Patience

And breathe!
It is finally here a week of pure bliss. Of course I am talking about the half term holiday. I don’t think I have never been so desperate for a week off in my whole life. Knitting has been going on since my last post but, I haven’t had much time for concentration so basically as soon as anything has required anything more than your basic intelligence it has been shelved and something else cast on.
In fact the only thing I have finished in the last 6 or so weeks has been Patience. Just after my birthday I was lucky enough to spend a day at County Alpacas. All of Julie’s animals were lovely but, I have to say I am in love with only one.
Her name is Patience she is so called because it took 365 days of pregnancy on the part of her mother to deliver her. Now Patience is not pretty, she is highly allergic to flies which obviously are a problem especially in the summer. Her eyes and ears were red and puffy however, they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I have to say I think she is gorgeous! Not only has she got the softest fur but she loves a cuddle and I spent most of the afternoon cuddling and stroking her- not a bad way of spending an afternoon. Needless to say you can’t go to an alpaca farm and not buy yarn and I came back clutching a lovely skein of hand dyed 4ply and a tummy full of the most delicious flapjacks handmade by Julie. Julie assured us that although the brown yarns came from one animal but the dyed came from several of the white (though I secretly hope that much of my skein belonged to the lovely Patience).
I stroked and played with my skein for a couple of weeks before the cowl pattern came into my head. I am pretty pleased with how it has turned out. It is the perfect back drop for a gorgeous yarn and a very nice pin that I was given for my birthday.
So if you have a few hours over the half term break and the perfect skein of yarn you might like to make your own.



Patience Cowl
100g 4ply alpaca
4mm 60cm circular needle
Cable needle

K2tog = knit 2 together
Yfwd = bring yarn forward between the needles. Then when you make the next st it will go over the top of the needle
Ssk= slip 1 stitch, knit 1 stitch, pass the slipped stitch over the knit stitch
CF5 = place 2 stitches on cable needle at front of work , knit 3 stitches then knit 2 stitches from cable needle



Cast on 160 stitches join in the round
Add a st marker to show the beginning of the round.
Round 1 knit
Round 2 purl
Round 3 k2tog yfwd to end
Round 3 purl
Round 4 knit
Main body
Round 1*k5, p1, k1, p1, ssk, (yfwd k1) 3times, yfwd, k2tog, p1, k1, p1* rep from* to * 8 times till end of round.
Round 2 *CF5, p1, k1, p1, k9, p1, k1, p1* rep from* to * 8 times till end of round.
Round 3*k5,p1,k1,p1,ssk,k5,k2tog,p1,k1,p1* rep from* to * 8 times till end of round.
Round4 CF5 ,p1,k1,p1,k7,p1,k1,p1* rep from* to * 8 times till end of round.

Repeat last 4 rounds 14 times
Then repeat rounds 1 and 2
Start border
Round 1 purl
Round 2 k2tog yfwd to end
Round 3 purl
Round 4 cast off.