Web-Letter, Issue 25 – Princess Needle Cozy Once a year, the Italian mills show their wares to wholesale yarn buyers at a trade show in Florence known as Pitti Filati. I’m heading out today to see the latest yarns—I’ll let you know what I see.  And what do I wish I’d had time to make before I’m out the door? Cecily Glowik’s little needle case. Anyone who’s dealt with a pair of needle points sticking through their knitting bag knows the wisdom of stowing their knitting needles in some kind of point-protecting case. This one, worked in a firm, non-stretching slip stitch will house a single pair or two.
The Story: One of my knitter friends had a birthday coming and I wanted to give her a couple pairs of my favorite needles, CEY’s  Palmwood, as a gift. I looked and looked for a needle case to present the lovely needles in, but I was unable to find anything that worked. I wanted something that looked nice and would fit just the couple pairs of needles that I was giving her. I’m not sure why I didn’t think to knit one in the first place; but in the midst of my searching, it came to me. It seemed very appropriate then, to make the case using the needles it would later hold. The case had to be sturdy and functional, yet pretty. In order to help it hold its shape, I used a slip stitch pattern to provide a tighter fabric. However, it was still lacking something and that’s when the cable detail found its way to the center. A button was added to either side of the flap to keep the case from opening and letting the needles escape, and the design was finished. I decide to knit it in CEY’s Princess—the worsted weight, the wonderful blend of fibers, and the stitch definition were just what I was looking for. Since I enjoyed the finished product as well as knitting it, I have since made many more as gifts, and of course, one for myself! The Yarn: Princess — 40% merino, 28% viscose, 10% cashmere, 7% angora, 15% nylon Princess is Duchess’s little sister.  The content is the same, but Princess knits up at the smaller gauge of 5 sts to the inch. It has the same wonderful soft hand that comes from the cashmere, merino and angora content with the added stability of viscose and nylon. Princess is a truly wonderful yarn that shows stitch patterns extremely well while still feeling luxurious.  Where to buy Princess.	more photos The Pattern: Here's the free downloadable Princess Needle Cozy pattern The Stitches: After trying a few different slip stitch patterns, I best liked the pattern that is formed by slipping every other stitch with the yarn in front, on one right side row then alternating the pattern on the next right side row. This pattern forms dashes across the fabric that I find very appealing. Learn more about slipped stitches.
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