WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS MKAL:
I like how with each clue a woman of special gifts is introduced and highlighted. This is thought provoking beyond knitting .

WHAT I SEE AS MY CHALLENGE:
My special challenge is to trust that each small step will lead me closer to the desired goal even when I am not clear about the end result or the whole picture.

Will use stash yarn
2.9. I pulled out some possible choices from my stash yarn. Hard to know if this works when you don’t know the end result, but I like these together.

3.1. clue 1 arrived today.
My choices: I -cord border.
Border color: As we go
Cowl

I am already confused by the cast on. It says to co half the number of sts for provisional cast on and I don’t understand why.
The designer got back to me very quickly. The first row after the provisional cast on is K1, yo, etc, thus doubling the stitch count. Since I have never had a problem undoing my provisional cast on, I will cast on my regular provisional method 119 sts.
I think I may have trust issues. Here is my next “why”: why is the cowl so much wider than the scarf? and
why is the I-cord edge worked this way? Why not slip all three sts on the RS and purl them on the WS ( I recently did this on another project and it looks really nice.
BUT I try and be good and follow the mystery clues as close as I can.

Clue 2: I like it that there are opportunities for your own creativity and design. The only reason why I may fall behind is that I have a few other time sensitive projects on my needles.

3.13. Clue 2 honoring Ulms Chowdhry done.
This is where I missed the path: I glanced at the winding path directions and off I went, missing some twists and turns , I was so preoccupied walking that I kept going in a diagonal line all the way.
I also realized that I had missed the decrease row at the end of clue 1 and worked it in row 18.
In the sample chart the winding path was highlighted in turquoise, thus I thought that it was supposed to be worked in the MC. I actually like the way it looks and continued a little into the next section.
I know I didn’t exactly follow the directions, but I am happy with where I am.

3.20. Finished Clue 3. So far my favorite section.
3.26. Finished Clue 4.
Finished Clue 5. The swirly cable section reminds me of VanGogh’s Starry Nights.

ADDED: since my CC1 is a color transitioning yarn and I want to finish with the same color as the one I started with which is pink, I am adding a seed stitch and bobble section in CC1 before grafting. This added section is like the stars and planets you can see once you reach the summit of the mountain.
I am personally dedicating this added section to Johanna Teske who is an astronomer working in the STEM field at the Carnegie Institution for science in Washington DC.
Click here for more information on Johanna Teske

Grafting : After my added Stars and Planets section in CC1 and the usual 4 rows garter stitch in MC, I knitted one row in CC1 before grafting using the Kitchener stitch on the WS. That way I get one garter ridge before Clue 1, base camp. Also the color blends perfectly, using the same yarn ( and same color sequence of the yarn) to graft the end to the beginning creates a virtually invisible seam.

Blocking: I blocked the cowl before grafting, just because it is easier to block a flat piece of knitting.
Before blocking I undid the provisional cast on and put the life stitches on a needle, because I think that after blocking those sts may be harder to catch. I am glad that I did the provisional cast on for each stitch. It gives me a more even tension.

Finishing: There were a lot of yarn ends to weave in, but just on one side and since I did the I-cord edging, I could easily hide the tails in the I-cord after securing the yarn.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The knitting was fun, especially after getting over the errata of which there were more in the first couple of clues than in the later ones. But they have been corrected since and should not be a problem for anyone knitting it after the initial MKAL is over.
I did not expect this cowl to be quite as big ( I may have missed a note on final size early on), but it’s growing on me. ( not literally, I hope).