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Wiley Lane Shawl

I’m finally finished writing up this pattern. I’m pretty excited to share it.

The vision for this pattern came to me when I visited a friend who lives in a beautiful home on the water. I thought “It would be so nice to have a row of beautiful, chunky shawls that can double as blankets, hanging by the back door ready to grab on your way out on a cool summer evening“. I pictured a rustic hand-made “coatrack” with three or four of these, in natural shades, hanging around, waiting for their wearer to head outside to sit on the back porch or sit by the fire.

A paid version of this pattern is available on Ravelry HERE.

The paid version includes more detail, a video tutorial for the less common techniques, as well as calculations for all the gauges from fingering to bulky (needle size, stitch counts and approximate yardeage).

Materials:
2 skeins of Cascade Eco +
scissors
darning needle

Needles:
I used 7mm needles – no US equivalent is available. I would size down to a US 10.5 in order not to run out of yarn if you’re using the Cascade Eco +.

Dimensions:
The shawl has a wing span of 56″/142cm, knit in a diamond shape and folded in half. Each edge measures 40″/101cm.

PATTERN:

With 7mm circular needle (US 10.75 or 10.5 if the former are not available to you).

Cast on 3 stitches using the knitting cast on.

Work 4 rows of I-cord.

Pick up 3 sts along the I-cord, bring working yarn to the front, pick up three stitches along the cast-on edge. (9 stitches)

INCREASE ROW: *K2, kfb (knit front and back), knit to three stitches remaining. Slip 3 wyif (with yarn in front).

Repeat the increase row until you have 168 sts on your needle.

DECREASE ROW: **Knit 3, ssk (slip, slip, knit two together through the back loop.

Repeat the decrease row until you have 9 sts left (3 I-cord, 3 middle, 3 I-cord).

I-CORD BIND OFF: *knit 2, SSK. Transfer your stitches back to your left needle and repeat two more times, until you’ve decreased the three middle stitches. Now you have your beginning I-cord and your end I-cord. Flip your right needle so that your tip is facing the same direction as your left needle and graft the 3 front sts and the 3 back sts using Kitchener Stitch.

Please tag me on Instagram if you make a Wiley Lane Shawl – I would love to see your version! @mimimustknit.

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Creative People = Inspiration

I had the most wonderful day with my friend Louise yesterday. First, she took photos of me and my new shawl (pattern coming soon).

I was pretty excited this morning when I went through the photos and wrote out my pattern. I’ll be recording a few videos for the techniques too. I’ll post the basic pattern here for free but I’ll also publish a paid version with the videos and all the gauges you can use with the details on needle size, stitch count and yardage. Eeeeeek!

After we got the photos taken and warmed up a bit (that wind was arctic yesterday), we went to work on a basket I started about 13 years ago. Yes, you read that right! I made the body of this basket with a group of women from my old spinning guild but I never finished it. It’s been living in a tote for all this time, taunting me. So I asked Louise if she would help me finish it (hers is finished and we used it as a model). How cute is this basket?

I laid awake last night (because hot flashes 🤪 – also, I figured out how to insert emojis) and imagined how I could sew a little liner for it so my knitting needles wouldn’t fall through the little cracks. The possibilities… of new fabric. Shhhhhh, you heard nothing!

When the basket was finished and my hands were raw, I spent some time working on my crochet star (see last post: https://mimimustknit.ca/bookmarks-knit-or-crochet/) and a pair of socks.

THEN, we started imagining what it would be like to host a knitting/creative retreat in our area. We talked about other pattern designs, a circular sock knitting machine (that we are considering sharing the cost of), etc. WE. HAD. SO. MANY. IDEAS.

I adore spending time with creative people. We feed off each other and there’s literally no limit to what we can imagine.

This morning, I finished my crochet Bookmark for Wine Lovers. I read the instructions wrong at the end and used the secondary colour to finish the side. I think it looks cute like that. Right? Hope the designer doesn’t mind. 😉

It’s still wet but it’s going to be so cute when I put the fringe on! I can’t wait to use it. I think I did ok for my first try?

I ordered some snaps to use with leather so I can make a shawl cuff to go with my new finished Wiley Shawl. I tried to make one yesterday with fabric snaps but it was a fail.

OMG! I can’t believe I almost forgot that THIS happened…

I read Project Hail Mary and saw the movie last week. Amazing book, great movie. When I saw this sweater on Ryan Gosling, I thought “sweet Baby Jesus! That looks just like a Mary Maxim sweater”. But I didn’t give it a second thought. WELL, yesterday, I noticed that it’s all over Instagram! It was even on CBC, NBC… What is happening!?

I posted it in my stories and two people asked me to knit them one. I’m dying… I couldn’t stop laughing all day yesterday.

So, yarn order is going in when I have the last of the measurements. Pattern already purchased. This is actually happening! I’m making a Mary Maxim sweater (but not in the acrylic kit they sell on their site – squeeky acrylic gives me the ick so I try not to use it if I don’t have to). I will use yarn made in Canada at our very own Briggs & Little in Nova Scotia – the oldest woollen mill in the country. ❤️

So, that’s what I’ll be doing for the next few weeks I gather.

Off to Montreal tomorrow to hang with the kid. He told me to bring my “gym clothes” so we can go to the gym together. I wonder if he knows that I work out in my underwear most of the time at home. I would NEVER subject anyone to that IRL so… now I have to find some appropriate workout clothing. Garh!

What are you working on?

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Bookmarks: Knit or Crochet?

I’m not sure how or why I became preoccupied with making a knit bookmark. But alas, here I was looking up “bookmark” on Ravelry.

NOW, I initially planned to knit a cute lacy number 😉 but when I failed to specify that I wanted knitting patterns in my search, I was flooded with really beautiful crochet bookmarks.

I know how to crochet. I don’t know that I could read one of those fancy illustration things… what do they call those? I think it’s a chart just like in knitting, only way fancier. (Am I the only one that thinks they’re so pretty?)

I really don’t know what that gnome is doing in there???!!!

So I scrolled and scrolled through project after project. Then stopped dead when I saw this one:

I. AM. SMITTEN! Honestly, how are there no projects??? It’s SO stunning.

These are the “honourable mentions” in my Favourites Bookmark Bundle:

I was 100% going to make that Pikachu bookmark for my son. He was obsessed with Pokemon growing up. Sadly, this pattern isn’t available anymore. Boooooo! Maybe some day I’ll be able to figure it out without a pattern.

Guess what I did Monday during my lunch hour? I went to Michaels and purchased a really tiny crochet hook and some thread. I haven’t actually started this bookmark because I need to practice this new technique: overlay mosaic crochet. Until about four days ago, I had no idea this existed. So, naturally, I have to make something.

Enter the Mosaic Starburst Square by Erin Toews!

Isn’t she so eye-catching? (How do I insert a heart-eyes emoji dammit?)

This is how mine is going:

Honestly, I’m having a hard time putting this down. (How do I insert an eye-rolling emoji?)

Tell me, where do you stand on the knit vs. crochet bookmark?

Mylène

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Then Vs. Now

I have had this blog since 2010. Isn’t that bonkers?

It’s now 2026 and there’s a 100% chance I’m not the same person I was at 34.

In the last few years, I’ve found it hard to show up here. Writing just didn’t feel easy like it did back then. I was using this blog as a kind of journal in those days, which was fun.

This week, during the quiet moments at work, I went through and read some of my old posts. My voice was loud and clear for those first few years. I was having a great time posting what I was up to – not just what I was knitting on.

So, what happened? Why did I stop sharing my life? Am I just boring now? Is what I’m up to just not interesting? (No, that’s not it. Haha. I might be more interesting now because I give less shits.)

There are so many things I’m passionate about that are not knitting. When I started this blog, I was just getting into spinning. A few years ago, I started making some of my own personal care products. I could write you a whole post on the things I (don’t) use to help our little planet. I discovered lino carving, dabbled in embroidery and recently discovered leather work. OMG! SO. MANY. THINGS!!!

I really hate that I have to work. Legit, I resent that I can’t stay home and be creative all day every day! Alas, I have to pay for my lovely house and support my yarn/travel/book addictions.

Last year, I stopped buying yarn. I have a very BIG stash. I have yarn that’s been around since I discovered yarn shows in 2006. (And this is only part of it. I also have fibre stash under the spare room bed. Hihi)

And what did I do? I started buying books instead. I even had two more shelves built for my wall of books. And still I have piles of books on the ground that have no permanent home yet.

I have learned something about myself: When I discover a new way to express my creativity, I have to be very careful to not go crazy buying all the things. It’s easy for me to get obsessed with something and want to buy all the supplies to do that thing. Then I discover something new a month later and I want to buy all the tools for that craft. So you can imagine what my office/library/yarn room looks like. 😉

So, I’m making myself a promise to show up here and just share what’s on my mind, what I’m working on, what I’m loving and other cool shit. I’m also making myself a promise to show up on my YouTube channel whether my hair is washed or not, whether it’s gloomy outside or not. No more excuses.

My creativity is THE most important thing for me. If I can inspire just a few people to try something new (like knitting an Icelandic sweater) or to get back to something they loved once, then it’ll be worth it.

What are you working on? What are you loving? What are you reading?