Knitted from the book Knit Your Own Dog: The Second Litter by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne.
The real Beagle is Maxwell, my current adopted little guy, who has been with me for a 1 year and 3mo.

Basic knitted mittens, No. 211 Bernhard Ulmann Co. vintage pattern... Knitted in Myak Baby Yak Medium, size 6 needles.

I'm incredibly saddened by the vast destruction of the fires in Australia to homes & businesses, wildlife, and Eco-systems.  A good friend and colleague is living in the midst of it, luckily OK, but surrounded by the effects of the fire. The gravity of what is happening, not just in Australia, but also in other parts of the world is vastly important. It's important to understand what is happening, why and how to help... future generations rely on the actions we take now.
As much as knitting Koala mittens seemed fun. The quickest and most direct way I could help was to donate monetarily. Knowing that many times charities become overwhelmed with physical donations.
I made some money at the gallery this winter selling crafts, so I decided to split it between a few different charities. The Red Cross, Koalas in Care and The Animal Rescue Collective. You can find links to these charities, and others, here: https://www.abc.net.au/classic/read-and-watch/news/bushfire-donations/11823676
Additionally many of my favorite crafty sites were donating funds from sales of patterns, yarn, etc... Every little bit helps.

Tiny Knitted Koala / Mochimochiland.com donated sales from the pattern set, including this little guy, for the month of January.

The Cabot Artisans Gallery is now open for the holiday season! Here's a little look at my new products for sale at the shop this winter.  My bear ornaments are made from Merino Wool blend felt, hand stitched with needle felted noses and a hand knit scarf.  The Santa Bear paper puppet is joined by Christkind Bear, the golden angel.  If you're looking to make your holiday wrapping a little extra special this year, add a Santa or Christkind Bear with some lovely ribbon.  Or tuck these little buddies into a holiday card as a special surprise. My Wooly Bear ornaments make super cute stocking stuffers.

Designed and handcrafted by April Borrelli. Made in Vermont.
Artwork and images are copyright April Borrelli 2019. All rights reserved. Please do not re-post without authors permission.

I thought I would make a knitting post as my first "real" post on my new site. If  I'm not reading, or drawing, or walking the dog. I'm knitting, so I thought I would share one of my recent favorite patterns found on Ravelry. This pattern can be found via the following link. Best of all this pattern is FREE!
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/escarpment-cowl-2
This is a simple and quick knit. I made these as Christmas gifts, which were a big hit.  Best part about this pattern is that you  can adjust it easily or knit in a different weight or needle size.  All you really need to do is make sure the neck opening measures to the specified measurement. I always look for adjust-ability in a pattern because I tend to look for patterns to knit with yarn in my stash rather than buying yarn specifically for a project.
You can also knit it longer or shorter, depending on what you want to achieve. I have knitted the pattern much longer than it calls for, which I preferred. You can also knit it shorter if you want to achieve a smaller bandana look. I've tried this using sock weight, and DK. I'm thinking I want to make another in a nice worsted.
Happy knitting.

Above: First cowl finished. Yarn used Malabrigo Mechita 121 Marte.

Images copyright April Borrelli 2019.