Plum Dandi Knits

Today, I'd like to introduce you to the latest addition to my knitting library, Plum Dandi Knits by Alicia Plummer and Melissa Schaschwary. The subtitle says it all really: Simple Designs for Luxury Yarns. It's chock full of classic garments and accessories that allow those precious fibers you've been hoarding to do all the work, while you relax and knit the night away.

I couldn't stop myself flipping through this book as soon as I received it, debating which lovely design to make for myself. The Bretton Woods cowl? The Ramsey shawl? The Keene pullover? The Sawyer cowl? There were too many to narrow down!

So, as I often do, I opened up Ravelry to search my stash for appropriate yarns. When I noticed the Prescott wrap called for 655 yards of chunky weight, and I happened to have 656 yards of Debbie Bliss Rialto Chunky in my stash... well, it was kismet.

As promised, the pattern was straight forward and easy to follow. In the first evening, I blazed through the chart at the beginning. A simple combination of knits and purls, even the greenest knitter could handle this one. No cables, or lace, nothing too complicated - the perfect project if you're just learning to read knitting charts (or if you're a more advanced knitted looking to keep you hands busy while allowing your mind to wander).

After that, it was smooth sailing in garter stitch for the majority of the pattern. As the weather cooled over the coming weeks, this project grew and grew, creating a fantastic lap blanket for fireside knitting. And now that it's complete, it's the ideal shoulder wrap for those chilly days to come. Now which pattern to make next...