Rainy Day Drive

It's been a gray, drizzly weekend here in Phoenix. Mountain Man and I thought we'd go hiking in the Superstitions today, but the rain and the mist picked up when we got to the trailhead.


Since we didn't want to risk getting caught in flash floods, we turned it into a several hour, epic Sunday drive on dirt roads. It's a damn good thing I had my knitting, because otherwise I would've been a grumpy passenger!

I finished the Manzanita Cowl in Eco Wool during the first hour or so of the trip. Modeled here, impishly in the rain, when we stopped to stretch our legs and gaze in amazement at the waterfalls ....


But this iteration of the cowl -- with only two vertical repeats of the lace -- was a little too short. Sigh. I painfully unraveled the bottom bobbled section and re-knit it to the original pattern. It's a good thing I had the long drive, because otherwise I would have been a grumpy knitter, ha ha!


I'm happy with how it turned out in the end, though.

Here's the details: it's another Manzanita Cowl, this time knit in a dark brown Eco Wool. Since this yarn is heavier than the light worsted called for in the pattern, I went up a needle size to US 8 and only cast on 5 horizontal repeats (65 stitches) rather than 6 (78 stitches).

I like experimenting with my patterns in different yarns, and this variation is really a different creature from the original. It's sturdier, snugger, and more rustic than the original. More of a stand-up, hug-your-neck cowl that will really keep you warm.