FO: Eva's Buttony Cowl

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas weekend.  I got to go home with Chris to visit my family.  It's always fun when you stick all six of us under one roof.  We didn't get snowed in this year, but now that Chris and I have been engaged for a year the atmosphere was much more relaxed than last year's unspoken pending proposal.

This was the first year that I did not give everyone hand knit gifts.  Every time I mentioned that I was considering it someone on twitter would remind me that I had vowed never again after all of the Christmas knitting I did last year.  I had that last minute family add-on that just did me in (though it was for my grandfather and was probably the last time he truly knew who I was so it was totally worth it).  In any case, despite my solemn promise to not knit for anyone for Christmas (I went so far as to make a formal no-knitting declaration to the family), I still managed to fit in some last minute Christmas knitting.

I've mentioned before that my family is very knit-worthy, and while I did not knit for anyone else, I felt inspired to knit for my sister.  I love knitting for my brother because he wears my hats all the time and I love knitting for my sister because she sticks her feet in people's faces to make them feel the softness of the socks.  I've had two skeins of Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light in my stash for at least two years.  They were a part of an ill-advised attempt at leg warmers (I've learned that with a few notable exceptions I am quite fine to buy rather than knit my leg warmers) that has long been abandoned.  The buttons had also been long time members of the stash, actually I think they were founding items of my very small button box, and are part of the set I used when I repurposed my Wicked Vest for her as well.

Lucky me, my sister's color of the season is this shade of blue.  Her ability to look completely put together is perfectly suited to the funky look of this version of the Traveling Woman Cowl.  I knit the small, fingering weight, flat version and just shortened the stockinette section and the number of lace repeats.  I wish I had made the button holes smaller, but it still came out nicely and I'm quite pleased with my last minute Christmas knitting for the year.

FO: Traveling to Scotland Cowl

You should all feel very loved.  Today was the first time it has not been five bazillion degrees outside and so of course it rained.  A lot.  But there was a break in the storm so I grabbed my oh so patient roomie and we went outside to take pictures.  And let me tell you, 85 is still way to hot for my stylish yet warm red jacket, let alone a cowl.

Pattern: Traveling Woman Cowl by Liz Abinante, Yarn: Fyberspates Chunky Scrumptious in Water
I knit this almost to pattern, but I took out one lace chart repeat.

Part of my motivation in knitting this cowl was to prove to my sister that cowls can be worn by women with long hair as well as those of us with short hair (side note: did you notice how short my hair is now? I swear I was asked every day at work this week if I got it cut.  It's my two month hair cut.  Chop it all off and then let it grow until I feel like Billy Ray Cyrus).  I wish I had taken a picture when I made her try it on because it looked awesome with her long hair.  Add in the fact that cowl appear to be in for fall and I felt like fashion genius.

This pattern was excellent.  I have made two of the Traveling Woman shawls, but they were both from before Liz redid the pattern for her ebook.  It also features her newly redesigned pattern layout which is nicely intuitive.  I knit this cowl up in a day.  And it wasn't just because Fyberspates is amazing yarn (oh my gosh I love it!  It's so soft and smooshy and the stitch definition is insane).  I love the original pattern, but the real magic is in the bind-off.  I won't spoil the ending for you, but it's a great twist.

Now if the weather could just get with the program.  Winter is coming.  The heat just doesn't know it yet.