Introducing the Harlow Cowl!

I have a new pattern out! Ladies and gentlemen (maybe?), please allow me to introduce the Harlow Cowl!

I wanted to make a beautiful laceweight cowl, but I also wanted it to be versatile and I'm so pleased with how it turned out. It can be worn like a shawl (but it won't fall off!) or doubled up around the neck or (my favourite) over the head. Perfect for keep delicate pin curl arrangements in place on windy tube platforms.

Shockingly, these pictures were taken at around 7:30 on a Sunday morning. It is a credit to my husband's photography skills that I don't look like a red-lipped zombie.

More info on the Harlow Cowl is available on the Ravelry pattern page so please do head over and have a look!

J

Reasons To Be Cheerful

Roses! I love having flowers in the flat so am always on the lookout for the reduced bouquets 

Apologies for the silence recently; I managed to come down with yet another cold so have mostly been sneezing and sniffling and generally disgusting. Seem to be getting over it now but this (along with noticing a bit of weight gain) has led to the decision to make some healthy life changes: back to the gym on a regular basis (weightlifting, rawr!), more fruit and veg, no more biscuits at work etc. I'm feeling really positive about it and feeling a lot better after only a few days, so I thought I might do a quick little post listing some of the other things that are keeping me cheerful at the moment!

Rooibos Earl Grey from Waitrose

A new kind of tea always perks me up. Although my tea collection is now occupying half a cupboard so I should probably slow down there.

Buttons! I bought these on a whim at the Knitting and Stitching Show last year but totally forgot I had them until recently. I can't wait to find the perfect project for these, will need to be something special!

Spirit, the new book by Kim Hargreaves

The postman delivered this today! There are quite a few things I want to knit, although after going stash diving I don't have quite as much cotton as I thought I did, so there may be some yarn shopping in my future. I'll do a proper blog post on this later.

Butterick B5895

A and I are heading off to Download this summer for some rocking out (yup, I like vintage AND metal) and I've decided this will be my festival outfit. Assuming that I a) manage to work up the courage to attempt sewing trousers and b) have a flat enough stomach after all this gym going to whip it out (tastefully of course) in public! We'll see. Either way, a girl can dream!

What about you? Tell me what's rocking your world at the moment, I'm always open to more reasons to be cheerful :)

J