in progress.

You may recall that I was having trouble deciding whether to knit myself a scarf or a blanket this winter.  In the end, I chose something in between.  I've been working on an oversized (18 inches wide!) double cowl--essentially a big, wearable blanket for the uppermost portion of my body.  I'm using a luxurious alpaca yarn from Purl (in mocha and black, if you were wondering).  It's so warm and soft and... is this weird?... I love the way it smells.  Clean and earthy.  Presumably like an alpaca who has been thoroughly bathed?  

If spring comes early this year (yes please!) I may not get to wear my cowl right away, but I'll certainly share a photo of it when I finish.  As with most things, I think this will look excellent with red lipstick.

a battle of knits.

I've got big plans to knit something useful for myself this winter.  I think a scarf or cowl or other neck-warmth-provider would be a good choice, but I am oh so tempted to make a me-sized version of these simple baby blankets from Purl Soho.  I love the bold stripes and the rectangularity ( my knitting ability does not, as of yet, extend beyond rectangles ).  And just look at all the color combinations!

This one's my favorite:

Of course, the scarf or similar neck-cessory would be the more economical choice in terms of yarn.  And should we take probability of project completion into account ( we don't, mostly ) the blanket wouldn't stand a chance.  But for now, this race is just too close to call.

 [ images from the purl bee ]