aslan

This piece makes me smile! The last time Dave and I went out to Fengari in Half Moon Bay I saw a purple sparkly version of this and loved how over the top it was. The furry yarn was so interesting I really wanted to make one of my own. The golden fur was too pretty to pass up so I started there. Rather than getting the (quite expensive) sparkly Prism Stuff yarn that the original used, I wandered around and found some skeins of madelinetosh chunky in the COOLEST color called Plaid Blanket. Just my taste! I love the greens of course, and the gray and brown make it the perfect yarn for a fall accessory.

The fuzzy yarn wasn't too bad to work with. the biggest challenge was the process of fluffing it up after everything was done. I expect that will still occur as it gets worn. Essentially, the thin fibers need to work their way out of the twists of the knitting, which they readily do because they are so slippery. You'll notice that there are vertical-ish lines of knitting next to slanted rows. It was supposed to be just simple chevrons along the whole thing but somehow I must have missed a decrease or increase and got a stitch off, but by the time I noticed it I decided I liked it that way. I swear I followed the written pattern. In the end that makes this less stretchy than the one I saw in the shop, but blocking helped a lot and it actually fits my shoulders better this way. 

It isn't quite a cowl but not really a shawl either. It wears very well with the bottom panel dropped down over both shoulders and the top ribbing up around the neck. The whole thing didn't take very long - I finished in in a few weeks in June, while dreaming of cooler weather. It looks very cute and I'm looking forward to some chillier days this fall so I can romp around looking like an autumnal lion. 

Pattern: Chevron Cowl by Laura Bryant (my Ravelry page)

Yarn: madelinetosh Chunky in 'plaid blanket' and Prism Plume in 'mustard'
Needle: US 9 and US 10

Size: Blocked flat to 13" /20" across (top/bottom) and 14" tall