Cold, Winter Evening

It's seriously cold out there today. I know. It's the end of November. It gets cold every year. It's only going to get colder. I know. It doesn't mean that I like it. The fireplace is on and I've made a cup of tea. It's time to sit down and knit.

Gabrielle is at the point where I start decreasing for the sleeve.

I took this in the middle of the living room. The mattress is gone. Roko is allowed to do the stairs if Beth has him on a leash so he doesn't run.

While I was taking my picture Mr. Melo jumped onto the bed and decided to get warmed up by the fireplace.

From Churchmouse Yarns. It's a good day to be talking about a cowl. Especially one that is warm and pretty.

Annabella’s Cowl is one of our go-to accessory patterns. Soft and scrumptious around the neck, its elegant length lets you wear it as a hood, if the need arises! To continue our tradition of a two-stranded version, we searched for yarns with drape, luster and warmth. This quest led us to Blue Sky Alpacas Alpaca Silk combined with RowanKidsilk Haze. Alpaca and silk are unbeatable for drape and luster, and mohair blends in a feather-weight halo of downy warmth. Mission accomplished! 

Very cool ways to wear the cowl. Who thought to wear a cowl like a scarf?

The simple stitch pattern and knit-in-the-round, seamless construction make this an easy project, suitable for a beginning knitter. When knitting with lace-weight mohair yarn, we prefer pointier needles over blunt–we like the extra bit of control and precision you get with a pointy needle. Also watch to be sure you catch both yarn strands in each stitch. 

We have copies of the pattern in the store store.

Here are a couple of colour suggestions. On Monday I will play with some more.

Again, from Churchmouse. Wearing the Mohair Bias Loop as a cowl is surprisingly warm. You wouldn't think so because it is so fine and knit at a loose tension but trust me it is.

After casting about for ways to holiday-up our scrumptious Mohair Bias Loop, we cast on Rowan’s Kidsilk Haze Eclipse to add a little bit of sparkle. The result? Heavenly. Rowan spun in just a hint of tone-on-tone twinkle to some of their most popular Kidsilk Haze colors with a super-fine metallic thread. The subtle glimmer coordinates with the yarn color and shimmers slightly as light catches the metallic threads, so you won’t ever feel too flashy. We love Eclipse’splayful astrologically themed color palette, and each shade has its own distinct personality. 

Wear this sheer seamless loop as a long, endless scarf, twisted double as a cowl, or around your shoulders as a wrap. We’ve knit it on the bias so the edges don’t roll and it sits nicely on the shoulders. Light as air, it folds up to nearly nothing, and can easily be dressed up or down—the perfect piece for holiday travel. We think you’ll love the combination of gossamer glitter and fabulous functionality. 

We have the Mohair Bias Cowl knit up in the store in Kidsilk Haze Stripe from Rowan. We have the pattern too.

It's time to knit. Stay warm and Go Cats Go!!!