Mohair Cowl

Several summers ago I was in Seattle for the 4th of July. I was there for an ultimate tournament called Potlatch, with a group of current students and alumni from my alma mater. Because of a knee injury, I was not able to play, so on one of the days I took a trip to Bainbridge, and visited Churchmouse Yarns and Teas. It was a lovely grey Pacific Northwest day, and what a lovely shop! I had already discovered Churchmouse patterns via ravelry and my roommate, but I had no idea that Churchmouse is also a purveyor of fine teas. I instantly fell even more in love, because how could I not love a store that combines two of my greatest loves - tea and knitting?

Churchmouse patterns are often done with simple stitches. They use a lot of stockinette and garter stitch. The construction of garments is clever. Final products look classy - but are also cozy and warm. As a Minnesotan (it's a high of 13 today), I appreciate the final two points more than I can say. This post's project is Churchmouses' Mohair Cowl. I knit it in Isager Silk Mohair 52, which is called Dusty Plum. The color is most true-to-life in the first photo. (The pattern calls for Kidsilk Haze, but I was not sold on any of the colors my LYS had in stock). The pattern is simple, using a simple increase/decrease to create fabric draped on a bias. I learned a new technique, which I am very proud of - Kitchener stitch. 

I wear this cowl all the time. ALL THE TIME. It is unbelievably cozy and also holy cow helps keep me warm. The first time I wore it, I happened to be biking to a meeting and I grabbed this cowl because I thought to myself, "It's so lightweight! It'll be just the right amount of extra warmth". Um, yes, not true. I completely overheated on my just-over-a-mile commute, and did not cool off until an hour into my meeting. I have since upgraded my appreciation for the warmth of mohair (and the amount of heat I generate while biking). 

In other, non-knitting news, this weekend I skied in the Twin Cities Loppet, an urban ski race. I did a 10k, and exceeded my time goal, which was to ski it in under 2 hours. It was a great day to ski, and a really great non-competitive race. It's a great course - the first 5k is in a wooded park and has some good winding-ness and hills, and then the last 5k is on the chain of lakes (Cedar, Brownie, Isles, Calhoun), and flat. Although I was sore the next day, it was one of my best days of skiing ever - I felt like my stride was even, and something about my poling just clicked. 

Hope you all are having a lovely start to your February!