project: susan's darkside cowl

Alright folks, I know it's been awhile. Two months awhile. A lot has happened the past two months. I'm not sure where to even begin socially, physically, mentally. All I can say is that, I am in a better place now (Florida, specifically) and now is the time to ground myself, reflect and grow.

One reason I haven't been here since September is due to the fact all of the project I have been working on (and there are many) have been for holiday gifts. And since all of my holiday gifts are finally out, and most of them open, I am allowed to share them.

Let's start with a cowl I made for my friend Susan back at the end of September. Susan is a very close friend of mine who lives in Florida. Since Florida winters don't require heavy wool scarves and hats like Chicago ones, I wanted to make her something light weight but still seasonal. I came across this beautiful Silky Merino yarn by Malabrigo in the colorway of Indiecita. I admit, I am a sucker for any yarn made by Malabrigo. The purchase was made at Loopy Yarns, the local favorite.


The pattern is called Darkside Cowl by Sarah Fama. The yarn for this pattern worked out absolutely perfect. The silk spun with the merino gave the cowl just enough shine and drape to look elegant, yet it is still casual enough to wear day to day. The colors are perfect for day or evening wear as well.


I only used about half of one skein for this project. I originally purchased two, not having the pattern yet and knowing how long the cowl was going to be. I'm considering making one for myself...

Just radiant.

I mentioned earlier how I have been having many moments of reflection, and one of those has been musically. Everyone has been putting out their year in review, top ten lists, so why not me? I went through my itunes and found the songs that have been the most played, and most meaningful to me throughout this year. I couldn't narrow it down to just ten songs, so there are thirteen. Many of the songs have been put on previous playlist, but it feels really good to put them all together in one. Let me know what you think! And please note, these are not in a particular order.


playlist: susan's darkside cowl (aka. my top 13 songs of 2010)

"sentimental x's" - broken social scene
"zebra" - beach house
"drying of the lawns" - tallest man on earth
"desire lines" - deerhunter
"3 umbrellas" - avey tare
"cape dory" - tennis
"jesus" - dom
"while i shovel snow" - the walkmen
"airplanes" - local natives
"'81" - joanna newsom
"carolina" - girls
"sprawl II (mountains beyond mountains)" - arcade fire


The goal is to blog a project a day this week. I am pretty sure I have enough projects for every day this week, it's just going to get a little tricky with the playlists. But I have an idea I might put into fruition...