Round About the Neck

Two posts in a week--what is the world coming to?  Ha!  I've got two little projects to share today, both neckwear.  

A few years ago, there was a pattern book floating around the interwebs that had a striped sweater and I absolutely loved the color combo and the subtle texture of it.  Took me a minute to find the pattern but it is Stratified by Tif Neilan.  I was maybe a leetle obsessed with the stripe sequence as I literally counted rows on the photo so I knew when to change colors!

I didn't really want a whole sweater of it, though, so decided to make a cowl with yarn I already had that was close in shade.  I kind of made it up but used a pattern for the shaping.  So the pattern really has nothing to do with the finished object, since it is for a stranded piece.  I admit, I don't think I got the sizing right, as it doesn't want to lay nice and has been sitting in a bin for more than a year unworn.  

How it wants to lay: 

But with a bit of fussing, it is more like this: 

I guess I can just go around with my hand near my neck all day? If I could get it to lay nicely, I would probably wear it more, but it is okay, I suppose.  I should probably frog it to reclaim the yarn.  The dress was a thrift and is a match to green one I thrifted for Ponchik.  Hers is super cute on her and she liked the idea of matching.  The dress is warm and comfortable but I can't decide if it reads frumpy 90s or good 90s.  Probably the combat boots help?  Maybe it needs a knit poncho?  I dunno.  Jury still out.

Next up is the Cowal pattern by Kate Davies.  This was similar to the Gruggle but way more enjoyable to knit and I don't really know why.  I also like how it came out a lot better.

I made it considerably shorter than the pattern calls for because I had two balls of yarn and didn't want get a third.  I was concerned the full size one would swamp me. 

I think this is a good volume and length and I've worn it a few times already.  For the record, it was FREEZING when I took these photos.  That dress and jacket are both wool and I had on wool base layers too.  We had a cold snap where it didn't get out of the teens for more than a week and I was wearing my two wool maxi skirts on repeat:

I don't mind the cold, but my circulation isn't the greatest, so I've been trying to get creative about keeping my feet and hands warm.  It has warmed up slightly this week, so most of the snow we got two weeks ago is done.

45 must be the age when One Starts to Wear Blazers.  When I was younger they felt a bit too much on me, but I'm liking them now.  They do have to be pretty fitted and only in certain fabrics, but it's a good church outfit.