Winter is Coming...

No, this post has nothing to do with The Game of Thrones.  Although, I do wonder whether or not "Winter is coming" will become the new "You had me at hello" or "Keep calm and carry on" catch phrase.  There is something about August that inspires me to start knitting again.  It happens every year.  Something triggers and I start searching for new patterns for cozy shawls, cowls, scarves, and the like.  This year is no exception.  Why, you ask?  Well, with the onslaught of back to school advertisements and the hint of cooler weather to come, I can't help but think, "Winter is Coming" and what better way to accessorize than with customized knits.

Of late, I have been working on three projects - all scarf-like cowls.  The first, a birthday present for my best friend Melana; the second, a thank-you gift for my friend Karina; and the third, a 40th birthday gift for my friend Vickie.  Of the three, I only finished one on time.  I always underestimate the time it takes to knit a project.  It's terrible, really.  Full disclosure: Vickie turned 40 last December - her gift will be 9 months late!  It will be completed today, I swear!  Granted, last December I had a newborn baby.  Oh, and I should disclose that the yarn I purchased (in her favourite colour, purple) has experienced 3 incarnations.  

In December 2012, I started a chunky double stranded scarf.  About 10 inches in, I got tired of fighting the tension so I pulled it out.  The yarn was speaking to me and it was saying, it wasn't meant to be this kind of scarf.  So, in February, I decided it was destined to become a shawl with a ruffled edge.  I finished the body of the shawl only to realize that it wasn't going to be something that Vickie would wear.  Arghh...  What to do?  

And that's the thing.  When knitting gifts, it's more than the thought that counts.  Why give a knitted gift to someone if it'll likely end up in the bottom of a drawer or in a donation bag to Good Will?  I don't want to be compared to the kooky spinster aunt who gifts matching Christmas sweaters for the entire family!   

My motto is that it's better late than never!  So I have transformed the purple yarn into a striped cowl.  I'm hoping it's something that she can throw on with a light jacket when she's out for walks with her family.  The diagonal stripes give the piece a youthful funkiness.  Best of all, I used the purple yarn and was able to add black worsted yarn that's been in my stash for ages (originally purchased for one of many sweaters that I never completed).  I will include a picture of the finished product in an upcoming post.