It’s time for the Fibre Space July knitalong! And it’s one of my patterns, conceived and created for just this occasion, featuring Terra from The Fibre Co.! I present: Eastside!

a.k.a. Easide, which is what the graffiti on the wall behind me in this photo says. Spell it as it sounds, people, it’s all good.

When laid flat, Eastside appears unnecessarily long, i.e., like a giraffe cowl. It’s easy to shorten, but why would you want to when it looks this good worn?

Team Fibre Space and I formulated some suggested Terra color combinations. (If you’ve taken my color theory class, you’ll notice that each combination includes a “really dark,” a “really light” [with the exception of the last, purple/pink based one], a”medium light,” and a “medium dark,” so you’ll get some nice contrast.) Some of the Terra colorways contain several unexpected colors, a result of the mix of fibers and dye process. Acorn, with its appealing golden/tan pink/purple weirdness, is my favorite of these. Although Terra was my initial choice for the project, don’t feel limited to this yarn. You can use any worsted weight yarn or a combination of them. Mix brands and textures. It’s a cowl. I promise it will fit over your head when it’s finished, which really is all that matters. Eastside is a perfect pattern for Neighborhood Fiber Co. Yipes Stripes kits, too.

You’ll have a superfluous skeins of yarn if you use one of these kits, but you can get creative and incorporate it or just put it aside for another project. I’ll be knitting Eastside in the PRIDE Yipes Stripes kit for the knitalong, posting photos of my progress and tips for the different techniques each week.

Choose your yarn, locate or purchase your needles (you’ll need a 24-inch circular needle in both US Size 9 and US Size 10), and let’s do this thing!