I love it when a plan works out

Dear Mom,

I suppose it was the hint of cool weather that got me to thinking about knitting scarves and cowls, and it doesn't take much more than that to spark an idea. I love the look of cowls and their status as a relatively quick knit, but I do not like the hair-messing-face-smudging difficulty in putting one on and taking it off, and especially not the neglected, exposed-to-the-cold lack of chest coverage.

What I decided to come up with was a cowl with button closures across chest to keep it snug and easy to wear. But with shaping. And not a scarf.

I spent some quiet time reflecting on my idea, (I happened to be at the dog park. Imagine that. Seems I am either walking dogs or at the dog park these days. Seriously, I am making dogparkfriends.....and learning that some dogs and their people should be avoided, just like in real life. Remind me to tell you one of these days about the mean girl, Foxy.) and had one of those Eureka moments when I knew how it had to be. And once those moments are born, they don't wait patiently in line while other knitting projects get finished. Nope. They want to be born right now.

So, I cast on Thursday night, finished it Friday night, sewed on the buttons and blocked it so it could dry while I slept and here it is:

And here is what it looks like under a coat  (Elle and I had fun playing dress up this afternoon):

See? All nice and tucked in and warm.

I've decided to name the design "Cowl Catcher". A play on the cow catchers on the front of old steam engines, because the stitch pattern is reminiscent of train tracks.

The buttons can be closed at any point on the length of the scarf- snugging it up or keeping it loose.  And the length is just right, I think, to wear under a coat without having to deal with too much bulk.

After I've test knit my own pattern and tried it out with different yarns (I have some handspun that I am thinking about doubling and trying out), I'll write up the pattern and publish.

I just love it when an idea turns into a plan and it all works out!

Love,
Kim