In the spirit of knitting out of my stash, I've been looking for projects that can be completed with relatively small amounts of yarn.  You see, I'm one of those knitters who seems to acquire a lot of trophy yarn.  Exotic yarn from other places, bright colored, novel fibers... things that it just doesn't make sense to get a lot of, but which I just can't leave behind when I find it.  Over the years I've gotten a little more judicious in my acquisitions, but I still have plenty of wonderful skeins that I'd like to be able to enjoy as a garment rather than just see in my yarn cupboard.

Cowls are wonderful projects when you have modest amounts of yarn.  I've been trolling Ravelry looking for patterns that appeal to me.  I also happily appropriate good ideas when I find them on friends' blogs.  In this case, I credit Julie with the inspiration, since her version looked cozy and it was clearly a fast knit.

The pattern is the Burberry Inspired Cowl Neck Scarf and the yarn is Colinette Prism in Jamboree.  I think this knit up in about a day.  What took me a while to get around to was the whole soaking and blocking part -- which it definitely needed given how stiff this wool-wrapped-with a cotton binder was after I knit it up.  It softened up considerably after a warm bath. 

Since we were spending a day at home watching the snow come down, I finally had some daylight time to get some pictures taken. 

This cowl is a contrast to the Super Cupcake in that it's a much closer fit. Good for keeping the neck warm.  In a pinch you might be able to use it in a hat-like fashion to keep your ears warm, but it's not as expansive as the Cupcake.  I likely won't be able to wear it without a turtleneck.  Even after a bath, the wool core of this yarn is not the softest stuff.  The color is great, though and it's definitely warm.  Perfect for when I need to wait for the bus in the cold.

Fun, easy pattern, good use of stash yarn, bright color in grey winter.  I call it a success!