mad cowl disease

its beginning to feel quite wintry at both ends of the day recently, and i've realised that although heavy jumpers aren't needed yet, it's the perfect time to wear scarves and mitts. they are easily slipped on and off, and can be stuffed into a handbag when the sun comes out. another bonus is quick finishing, by the time i'm bored the project is complete! after the success of last week's cream chunky cowl, i decided to make another one.

wild thing cowl

this time i sewed the cowl from some thin faux fur fabric from my stash; i just cut a rectangle the width of the fabric (150cm) by 50cm. then i sewed the long edges together to form a tube, leaving an opening of 15cm for turning. finally i sewed the short edges together, flipped it the right way out and hand sewed the opening. two twists around the neck and it was on!

aviator cowl

the next cowl was also sewn, this time from faux leather, lined with fleece. the pattern is from burda style magazine October 2011, design #154, but once again its just a lined rectangle with a chunky zipper inserted at the short edges. this is a very fashion forward look, and as such i haven't dared to wear it yet in case my family mocks me for it, but i'll have the last laugh when the cold wind blows because its really warm and cosy.

orange tulips cowl

finally, i got out the knitting needles again to make this orange cowl knitted from Spotlight's Moda Vera "Shiver" yarn. i bought this shade last year and never got round to using it but its a lovely soft acrylic that's perfect on sensitive skin. i used my Vogue Stitchionary to choose a pattern and this one is called "tulip leaves" which suits the national colour of Holland! the lace pattern creates a wavy cast on edge that sits beautifully on the shoulders and knitting the cowl sideways shows off the pattern nicely.

gobstopper hail

these cowls are so much easier to wear than scarves as they don't come adrift no matter what you are doing, and sit close to the neck to keep you warm even on days when the hail looks more like snow...