Kiddie "Cowl"

This morning, Henry got in to my bag of yarn and knitting stuff, the likes of which have been tucked away since December-ish, when I finished my last gift project and pushed it all out of sight!

As I watched him gleefully pull out the skeins and scraps, an udon-noodle-esque, tangled ball of leftovers from Aunt KK's Christmas cowl caught my eye. I started thinking about some quick and easy way to use up the very short piece left behind... something that could be Sister's, since she has arrived at an age where she just adores things Mama makes for her... something that would end up close to her, where the softness of the yarn could truly be felt and appreciated... something within my skill level, too, of course... well, that doesn't leave much... time to improvise!

I love knitting with really, really big, fat, bulky, fuzzy yarn... it almost feels like cheating, because it comes together so incredibly fast (seriously, I only cast on 4 stitches for this little 'cowl,' and I finished it in less than an hour, including the button).

This was my first time doing a button hole, and I kinda think that was easier, too, because of the super-hugeness of the yarn and stitches. Honestly, I probably could have just cast on the very first stitch really loosely and ended up with a pretty good button hole, too.

Anyho, I was able to finish this little project during nap time (which is quickly becoming just a 'quiet time' for Sister, who only sleeps about once a week and plays quietly every other day for her nap time). When I presented the finished 'cowl' to my sweet, happy girl, I tried to explain that this would be something she could wear when the seasons change to autumn (or maybe even winter) and it becomes cooler outside. She, however, would have none of that, and despite the fact that it was over 90 degrees today, wore it out to the sandbox and kept it on for almost 30 mins.

 

After about thirty minutes of watching her dig in the sand, sun beating down on her well-insulated neck, I had to insist that she relinquish it to the coat closet for cooler weather (though it was not without a tinge of pride at the thought of her liking it that much).

I believe that was an hour of my afternoon well spent.