Sweet as Honey Cowl - Finished!

I also reblocked my Sweet as Honey Cowl as the first blocking didn’t look much better than the unblocked state, mostly because I didn’t actually stretch it out, I just soaked it and laid it out to dry.  I did try to do some stretching of it before I laid it out, but I didn’t pin it at all.  This time I stretched it vertically first, pinning the top and bottom, and then pulled it horizontally pinning it along the folded edge.  The bee section is still a little more lumpy than I would like, but overall I am happy with it.  I love the colors and the design.  The fabric is soft and it will be warm and cozy next winter.  I used the called for yarn in the called for colors.  I did have to go up two needle sizes to get anywhere close to gauge.  I haven’t actually measured my finished gauge - it fits me perfectly and that is good enough for me.  The only other modification I made was to work a 2x2 ribbing instead of the 1x1 ribbing the pattern called for, as I prefer the look of the 2x2 ribbing.

Pattern:  Sweet as Honey Cowl by Simone Van Iderstine

Yarn:  Fleece and Harmony Selkirk Worsted

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Sweet as Honey Cowl - Cast On, Take Two

After working my Fleece and Harmony Mystery Blanket 2024 gauge swatch I decided to restart my Sweet as Honey Cowl on larger needles.  I ended up going with a US 5 (3.75 mm) needle instead of the US 3 (3.25 mm) needle that the pattern recommended.  I’m thinking the designer is a looser knitting than I am.  I am working this on 20 inch circulars, and it fits easily without the stitches being crowded (I was working the previous version on 16 inch circulars) so I am more confident that I will actually be able to wear this as a cowl and will not be forced to turn it into a hat, or a small pillow.  If you look close, you can see the bees starting to emerge.  I also switched the 1x1 rib to a 2x2 rib, which I prefer.

Pattern:  Sweet as Honey Cowl by Simone Van Iderstine

Yarn:  Fleece and Harmony Selkirk Worsted in Autumn Birch and Plover

Needle:  US 5 (3.75 mm)

Sweet as Honey Cowl - Cast On!

While I was pondering my path forward on the Mystery Blanket, I decided to cast on one of the other projects that I had purchased yarn for.  This is the Sweet as Honey Cowl by Simone Van Iderstine.  It is also knit in the Selkirk Worsted, with the same gauge as the blanket, but on a 3.25 mm needle.  Hmm, said I, I’ve been wanting to knit this, so I decided to cast this on as part of my figuring out how this yarn knits up experimenting.  This is also coming out on the dense side, although not quite as dense as the blanket.  At this point I’m wondering if it would even fit over my head as a cowl, maybe it could be a hat.  But Kim of Fleece and Harmony has said that their yarn expands width wise and shrinks length wise when blocked, so I don’t know.  We will just see what happens.  That is, after all, what experiments are for.  I am enjoying the knit, and that is really what matters.

Pattern:  Sweet as Honey Cowl by Simone Van Iderstine

Yarn:  Fleece and Harmony Selkirk Worsted

Needle:  US 3 (3.25 mm)