So yesterday I was driving around downtown Toronto. I much prefer walking...in the summer, but that's not the point.
As I was stuck in traffic waiting to get on to the highway, I had nothing else to do other than listen to some Italian music, curse the cyclists touching my car, and people watch. I noticed a gorgeous array of (mostly) women wearing splendid cowls. Long, short, and bulky, these cowls colouring the streets of Toronto made me so happy.
It was a bit curious, as I have had to explain to many people what, exactly a cowl is. So to see so many people wearing them made me kinda excited. They're becoming mainstream!!
If you, my lovely reader, was wondering what a cowl is, let me break it down for you again (in the words of Lauryn Hill). A cowl is a neckwarmer. Ever looked at or bought a sweater or top with a "cowl neck"? It's kind of a slouchy neckline, with the fabric gently draping over the chest area. It is not v-neck, or scoop, or boat-neck...as it is not structured. It usually hangs at or below the collar bone, and tends to be quite flattering.
A cowl, therefore, has the same draping effect, but it's goal is to warm the neck and upper chest in a non-structured and effortless way. There are a million and one different types of cowls...in a million and one different types of fabrics. It's just a matter of finding one that suits you.
Check out my website: http://www.facebook.com/thelittlecowlcompany for an idea of what types of cowls I create!
Friday 28 October 2011
Thursday 27 October 2011
In search of the perfect super bulky (6) wool
So I'm a yarn snob.
I turn my nose up to *shudders* acrylic, polyester and any other 'cheap' feeling yarn. I like warm, cozy, natural fibres. If it's organic, naturally dyed (or in it's natural colour, even better), I'm a happy camper.
Problem with this? Price. God, the price. Spending $20 per 50g skein is a tad insane in my books. I get quality vs. quantity and all that jazz...but I'm young, single, and have a lovely mortgage that sucks the life out of me. I do not believe that one should have to pay an extravagent amount of money for a simple, classic wool. If people have been knitting it for centuries, why is it so hard to come across now?!
Therefore...I'm on the hunt for the perfect skein of bulky wool in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA for all you non-GTAers). Sheep farms, yarn shops, expert and novice knitters, farmer's market, etc...do you hear me?? I need you. Now.
I turn my nose up to *shudders* acrylic, polyester and any other 'cheap' feeling yarn. I like warm, cozy, natural fibres. If it's organic, naturally dyed (or in it's natural colour, even better), I'm a happy camper.
Problem with this? Price. God, the price. Spending $20 per 50g skein is a tad insane in my books. I get quality vs. quantity and all that jazz...but I'm young, single, and have a lovely mortgage that sucks the life out of me. I do not believe that one should have to pay an extravagent amount of money for a simple, classic wool. If people have been knitting it for centuries, why is it so hard to come across now?!
Therefore...I'm on the hunt for the perfect skein of bulky wool in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA for all you non-GTAers). Sheep farms, yarn shops, expert and novice knitters, farmer's market, etc...do you hear me?? I need you. Now.
Allow me to Introduce myself...
Happy almost Friday to you all & welcome to my blog!
Let's get this party started off on the left foot (I'm left handed so I work that way).
I knit. I love it, I crave it, I need it in my life. I started not too long ago with the classic beginner garter stitch scarf, and soon found my passion to be cowls. I quickly found them to be not only addictive to knit up, but to hoard...um...keep, as well. Every cowl has such a wonderful story, and I follow Michaelangelo's famous words (paraphrasing of course): "there's a wonderful cowl in each ball of yarn...it's just a matter of me setting it free". Ok, well he said that about sculpting out of Carrara marble, but you get the jist of it.
I'm 26, enjoy a stereotypical night of greasy chinese food, romantic chick flick (or action movie depending on the company I chose to keep) and my snuggie. I do enjoy the occasional night on the town, and have been ever-so-politely told that my knitting might be getting in the way of me finding a husband. It's a wonderful dose of reality, really. Thankfully though, I have a wonderful group of friends who give me kinder reality checks: "If I catch you home on a Friday or Saturday night because you have to knit, I'm going to come over and pull you out by your pajama pants". It's a fantastic scare tactic, and thankfully my friends have not had to resort to that as of yet.
I started a small, word-of-mouth and Facebook based company in which I hand make custom knit cowls. I've truely found my calling, and would have much rather figured this out before I spent 6 years in university toiling away at a Masters degree that soaked up all the blood, sweat and tears I have to offer. But hey, way she goes, right!?
Anyhoo, keep up with my blog for info, tips, tricks, pics, and patterns of my various knitting adventures!
Let's get this party started off on the left foot (I'm left handed so I work that way).
I knit. I love it, I crave it, I need it in my life. I started not too long ago with the classic beginner garter stitch scarf, and soon found my passion to be cowls. I quickly found them to be not only addictive to knit up, but to hoard...um...keep, as well. Every cowl has such a wonderful story, and I follow Michaelangelo's famous words (paraphrasing of course): "there's a wonderful cowl in each ball of yarn...it's just a matter of me setting it free". Ok, well he said that about sculpting out of Carrara marble, but you get the jist of it.
I'm 26, enjoy a stereotypical night of greasy chinese food, romantic chick flick (or action movie depending on the company I chose to keep) and my snuggie. I do enjoy the occasional night on the town, and have been ever-so-politely told that my knitting might be getting in the way of me finding a husband. It's a wonderful dose of reality, really. Thankfully though, I have a wonderful group of friends who give me kinder reality checks: "If I catch you home on a Friday or Saturday night because you have to knit, I'm going to come over and pull you out by your pajama pants". It's a fantastic scare tactic, and thankfully my friends have not had to resort to that as of yet.
I started a small, word-of-mouth and Facebook based company in which I hand make custom knit cowls. I've truely found my calling, and would have much rather figured this out before I spent 6 years in university toiling away at a Masters degree that soaked up all the blood, sweat and tears I have to offer. But hey, way she goes, right!?
Anyhoo, keep up with my blog for info, tips, tricks, pics, and patterns of my various knitting adventures!
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