If it's Friday, it must be...

Swatch: Stash Day
Dropped (or Extended) Stitch


It's that time of year again to start making teacher's gifts. For my high school son, this isn't an issue, but for my middle-school daughter, individual teacher's gifts are still something that she would like to give and her teachers have been a wonderful group of mentors during this year of transition. During my recent spree at the fiber arts festival, I came across Acker's Acres Angora. The hanks of angora came in a rainbow of colors and the texture of the yarns were scrumptious.

I went around the stall several times before settling on two colors for two specific teachers.  One color I named Blush and with this I want to make Fascinate.  It's a simple pattern but what makes it so interesting and special is the dropped stitch.  The dropped (or extended) stitch is made by a repeat of knit 1, yo twice, on one row. In the next row, you knit and then drop the yos.  Like the cobblestone stitch, it feels counter-intuitive (we knitters don't like to drop our stitches) but once you see the result of this stitch, it's addictive.  Also, wearing a scarf or shawl in this stitch feels light and airy against the skin.

(Angora in Blush)

I'm looking forward to making this teacher's gift - she has been a real inspiration to M.  And I know I'm going to love the pattern and working with this angora.  Joy!