Donation total as of January 11, 2021: $147.00

This was designed for DFW Fiber Fest 2020 in collaboration with McKinney Knittery.

Pattern was supposed to go live April 3, 2020 at DFW Fiber Fest at the McKinney Knittery Booth. With COVID-19 cancelling that event we are changing tactics.

$3 of every purchase goes to the DFW Fiber Fest to keep my fiber family going 2020.

This is a one 100g skein pattern, but can be increased easily. Results may vary depending on yardage of yarn choice. The pattern is laid out to use as much of your gorgeous skein as possible.

Yarn:
Magpie Swanky DK - 250 yds
Brooklyn Tweed Arbor - 290 yds

Pattern Premise:
I wanted to bring a family tree to mind with this pattern for a variety of reasons… Its name is defined as, “The fact of being or consisting of one, or of being united as whole.” An alternate is, “The fact or quality of being unique.”

Each of us has our own unique interactions with our families – those we are born into and those we build ourselves. Being adopted (all three of us were) meant we always knew we were wanted, but in our case, things were missing (as it can be for many adoptees). My relationship with my family is admittedly strained and best avoided to preserve my mental health.

Because of this, my first sample is standalone cables that travel along the way. Following along with us but never connecting. For many of us, this is enough.

Over the years I have built my own family, of sorts, out of my fiber and professional community and with my now husband. The family I built came together for me, in a way I never would have expected this past November. My then fiancé and I decided to finally get married and do it quickly with as little fuss as possible. My family gave me a place to have the wedding – McKinney Knittery, a beautiful handmade bouquet – made and assembled by my fellow DFW Fiber Fest Board members, an officiant that we knew – a dear friend, and attendees that really know my husband and me. It was exactly as we had hoped; simple, lovely, and a cherished memory.

The family I built touches all areas of my life now – personal, professional, and fiber. As such, the ACC sample reflects this with the cables all interconnected across the cowl, and with each side a mirror of the other.

I am grateful for the family I was raised in. It helps me appreciate the one I built. So while I may be one, I managed to build myself a family that is united as a whole and unique, because it is one I’ve worked to have in my life by my choice.

My hope, while you work this cowl, is that you choose your connections, be they connecting or standalone. Just make them uniquely yours.