Honey Cowl and Baby Sweater

In the years after completing my bachelor’s degree and leaving our college town, I’ve found that it isn’t easy to make friends outside the college vacuum. It’s difficult to find people with similar interests or in some cases that you can just generally tolerate. This past summer, while working at an organization for my graduate school internship, I made a new friend! She came into our shared office one morning packing a homemade (canned) jar of blueberry –lime jam,  and in that moment I knew we could be buddies.  She shares my love of kitchen adventures (and is in many was much more adventurous than I), home preserving, gardening and camping. She is amazingly talented in her professional field and is always willing to share what she knows or teach someone else. She’s an amazing woman all around, kind, thoughtful ,honest and has a great sense of humor . As grateful as I am for the professional experience I gained from my internship, gaining a friendship has been  a perk that while different, is equally as appreciated. 

 Accurate Color Shot

So, this amazing friend let me drag her into my wedding planning madness and helped design our invitations and other stationary (and wouldn’t let me pay her for her time).  I told her I would pay her in knitted goods! Everyone likes knitted goods!! I decided to give the epic Honey Cowl (ravelry link) another try. I made one of these when the pattern was released and though it was a bit of a pain in the butt. However, I was swayed by Kay over at Mason-Dixon Knitting and her romanticizing of the whole process. I had two hanks of the divine Malabrigo Silky Merino (half and half silk and merino… yumm) in Cape Cod and thought the pattern was simple enough and the color was just right for my friend and her cranberry wool winter coat. 

I’m pleased to say, I loved this one. I loved the yarn. I loved the process . I loved the cowl, so much so I’m glad this color looks terrible on me or it would have never made it to my friend!

As I was finishing the Honey Cowl (a surprise) my friend emailed and asked if I could whip up something for her nephew, who will make his great entrance very soon.  Of course! Who doesn’t love knitting for babies?!  I went to my old baby standby the Little Coffee Bean Cardigan (Ravelry Link). I changed up the striping pattern from what is written in the pattern. Substituting 4 row stripes and using 4 colors instead of the recommended 2. I should note, that if you decide to go this route, there will be TONS of ends to weave in at the end. When I turned the sweater inside out, it looked like I had made it with fringed arms. The finishing work was worth it in my mind though, it’s my favorite one I’ve made so far. Buttons are burnished brass from Le Petite Buttons. 

Maybe it’s the process knitter in me, but I love knitting for other people. I can’t remember the last thing I knit for myself (look for another  Silky Merion Honey Cowl in the future though). It gives me great amounts of comfort and satisfaction to know that my hand knits are out in the world, keeping people warm against the cold and comforting them through their daily lives. This week that circle of people grew by two. 

Edited: When the box containing the cowl and sweater arrived, I got a phone call from my friend and the first words out of her mouth upon my “hello” were “This cowl is AMAZING!” Yep, I have some pretty awesome friends.