To occupy my hands while watching March Madness, I decided to work on a simple cowl. I got the yarn and pattern from Craftsy using a 50% off coupon, so it was a thrifty project as well as a fast knit. The pattern is Ashley Cowl by Patty Nance and the yarn is a pretty self-striping wool. It was a really easy knit. In fact, the pattern just basically told you how many stitches to cast on, then gave you a simple 8-stitch pattern to repeat until you have 5 yards of yarn left, then bind off. I was a little frustrated because 5 yards was not enough yarn for the bind-off so I had to unbind-off and unknit a bunch of work to get the 10 yards of yarn that was actually needed for the bind-off. But it still turned out pretty, didn't take much time and was a perfect mindless knit to do while watching basketball.
Here is what the cowl looked like when I finished the bind off:
Not much to look at at this point! I'm usually lazy about cowls, hats, etc and don't bother with blocking, but I couldn't do that with this one. So I soaked it in lukewarm water with wool wash and then spread it out on the cheap Costco floor mats that I use for blocking:
This was my first chance to try out my new Knit Blockers and I have to say that I love them!
It was really easy to hold several inches of the cowl straight with the blockers. They have white ones at Craftsy, but I decided to spend a couple more dollars to get the pretty rainbow-colored ones that are only available at Jimmy Beans Wool. Aren't they pretty? And here's how pretty the cowl looks after blocking:
These colors are perfect for one of my nieces so I'll probably save this for one of her Christmas presents.
On the basketball side, my team (University of Kansas) made it to the Final 4. Wish them luck this weekend! Rock Chalk Jayhawk!!
Nancy
Such a pretty design in your cowl and your blocking pieces are so colorful! Isn't it fun when a product works so well?
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