So I finished the Katniss Inspired Cowl and I’m stoked! It’s such an amazing and quick pattern to crochet 🙂 The pattern calls for bulky weight yarn and a 9mm crochet hook and if you have enough time you’ll be able to finish it within a day!
It’s a very simple, no-nonsense construction and the instructions are clearly written and very easy to follow. I used Fashion Alpaca Dream by Rico Design, which is a lighter weight yarn than the pattern is written for, so to be honest I was a bit worried about the sizing. While working on it the whole thing looked rather smallish and I feared that it’d end up being a few sizes too small. Thankfully the fabric is extremely stretchy and very nice to wear. It’s very interesting because it’s both drapey and stretch at the same time because of the way the yarn is built up. (
I used 2,5 balls of the deliciously fluffy yarn and it’s so incredibly light and airy. At the same time it’s nice and warm. I honestly didn’t really know what to expect when I started. It seemed like a nice project, but I too have been fooled by what I call “the Pinterest-effect”, and I think you know exactly what I mean by that term. Sometimes you see something and it looks so perfect and amazing and then you create it (or try to) and it looks nothing like the Pinterest photo.
Quite frustrating, but this project is nothing like that. It definitely delivers 🙂
What’s also very nice is that there’s not seaming involved!
I chose to make an extra long cowl because I love pulling it up and having a warm air pocket around my neck when it’s realy cold out, but obviously this is optional.
Like I already stated I feared the whole thing would become too small. Mainly because I chose a lighter weight yarn, but also because this yarn doesn’t behave like yarns I’m used to in bigger crochet projects. Most yarns are plied and behave like plied yarns do. This yarn isn’t plied but chained (for lack of a better term: it looks like an I-chord). So what happens is that it’s a lot stretchier than normally plied yarns because it’s already ‘knit’ and the yarns have a lot of space to move around.
At the same time it’s an alpaca yarn so it has an amazing drape to it. I’ve already worked with this yarn on a knitting project here but since that’s a much less stretchy project this bouncy quality of the yarn didn’t show!
I think it’s a great project for early spring because you can wear it underneath a jacket on warmer days and sit on a terrace and enjoy a nice tea in the sun. One side warmed by the sun, the other side warmed by this asymmetrical vest. Or maybe you work in a drafty office and you need a bit of extra warmth on one side. Either way, it’s adaptable and looks good on both sides.
Now that it’s done I’m really pleased with my little cowl/ vest. It fits nicely underneath my spring/ summer jacket and I’m loving the summery, warm yellow color. I’ve been thinking about different options and I might even add a sleeve, just to see what happens. I work next to the window and it tends to get colder on my right side. To be continued.. 🙂
