Hello! Nothing me-made today – instead, a lovely wool scarf that my sister knit me over the summer!
This scarf was a three-way trade, which is why is pays to have crafty friends. Our friend Kim gave Anne a sweater-lot of wool; I sewed a dress for Kim; and Anne knit a cowl for me!
The cowl was made to match a beret that Anne made me years ago – more about that later!
If you are a knitter, I’ll direct you to Anne’s Ravelry page about this project... because all I can tell you is that it’s wool and it has a cool texture. (Wait, Ravelry says it is wool, silk, alpaca, and cashmere! Fancy, fancy!)
Here it is worn in a triple, double, or single loop. Not that I’d wear it in a single loop, but I thought you might want to see how long it actually is! I found that a plain cream scarf was something I missed in my wardrobe last winter, especially when I’m wearing a bold print that doesn’t match my normal colour palette. (This one is a Sew Over It Heather Dress that I made at this time last year!)
Permit me a trip down memory lane? Because I’ve had the matching hat for longer than I’ve been with my husband, and I’ve got photographic proof!
This is me on February 8th, 2009 in Tokyo… which happens to be 5 days before hooking up with my now-husband! I had a huge crush on him by this point, and I remember being so excited when he stopped by our birthday celebrations for a coworker that night. ❤ Anne also knit me the little pink sakura brooch I’m wearing.
It’s always fun looking past at the styles I wore in the past, and trying to figure out just what I liked about them! My coat is similar to the Clare I’m planning to make now, and the dress underneath had a low V and some kind of wrap/twist overlap. I used to own quite a bit of brown clothing, including a couple special-occasion dresses and my one and only suit! I had an identical black pair of those shoes, which I loved because they were the only Japanese dress shoes that ever fit my wide foreigner feet. Goodness knows why I was going for such a ladylike vibe on a night out though!
Thank you to Anne and Kim for the three-way trade! I’m lucky to have such talented and generous people in my life!
Crafting A Rainbow 
I’m so happy that you’re enjoying the cowl! And that the hat still gets used — I remember that being some of the fanciest lace I had ever knit, and wondering if you’d even wear it once! Goodness knows, for all the clothes you’ve sewn me, you deserve ALL the handknits I can conjure. (And if you say you have enough, I’ll just keep knitting for your husband instead… and then your cats…)
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I didn’t realise that the white hat was one of your first forays into lace knitting! It’s definitely been worn more than any other knitted item i have, so thank you for making it! 🙂
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It was back in 2009, apparently. https://www.ravelry.com/projects/AnnieBee/13-lace-beret
I had knit the Hanami (twice) and a Japanese Feather linen scarf for Mom, but they are both “lace knitting” where there’s a plain “rest row” between each patterned row. The hat, by contrast, is “knitted lace” which means that there’s no rest row — every row (or in this case round) is patterned. It seems like a weirdly academic distinction, and the choice of terminology to differentiate them is unfortunate, but it does make a big difference in how complex the pattern is. There’s a wee bit of the leftover Alpaca Cashmere from that hat in the cowl, incidentally!
(May I steal some of your photos for the Ravelry project pages?)
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I love this post for all its twists and connections, just like the elegant cowl. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the cosy set of cowl and beret this winter ❄️ Beautiful work, Anne! 💝
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Anne has such a great ability to envision how projects will turn out!
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Wow, love the idea of a craft trade with friends! Something I might steal to discuss with my crafting friends. Lovely cowl and beret there !
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I hope you and your friends do try a crafty swap someday! 😉
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Me too!
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I love that idea too. What an utterly gorgeous cowl and hat. They look so cosy and lovely. That is great that you still have the hat and wear it after all this time. I donated 3 huge refuse sacks stuffed with will to my Mum and now she knits me hats. I have sewn for her so I suppose it is a fair trade. That Heather dress is gorgeous. The fabric is lovely. Xx
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That’s a good deal! What kinds of things does your mom knit you?
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