Bourley Cowl

This was the fourth and last project from the 2017 Ysolda club. The first one was this shawl and the second one was this hat and mitts set. The third is missing only because I haven’t taken any pictures of it yet. I actually finished it before starting this cowl.

This was my first time knitting a cowl, would you believe it? They’ve been so popular but I’d never made one. I thought they’d either feel like they were choking me or not provide the warmth I like to have. But the pattern and the yarn came and I tried it out.

The yarn is Hampshire DK by The Little Grey Sheep. It’s grey wool overdyed with light pink. You can see the grey peeking through. I love how it makes such a sickly sweet color more muted and wearable for me.

It’s a sturdy wool, a little bit itchy, to be honest, but I’ve worn it without issue. It smells woolly! (I love it.) I knit it up with the suggested needles and the resulting cowl is very structured. Maybe I should have gone up a needle size to loosen the fabric up but then, maybe the cowl wouldn’t have stayed up around my face when I wanted it to.

The pattern (link doesn’t have any pictures right now but will at some point) is just the lovely kind of thing I’ve come to expect from Ysolda Teague. Thoughtful and elegant. I loved the cables (screwed up the direction of the crossings at the top but didn’t feel like changing it since you can’t tell it wasn’t meant to be like that anyway) and the way the garter stitch continues inside them while the background changes to stockinette. And the way the cables just flow into the top ribbing…

And that’s pretty much all there is to it. It’s comfortable, pretty, and functional. I wore it to an outside event in the “cold” (just below freezing, really) and it kept my neck, face, and ears snug as a bug. And it’s made me want to knit more cowls…

About deuxsouriceaux

Creative mommy at home to two wonderful little girls, trying to juggle family, sewing, exercise, family, knitting, photography, and did I mention family?