I cast on for two different fingerless glove patterns, but neither of them were feeling or looking right. Turns out, Mic wanted to be a lacy, bandana-style cowl.

I first saw this pattern on Amber of A Lovely Yarn podcast. I immediately purchased and queued this Birds & Ships pattern.

Other projects mentioned that it was snug on US 4/3.5mm so I cast on with US 5/3.75mm and quickly got rolling on this.

This is special wool and will be my first project toward the Low Mileage Wool MAL hosted by Brittany of CruxFibres. #lmw2023

I purchased this precious skein from CruxFibres.
It is sport weight.
Fibre content: 70% Mic/20% Wool/10% Mohair (Gotland/BFL crossbreeds)
Milled at Wellington Fibre Mill Ontario, Canada.
Mic was a mature fibre wether raised and loved by Sierra of Crocus Country Shepherdess in Caroline Alberta (which is almost 2hrs North and west of where I live. Mic passed away in 2022 and this is the last of his wool. So it is very special.

The pattern
I struggled a bit with the layout of the written pattern TBH. It starts out being knit flat, and only has one 11 stitch lace panel. This shouldn’t have thrown me off, but it did because, the lace panel is charted, which I love. but the knitting on either side of the panel is not charted and there is a lot of stuff going on like yarn overs etc, right side and wrong side - and the instructions for that are not on the same page or what would have been my preference is the the instructions all charted - not written and charted on a separate page. Would have made the pattern a LOT easier to read.

Section 2 is joined in the round and I was either tired or messed up because as I read it, the joining in the round would have had me going in the wrong direction.

Also, all the YOs are right next to the stitch markers and kept slipping through the sm.

Anyhow, I figured it out.

April 3, 2023
I worked the body of the cowl until it measured 15” from the top, then I switched to the ribbed border section for 1.25” and then bound off using a US 7/4.5mm to keep the bindoff from being neither too stretchy nor too tight.
HOWEVER, IT WAS STILL FAR TOO TIGHT.

So I undid the bind off and worked a few rounds of K2,P2 with the US 7/4.5mm and then worked an Icelandic Bind Off

April 4, 2023
I soaked the cowl in Unscented Eucalan and allowed to dry flat overnight.
This morning I watched a video on how to make a tassel: Very Pink Knits Making a Tassel

I love the look of the tassel, but it was also essential to keep the bottom from rolling even with the Icelandic Bindoff and blocking.

I steamed the tassel with a wet towel and steam on my iron to get it to calm down.

LOOOOVE this accessory - a LOT.