Serenely Knitting

Happy Sunday, all!

I have just returned from a week at my cousin's cottage, and got so much knitting done, I felt the urge to share it all with you!

After a botched attempt to head south for a week, my cousin invited me to her cottage near Tiny, Ontario (nestled between the over-hyped Wasaga Beach and Midland). We biked, watched sunsets, tanned and spent our evenings watching Homeland and knitting up a storm.

Sunset over Georgian Bay

After taking a short bike ride to watch the sunset, we brewed up some tea and retreated to the couch for a marathon of classic movies and Homeland. I brought more yarn than I expected to get through, and surprisingly, managed to knit up quite a few items!

The first was the famed "On the Hudson Cowl" by Sandra Singh. A few months ago I won the pattern, eagerly cast-on for the Knit-A-Long (KAL) and managed to screw up so bad that I abandoned the project. I frogged a portion of it a month ago, and decided that this was my opportunity to complete it.

On the Hudson Cowl - Complete

I made a tiny little boo-boo on the pattern - otherwise I am completely in love with it! If you see at the bottom of the cowl, right before the ribbing is a tiny section of dark grey lace pattern. That is not supposed to be there. My subconscious must have made me cast-on the grey colour, so to avoid taking it apart I did one repeat of the lace before finishing with the ribbing. Many thanks to Sandra Singh for creating such a beautiful pattern, and for having the pattern contest!

Next, I decided to begin preparing for the Vaughan of a Kind Show. This is usually held around Christmas time in Vaughan ON, and it's never too early to begin prepping for a Craft Show!

I brought a bunch of yarn for making my bow headband. I will be selling them along with the "City Cowl". They are made of super soft premium acrylic (wool is too scratchy, and the past has taught me that not many people will pay for cashmere or alpaca unless requested specifically). My favourite yarn for this is Vanna's Choice by Lion Brand: her colours are modern, and the yarn washes up so soft, it really is lovely for an acrylic.

My cousin Elisa modelling her grey bow headband

After knitting up a whopping five headbands and bows - I got bored with it, and cast on my next project: The Organic Mushroom Hat.

I knit it up with Lion Brand Nature's Choice Organic Cotton in Macadamia. It is super soft, although quite difficult to work with (like any cotton). It knit up quickly with US 10.5 circular needles, and I finished it off with US 9 DPNs. 

After completing it, I was doing my usual people.com gossip reading and came across a picture of Siena Miller rocking a very similar hat. I love finding photos of celebrities wearing knit items. It somehow validates to the skeptical world that knitting can be modern and fashionable, and isn't just an old lady sport. 

The Organic Mushroom Hat (pattern on Ravelry)

Siena Miller in her strikingly similar knit hat

I can't wait to wear this lovely hat on a fall day. It's feminine and dainty, and still has a bit of an edge. The cotton is super soft, and the detail of the lace pattern is really pretty up close.

All in all, I had a very relaxing week away from the big city, and look forward to keeping up my knitting streak!

Have a wonderful week!

Lots of love,

Little Ms Cowl Co.

Little Ms Cowl Co has some news for you!

Welcome back, darling followers!

I have been M.I.A for quite a bit, but will update you on all the fun of the past few months.

Shortly after my last post, I got engaged! My fiance' popped the question on our anniversary - something he said he would never do (sneaky...I didn't expect it at all!). I have been in full wedding planning mode ever since - hence my absence. I have tried to finish my Work-In Progress(es) throughout that time though, in the vain hopes of giving me sanity throughout the aggressive process of wedding preprations.

*Drum roll please* The boyfriend scarf is DONE! Ok, it became "the fiance' scarf" - but it is complete nonetheless. I finished it with less than 6 inches of yarn left over, so it is as long as possible. Mr. Little-Cowl-Co-to-be loves it, even if it is July. He better, since I'm pretty sure I will never knit him another scarf again. It was one of the most painful projects I have ever endured, however I must say, the pain was worth it: the scarf is beautiful. The material, pattern and texture are quite complimentary to each other, and the scarf looks great on him.

I have picked up my "On the Hudson Cowl" again. I put it on the back burner for a bit because I found an error in my stitches, and did not have the courage to tink it out. During one of my knit nights with my knitting group, I was encouraged and managed to correct the error - while only tinking one part of the pattern.

I'm continuing it - and am happy to say there is quite a bit of yarn left over (enough for another cowl or two!). The colours are beautiful - and I will post a picture as soon as it's complete.

In other news, my dear friend is getting married on the same day as the annual Bindertwine Festival in Kleinburg, ON. I will not have a booth - but will get to witness one of my dearest friends tie the knot! I will be working away on cowls and headbands for the Vaughan of a Kind show, which is usually held around Christmas time. Last year was unorganized (my booth was beside another booth selling knit cowls), chaotic and not a kind experience to me, so I must have hope that this year will be better.

I will post pics of all finished objects (FOs) ASAP!

Much love,

Little Ms Cowl Co.

Spring Caffeine Addicts Swap 2013

Well, darlings. The time has come again! Swap time!!

I have made it a tradition to participate in the "Caffeine Addicts" spring and fall swaps (as you can tell from previous posts).

This year my swap buddy is from New Mexico...so I was anticipating some cool things - and boy did she deliver!

swap package all wrapped up

Starbucks tumbler, Dunkin' Donuts coffee (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), knit flower pin, hand-knit makeup bag (from my Ravelry favorite's list), terracotta candle, chili chocolate (which is lingering on my taste buds as I type), Desert Sun NM roasted coffee, and finally a dangerously small (but most likely powerful) tin of fire-roasted diced green chili peppers.

I am so excited to try it all - and so thankful! This was such a super swap package, I couldn't be more grateful.

For a little hint of what she got in return:

Chai tea, Knitter's Almanac by Elizabeth Zimmerman, City of Vaughan magazine, Lavazza coffee (my personal favorite), friendship blueberry tea, Mustard Scarf, Headband (knit in handspun and kettle-dyed wool), maple sugar cookies, and some green tea candies.

I had such a great time participating in this swap!

Until next time,

Little Miss Cowl Co.

Dreaming of Pantone Contest Winner!

Good morning, Dear Followers!

I'm writing with wonderful news - The Little Cowl Co's first contest winner!

Congratulations to Hollie Schroeder! You have won a City Cowl in your Pantone colour choice "Tender Shoots 14-0446"!

I used www.random.org to have a colour selected - and I think it's a great choice! Since the cowl is made with natural material, it will be a great addition to your spring wardrobe without feeling too wintery!

To all other followers, make sure you add the blog to your favorites and stay tuned for more news, updates, patterns, contests and knitting adventures!

Until next time,

Little Miss Cowl Co.

The Never Ending Scarf

I should start this post off with a disclaimer: I am usually not an angry knitter. Knitting is fun - sometimes frustrating - but mostly relaxing. Getting into a rhythm of a pattern, seeing your work unfold, is truly spectacular.

Unless, of course, you are working on something that you have developed an incredible and insurmountable hatred for. This brings me to one of my current projects - my boyfriend's belated Christmas-present scarf.

This whole project started out badly - and I should have taken it as a knitting-omen. I loved the pattern "New York Scarf". It looked like a simple ribbed scarf. Very masculine depending on the colour and material choice.

I settled on Illimani Yarn in Baby Alpaca. I chose an interesting shade of brownish grey - and wound it into cakes the minute I got home. I began to notice that the yarn was quite thin for a worsted weight, but dismissed the thought. I grabbed my US size 6 needles (which is what the pattern called for) and cast on the 35 stitches. I worked about an inch before I frogged because the stitches were too loose for my liking. Ok, lets start round two.

I went down to a US size 4 and cast on 55 stitches - worked an inch and found it to be too tightly knit. God forbid I do a gauge swatch - Heaven forbid! It's a ribbed scarf, what do I need a gauge swatch for?! So I frog the blasted scarf for the second time, and throw the yarn in my project bag. The next day I head to knit night, and realize I have yarn and no needles. I run over to Michaels (since it was around 7pm and I knew any decent LYS would be closed) and pick up a pair of US 5 circular needles. This should work.

I cast on 55 stitches again, and work the pattern up and begin to like what I see. I, the Goldilocks of scarves, am finally satisfied. Except that I hate these needles. The cable is so stiff and has so much memory it is almost impossible to work with. Did I mention that I hate the pattern as well?! The rib is worked up in a K2 P3 on one row and K3 P2 on the second row. This is not normal. Why couldn't it be K2P2 or K3P3 over an even amount of stitches??

Needless to say, the scarf was not complete by my Christmas drop-dead date.

I open up my Christmas gifts and behold! Knit Picks Harmony Interchangeable Needles!!!! I quickly prep the US size 5 and begin knitting the scarf on these new needles. LOVE. I am working quickly, with my mojo primarily coming from the new found joy of gorgeous needles.

This quickly dies, however, as my hatred for this pattern and yarn come back. I knit with the sole motivation of hatred, thinking the faster I knit, the faster I finish. I come to the end of one yarn cake, and quickly have to wind the next one before I lose this motivation.

***insert tangle in yarn***

I want to throw this scarf out the window and drive over it. I want to give it to my boyfriend and tell him to suck it up and wear a short scarf. But no, I love him too much, and take too much pride in my knitting and frankly, am too stubborn to let the scarf win.  I spend the better part of a sunny Saturday untangling my yarn and winding it nicely. I join the new yarn with the end of the last cake, and on I go again.

Then I get bored, go on Ravelry and decide to cast on something else because it's just not fair to me to hate what I knit.

I abandon the scarf, and tend to only take it out when my boyfriend is around. This way, it looks like I spend a lot of time knitting it. I begin to feel guilty, and decide to finish this scarf once and for all. It's been four months since I started and it's just not right.

I have been working on it all week, and decide to bring it to my knit night last night. Everyone (including myself) laughs at the hatred I have for the scarf, and I apologize for giving everyone cut-eye as they ask me details about the scarf.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to give you cut-eye. I mean to give it to the scarf."

In closing, I'm about 85% complete. There's probably about 30 yards of yarn left. The scarf is quite beautiful despite the pure anger that went into it. I will post a pic as soon as it's done.

Lesson of this posting: If you hate something almost immediately after casting on, do yourself a favour and pick something else. Also, do not tell the recipient on the gift that you are making it. Then the expectation is just guilt on top of your God-awful knitting project.

Until a happier knitting post,

Little Miss Cowl Co.

Dreaming of Pantone - Contest Alert!

I had one weird dream last night.

It's interesting how my dreams stem from simple little conversations I have had throughout the day. The thoughts must stay in my subconscious, and usually turn out weird during my REM sleep. This one however, was interesting-weird.

I had a dream last night that I was back at University of Bologna (insert big music festival in Bologna last night, and a conversation I was having with a co-worker about keeping my options open about going back to school). While I was in Bologna/Dreamland, I was filling out a survey about which Pantone (www.pantone.com) colour I would associate with the following:

- Vacation
- Boyfriend/Love
- Best Friend

This is the weird part. I actually chose the Pantone colour by number. Now, in order to write this post I had to verify my dream accuracy. I don't remember the exact number I chose, but I do remember the exact shade.

- Vacation - 15-5819 TCX Spearmint
- Boyfriend - 12-4608 TCX Clearwater
- Best Friend - 15-3910 TCX Languid Lavender

Now, if you're asking "who" or "what" Pantone is - here is a quick breakdown. Pantone is the leading worldwide colour authority for colour. The company has given a numerical code to almost every colour imaginable to the human eye. If you want to paint your car or house a specific colour, just walk into a paint store and request Pantone colour # and voila - your car or house will be THE EXACT colour.

So, back to my story. Since I woke up thoroughly inspired, I decided to host my first ever cowl contest!

The Pantone-Cowl Contest

The Grand Prize will be a City Cowl ($50 value) in as close as possible to one of the Pantone colours you chose).



The City Cowl - more colours to chose from!

 The criteria for entering the contest are as follows:

1. Leave a comment on this blog posting stating your top three Pantone colours - and why. You can search through the Pantone website for this - it's actually much more fun than it sounds.
2. "Like" my Facebook page "The Little Cowl Company"
3. Follow me on Twitter (@thelittlecowlco)
4. "Share" the link for this blog posting on Twitter - and of course link my account!
5. Of course, follow the blog!

The more criteria met, the better your chance at winning! The Contest will close on Monday April 1st at 11:59pm EST. I will chose a winner using www.random.org and will announce the winner on the blog.

Good luck to all who enter, I can't wait to hear all your feedback!

Fashion over Function

Although this is usually a knitting-only blog, I recently had a fashion experience that I thought I would share with you all.

Ever since I moved into my condo, my Saturday nights have consisted of pizza and a movie in front of my TV. I cherish my calm Saturdays, usually spent snuggled with my boyfriend rather than out and about. I have become a bonafide homebody, and seem to be having a honeymoon with my condo. I don't want to leave!

Before I moved in, I would never pass up an opportunity to indulge in a club or bar downtown, dinner with my friends, hit a patio or two in Little Italy or grab an ice cream in Yorkville and walk around aimlessly. Seeing as I haven't really been to a social outting out of the confines of my cozy diggs in months, I jumped at the opportunity of dinner and dancing with my boyfriend and some friends. Of course, I decided on a cute outfit and couldn't WAIT to wear my delicious new Brian Atwood "Maniac" pumps in Coral calf hair.

I bought them at Holt Renfrew Last Call during a closing sale. The shoes had an original price tag of $695 Canadian, and I paid $89 + HST *insert happy dance*. I love Brian Atwood, and was thrilled to finally be able to snag a pair of his shoes without breaking the bank.



Brian Atwood "Maniac" pump in coral calf hair

 I paired the shoes with a white silk blouse from Aritzia and navy blue skinny pants with blue velvet polkdots. I added some gold stud earrings, Stella & Dot clover long gold necklace, Michael Kors Tortoise & Gold watch, and my favorite Alviero Martini 1a Classe thick bracelet. I looked pretty good, until I stood up.

I couldn't walk: I bought the shoes a half-size too small - on purpose no less. My foot is quite narrow, so when I wear heels my feel slide, leaving a ghastly gap at the back. Usually, buying a half-size too small ensures my foot won't slide and I won't have to worry. In this case, my pinky toe was not happy and decided to swell to the size of my big toe. I tried desperately to heat my shoes under the hand dryer in the ladies room, put baby powder on my feet - all to no avail.

We had to leave the club early as I was literally in tears. I couldn't stand up, sit down, walk, dance or generally think straight. I seriously think I was developing a fever for how bad these gorgeous shoes hurt. When we got to the car, I shed a few tears openly (think Kim Kardashian ugly cry) and spent the rest of the car ride with the A/C on my feet.

Have you ever experienced a fashion-over-function pain? What are your remedies?

I will be try some internet suggested options. I refuse to never wear these again. They are stunning and gorgeous, and I got them on sale. I love them with every fibre in my body, including my baby toe which has still not forgiven me.

Until next time,

Little Miss Cowl Co.