Cowls for Sherry and Deb

I go to the winter Toronto One of a Kind Show every year with my friend Alana. Two years ago, just after I started knitting, I looked for inspiration in many of the booths. Both Alana and I loved the neckpieces from the Wild Haliburton Elephant Weavers. This company is owned by Darlene Bolahood, a faculty member at Fleming’s Haliburton School of Fine Arts. Coincidentally, she’s also from Oshawa. See how small the world is. When I saw Darlene’s beautiful neckpieces, I said, “I can knit that”. And I went on a search for a pattern. At knittingpatterncentral.com (another “free pattern” website), I found the pattern for Erica’s Chunky Knit Cowl. And the rest is history. I did make my first cowl for Alana and have made many, many, more over the last two years for my friends. They may not be as special as Darlene’s, which are  made from beautiful mohair, but they are made with lots of love.

What I knit

My friend, Sherry, announced via Facebook that her sister was diagnosed with breast cancer and asked would we wear pink on Fridays, Kathy’s treatment days. So I’ve been wearing pink to the gym for Power Pink Fridays (here’s my class which is coincidentally led by Sherry’s niece, Jess, last Friday):



This inspired me to knit two “Fifty Shades of Pink” cowls, one for Sherry and one for her sister, Kathy. Here Sherry and niece, Jess, are modelling them. I hope they have some healing powers:



I also hope my next cowl has some cheering powers for my friend, Deb. She just retired from Fleming, and I needed to mark that great date with a cowl. Deb is one of my Tweestas. Deb, Alana, Susan, Maggie and I were face-to-face friends and co-workers who deepened our friendships via Twitter. We now keep each other entertained online and at regular dinners out. My Tweestas got “matching” scarves last year, long before I took pictures to document my creations. I may have to make them something new this year.
Here’s Deb in her Happy Retirement Contentment Cowl. She looks happy to me. And she wore it to our lunch last week, matching her gorgeous One of a Kind top and glasses, so I know she liked it!


What I read

Still reading “Heartbreak Hotel”. Slow going.

What I watched

If I don’t read as much, I still watch a lot of TV, which is a nice accompaniment to knitting. We’re watching Season 1 of “Homeland” on Netflix. Wow. Any errors in knitting are due to the tension of watching the show. Great TV.