One skein, one hour crochet cowl...

It's cold, wet and windy here in Lincolnshire today. I'm so glad the dogs and I made the most of the sunshine yesterday. Whilst keeping an eye open for a gap in the rain this morning the bathroom got lucky and had a thorough spring clean. Since Christmas there has been an explosion of shampoos and shower gels in the shower which pretty much goes against my desire to only have one large bottle of each for our family of four. Does anyone else think it's only them that actually finishes the remains of a bottle and throws it in the bin? If anyone does actually finish a bottle before starting a new one it never leaves the shower cubicle. I do make requests, they just don't happen.

I guess, in the grand scheme of things, it's not a big deal. At least my children willingly step into the shower every day. I've heard from parents of J's friends that this is an achievement! Ew!

So, with the rain still chucking it down, I'm drinking tea and wondering whether to make another of these crochet cowls. It's a one skein, one hour kind of project which lends itself to having one in every useful colour!

I actually did some swatching to work out the optimum size cowl I could achieve with this yarn. A couple of hook size changes and dodgy maths later and I ended up with just enough to sew up the seam. It's a bit like making the polo neck part of a jumper without the jumper, so much more flexible for wearing indoors! I like to crochet in our sunlounge and on a day like today it's extremely draughty.

I used a 9mm hook, not the recommended 6mm, to give a bit of extra drape (It's not an expensive yarn, just something I liked for its tweedy flecks.) It's made using half trebles through the back loop to make a ribbed fabric. I created a gauge/formula for roughly how big a piece I could crochet but for a guide I will endeavour to write a stitches/row guide for anyone wondering what to do with a random ball of chunky yarn.

The recent cowl obsession came from the realisation that scarves take up an awful lot of room in a small suitcase. I bought two large ones in Barcelona last October and even though it was sweltering when we left I was obliged to wear one because my carry on suitcase was full (of yarn amongst other things!). E and I are heading South soon and I like to travel light, hence the productivity with cowl making! Three cowls later and I think it's the simplest, cheapest, smallest one (ie. this simple tweedy black one) that will be squished in my suitcase for the trip.