New OTN: Gothic Lace Cowl

I am sad to say I'm still stalled on the WIPs. Still have to get to Michael's for beads for the Ringbearer Pillow. Still have to get to Joann for another skein of silver and another skein of black yarn for the Winter Is Coming Scarf. Still need jinglebells, too. Faced with that, one might think I'd go dig out another UFO and finish it.

But no. Where is the fun in that?

Seriously, doing that would require me to make some major moves of boxes, since I've started trying to pack things up for the move that will take place in the spring. (We finally did find a realtor who seems to be doing a good job. So, hopefully, we will be moving in the spring.) So, while it's possible to dig out an old UFO, it's just easier to start something new.

Which I did. I did, however, make it something that I would be gifting for Christmas. This is the Gothic Lace Cowl from Tin Can Knits. Funny thing about this cowl, I downloaded this pattern when it first came out, but didn't queue it at that time. I suppose I thought it was something interesting, but not something I was itching to knit.

But... then I saw it on Pinterest. And it's the same picture, mind you. But on Pinterest, I absolutely loved it! I pinned it and hearted it and thought "Man, I gotta make this!" But then, I didn't. I don't know why. Maybe because of timing. It came out in the summer and summer is my really busy time at work.

But then... I was doing some cleanup on Pinterest and saw this cowl again. I thought, "Why am I not making this right now?" And, since I had no answer for that, I started it.

It's funny how that works, isn't it? I can think of a few patterns like that--ones where I originally thought "That's nice." and then later liked them so much more. Sometimes I think it's just a matter of mood. Like, maybe you just finished the most difficult beaded lace, so when you first look at some beaded lace shawl, you think "Meh." But later... you realize it's a pretty awesome beaded shawl. Or maybe the first time you see a pattern, you've had a particularly stressful day and you're super tired and maybe a little irritable. Then, you see the pattern and your mood is just so down that you can't appreciate it at the time.

At any rate, I'm glad I downloaded the pattern for this cowl, because it's just beautiful. I have some wrapperless yarn that I got at Michael's that time they had the "Homeless yarn, please help" sign on it. It looks like Red Heart Unforgettable. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with this pink/purple yarn because those aren't really my colors, but as I started to knit this pattern, I really started to love this. There's just enough color change and just enough halo to this yarn. It looks really good.

This yarn is pretty fluffy, too, so the cowl feels pretty lightweight. I'm going to have to get some lightweight buttons for it, that's for sure. I think I'd also like to try this pattern in a regular worsted weight. (This yarn is also worsted, but it's more of a roving style yarn.) I think a smooth yarn would give it an entirely different look.

The lace pattern is super easy, too. I actually started knitting this during the Super Bowl and didn't make any mistakes. I didn't get a whole lot of it done, but that's beside the point.

Stay tuned.