Sometimes it’s difficult to decide what to knit – so much choice, so much choice!

Here’s the first of an occasional series, showing what we – Angharad and Kate, Bramble doesn’t really care for knitting – are actually working on at the moment. Perhaps that should be which of our many WiPs (works in progress) is getting attention, cough, cough.

It’s often good practice to have at least two things in progress, preferably on differently sized needles as the variation is better for your hands. Angharad’s current big-needle (10mm) project is going to be a giant cowl:

It’s being knitted in Rowan’s Drift, a super-chunky, 100% merino yarn which is delicious (and discontinued – though there’s still some available):

This pattern – a staggered rib – would also look fabulous in Rowan’s Big Wool. It’s one of Angharad’s own patterns, so do come in and ask. It will soon be finished, hopefully just in time for the cold snap they keep saying is just round the corner.

Kate is working at the other extreme, knitting a top in Rowan Felted Tweed on 3.5mm needles. Rowan generally recommend 3.75mm for this yarn, but Kate knits fairly loosely so she’s gone down a size to get the right gauge.

The pattern, a classic by Kim Hargreaves called ‘Salina’, is now available through Rowan’s Ravelry Store – and if you don’t know about Ravelry, there’ll soon be some information on here which will tell you more and convince you that it’s worth signing up (it’s an amazing website/pattern and yarn database for anyone who knits, crochets, spins, or who just loves all things woolly – and it’s got nearly 6 million members worldwide). The colour, by the way, is called Ruby. For once, a yarn name that makes sense!