Dude Cowls

Time for my favourite topic: cowls!

Only this time the cowls in question are not for me, but for my significant other...



No pattern to speak of...I think I cast on 100 stitches, started and ended in a 1X1 rib that sandwiched the rest of the cowl in stockinette. I increased a bit in the stockinette for a little more floppiness, but then decreased again for the last bit of ribbing. I ran out of the darker grey, otherwise I probably would have made sure to end on the same coloured striping.



I love this simplicity of this, and have a feeling I will likely be getting more wear out of it than the hubby. The yarn's beautiful and has been in my stash for ages... Fable handknit's pure baby alpaca.

It's funny, Nathaniel is not really what I consider to be a "flashy guy", he really is a very conservative dresser, despite being in a number of garage/punk/stoner rock sorta bands...but I'd say his overall aesthetic is a bit more uh undertones:


(sweaters, collared shirts, argyle... all things non threatening in the power pop persuasion I guess) as oppossed to you know, this:


(which as far as punk rock goes is a pretty non threatening look as well I'd venture, sorry Dee Dee)

But whatever, my point being that he finds the above cowl "TOO FLASHY" (yes, it is simply grey with stripes and totally boring) but nevertheless I will likely be the only one wearing it...

Which is why (yes I am coming to a point here) I was further baffled when he chose another cowl pattern for himself out of Cowlgirls. Possibly the girliest, flashiest collection of cowl patterns available, and more baffling still, chose the girliest one in the book!



Truly I have to give him credit for managing to see past all the shiny yarns and accompanying beaded necklace! But really...it's still lace. It doesn't exactly scream "macho".

Still he's makin' it work:


(seriously it was almost 40 BELOW when I took that picture)



I used a Cascade 220 superwash to make it (and obviously omitted the beaded "necklace"). I had to knit about 5 more sections of the final pattern repeat to make it long enough for him.

I think he likes it because it's a bit of an barbell shape that is looser on the bottom...it will stay tight up around his face and keep him warm without falling down and the benefit of the lace is that he can keep it on his nose but still breathe through the "holes" as he calls them.



Kind of a smart choice in the end--Who'd a thunk it? (not me, clearly).

old yarns, new F.O's

Geez looks like I'm averaging about a post a month these days...that can't be good.

What is good though? This scarf:



free pattern: Bertie scarf by Kate Blackburn
yarn: 3 balls of Rowan Tapestry (70% wool/30% soy) in "antique" (I think it's discontinued now)
needles: 4.5mm
mods: no beads, knit to about 70 inches



I'm kind of obsessed with this F.O right now. I think it's one of the nicest things I've knit in a while, and it's been so long since I've made anything with a bit of colour (muted colour, granted) let alone "varigated" for myself.

The yarn's been in my stash for a long time, in fact it was one of the first decent yarns I bought when I first started knitting so I'm sure it's been in my stash for at least 5 or 6 years now. It is actually somewhat of a relief to have finally used it up. (Though full disclosure: I still have another 5 balls of it in a different colour that I also need to find something to do with!)

Years ago I made a half-clapotis out of it, but found it too small so I never really wore it and subsequently gifted it shortly thereafter.

The Bertie scarf has kind of a similar aesthetic to the Clapotis (but no dropped stitches) and I was hell-bent on using up every ounce of it which brought this bad boy to a whopping 70 inches.



I tried to block it out as wide as possible, othewise it might have been a lot longer still. It really did block out gorgeously, and I now have a real sense of stash-busting satisfaction!

In other knit-news, I know that I repeatedly seem to be saying "I am not a toy knitter", but for some reason one always manages to squeak it's way out.

(Though this one was actually for a grown-ass 40-something Scottish dude, so I'm not sure what possessed me...)



pattern: Loch Ness Monster by Hansi Singh
yarn: more stash-busted patons classic in "Dark Olive" and some other kind of green for her tummy
needles: 4.5mm?


(I think I may have over-stuffed her a bit!)

The Scottish dude in question is my co-worker Roddy who had a big Inventory project coming up that I decided he needed a wee mascot for. Hence, Inventory-Nessie was born! She lives comfortably at his desk now so I can still visit her whenever I want to.

I am chomping at the bit right now to start on a few smaller projects but am holding off until this monkey is off my back (or owlie is off my back I guess..)



It is probably not immediately obvious in these pictures, but there is actually a giant booboo I've made that I didn't notice until I was about halfway done mitt #2. But no matter, it is an excuse for me to re-knit mitt #1 about two sizes down, and I know I will be much much happier with the end result when all is said and done.



For whatever reason I feel grudgingly devoted to it (even though I appear to be only averaging about three rows a day) and incapable of starting anything new while this one is still on the go.

But, I do have MORE cowls to talk about later.

Cowls are always the exception.