I don’t know what it was about Thanksgiving, but my knitting mojo is back in a big way since the long holiday weekend. For the cold snap I’ve been turning to simple chunky knits in alpaca and silk blends.

I love making and wearing cowls, and yet I didn’t have a simple ribbed one in my collection.

For the cowl above I…

• Cast on 96 stitches in Misti Alpaca Chunky  on size 10 1/2 double pointed needles.
• Knit in 2×2 rib for 15 inches.

I know, it’ s pretty mindless. But the yarn is exquisite and it worked up fast. Some days I wear the cowl up to my nose. Others I flip it in half and enjoy a doubly squishy turtleneck. Mmmmm squishy and warm.

For the hat I used the Hill Country hat pattern (again) in Marisol Sulka. You can’t keep that pattern down. It makes a great slouchy beanie with minimal yardage (100 yards or so… 1 skein). The only problem with the pattern is that it’s a pain for the first 15 minutes or so, as it’s knit from the top down, with only 8 stitches on 4 really big needles. I may make it again, but in a trinity stitch.

Last but not least… I made the ever popular Hooray for Me gloves, with a few size alterations. When I first set out looking for a pattern for a men’s glove knit in sock yarn I was shocked at the dearth of options. Thankfully the Hooray for Me pattern was written clearly enough for me to wrap my head around sizing adjustments.

The yarn is Dirty Panther by Madeline Tosh. Ain’t it great?

Other things currently on my needles: I restarted the Sunday Swing socks, and I’ve been testing prototypes for knit coffee sleeves (thinking about selling them on Etsy). Also, trying to learn this “arm knitting” phenomenon that is all the rage on Pinterest.