOL! I am mad that my YouTube links from 2010 expired! One of the songs was Dog and Butterfly by Heart, a classic from 1978: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpoP4YSFKGA
This song makes me wonder how we all survived the 70s with any sense in our heads.
Can’t remember the other one. Sad!
A divine madness it will be for sure! If not wearable it can double as an MFA thesis project!
I think it will be stunning in linen! Do it! Do it! Do it!
I’d totally try it in linen. But I’d need advice as to how to deal with the ends – seems like they wouldn’t stay put too well when woven in. (Can you tell I only work with wool and wool blends?)
What about Sylph? Best of both worlds.
Yes! I also thought Sylph when reading!!
Bingo! Why didn’t I think of Sylph!
I am certainly with you on the linen as favourite summer fibre. Cotton just soaks up the sweat and keeps it. Really a myth that it makes a cool garment. And as to wearing it in the cold weather – remember what the outdoorsy set says – ‘cotton kills’- any sweat stays with it and can render a hiker or cross country skiier hypothermic.
I’m not positive, but I believe the thinking on that has changed. But not 100% sure.
The thinking hasn’t really changed much… but there’s some common sense added. Cotton is not a terrible choice IF the climate and the activity suit it. Cotton is hydrophilic… it absorbs and holds onto moisture which pulls the heat out of your body, cooling you down.
So for example horseback riding, or day-hiking in a hot, dry area, or a summer day trip paddling on the river, are well served by a cotton shirt (and sturdy jeans in the case of the horseback). It can even be quite useful if you’re in a very hot climate, such as a desert, to be able to purposely wet your clothing in order to cool down.
But if you’re going to be overnight (even in the summer), or traveling where it gets cold, and especially if rain is forecast… then wear or have a wool or other hydrophobic fabric on you.
Even if you’re not planning an overnight, and especially if you’re heading away from civilization, it’s recommended to at least have a second DRY cotton shirt… then if you do get wet you have dry clothes to change into.
Heh, I’ve heard entire lectures on the subject from my outdoorsy, white water rafting and camping, gear-hound husband.
Love this stitch. How do you think it would work in a scarf?
It would work beautifully in a scarf, particularly if you could knit it on straight needles. It’s really hard to get those triple-wrapped stitches across the join of a circular needle, they tend to tighten up and it’s really annoying. You don’t have that problem with straight needles. I haven’t knit anything on long straight needles in a while but this might be the project. You could always seam it into a cowl after knitting it flat, of course.
Linen–Yes!
I think this would be a great Afghan pattern.
What a lovely cowl.
I would make it in linen and instead of knitting I would crochet it using the back loops stitch. I would make it for me for those cool Summer nights. Hmmm, I’ll just make up my own pattern. Thank you for putting the idea in my head.
I find criss-cross doodly-doo to be an excellent way to describe that stitch!
I got my hands on red Spud & Chloe sweater yarn last week when lucky enough to make an unexpected trip to Webs, live and in-person (which is a knitter’s dream, of course). I am also doing a small version just to test out the criss-cross stitch. My first round, also crossed 2 loops out of order but I’m going to keep going. I’m not quite sure how I’ll make use of my small cowl (only did 60 stitches – maybe a kid in my neighborhood will need it for a doll’s outfit?)
What I am finding a bit difficult is sliding all the extra wrapped loops over the join of my circ’s – as in, quite frustrating. I’m going to try a few more rows with the hope that I can achieve loose-enough loops to slide over join more easily. I do love the look of this cowl-poncho, I want to love knitting it too!
The Spud & Chloe in the MDK Shop just glides right over the joins…lol. Seriously, you solve this by kind of scootching the loops up close to the join to take the tension off them, then push them onto the needle.
Here’s hoping my next round of looping will go a little easier. I do love the pattern, and the yarn. But alas, I am also in this heat wave, I have no linen yarn in the house, and (gasp) may have to do something other than knitting until the weather breaks!
I think linen’s a great choice. I made a criss-cross stitch top out of lace weight linen yarn held double. Really. I love the result in every way except the obvious—those elongated stitches pull like crazy when worn. Also, don’t have your big criss-cross project on ChaioGoo circs when flying from Mexico. Dare I say…wire cutters?
The right tools are very important with the criss cross stitch! A circular needle with a very smooth and gradual transition between cable and needle will help you maintain your sanity. I used this stitch in my Tilt Shift Wrap (poncho). All was much better AFTER switching to Hiya Hiya stainless circulars. And keeping the stitches in order is very important, as you have seen. This stitch was wacky enough that I made a video tutorial for my pattern! It’s on my tutorials page, too.
Little late to the party, sorry Kay…but I love
Linen and I love Olive so is there a picture of Olive in Linen somewhere? Instagram, maybe? (Linen means Euroflax to me.). And Cormo may be in my future (me! With all my stash. What are you doing to me, Kay?)
I have Olive lying on all my projects at some point so I will try to find one with linen! Sorry about the Cormo but c’mon….CORMO!