Cupido Cowl

Here in Basel and I guess across Europe, winter doesn't seem to want to leave which at the moment has very few pluses, but it has meant I have had lots and lots of wear out of my cowl!!

After knitting four honey cowls in rapid sucession I was keen to try something a little different for a cowl for me.  Still something quite easy as I am a beginner knitter, but a different pattern.  So I did some hunting on Ravelry and found the free Cupido Cowl pattern.

I loved knitting this, it required a little more concentration than the Honey Cowl to knit but because it had more of a pattern I could see more easily where I had lost count with rows and could correct mistakes, which I found difficult with the honey cowl.  I seem to knit tight (sorry I have no idea what the technical term for this is)  so I could have cast on a few more stitches to make it a little bigger as it is knitted in the round, but it is still comfy and cosy as it is.  I guess with more experience and practice I will work these things out. 

I used the same merino + wool  as the honey cowls, but in a musky pink.

I really like the pattern the stitches make and particularily like the cast off edge which is at the bottom of the photo above, the cast on is similar but shows up how I like on the inside not the outside, I really wish I knew more about knitting to work out how to swap that around, as I would love to make this again but have the start and finish edges the same.

For now I have put the knitting needles away.  I am desperate for some warmer even sunnier weather so feeling the need to be prepared by sewing some dresses and new sun hats for the girls for spring, if it ever comes..........

Honey Cowl

After seeing a honey cowl knitted by Tony of Make it Perfect, I was inspired to give knitting another go.  My previous attempts were a couple of beanies made with my mothers group when we decided to start a regular knitting evening.  

With winter well underway and thinking a cowl would be so much more practical than a scarf  for the girls.  I printed off the free Honey Cowl pattern from Ravelry and stopped in a local wool shop I had noticed near the little girls'  gymnastic class. 

I decided to start with a small cowl for Philippa.  I choose a merino + wool by LANG and she choose an olive green colour, coincidentally very similar to Tony's colour.  My first attempt was so full of mistakes I unraveled it and started again.  Second attempt was much improved but a bit to narrow she wore it for awhile, but after Xanthe refused to wear the light pink honey cowl I knitted her, Philippa claimed it.  Much better fit don't you  think?

The wool is super soft, warm, nice to knit, and washes well, which is very important when knitting for kids.  Alannah loved the colour of Philippa's original cowl and so I made her one in the olive green colour.

Alannah and Philippa love their cowls and wear them daily.  I really enjoyed the knitting, they were a great project for December when I was full of cold and very little energy.  I definitely still have a lot to learn particularly about sizing and gauge.  I tend to knit tight, so that requires casting on a few extra stitches for something simple like a cowl, still need to work out how that will affect something more complicated. Loved this pattern for a lovely practical item for the girls for winter and a good introduction back into the world of knitting for me, but I think after 4 honey cowls, I am ready to try knitting something different.