yee haw ladies!  i'm feeling what my daughter mackenzie describes as an "awesome cowgirl" vibe!  i finished my bandana cowl.  i cast on at knit night saturday and stayed up till i was pretty much done.  i blocked and finished it up sunday morning and have been wearing it ever since.  i do admit i feel like doing a bit of "achy breaky heart" style line dancing while sporting it but it's all good.  i like to think i have a bit of country in me :)


i love the colorway of the yarn i used this time round.  the berroco vintage chunky is a versatile chunky that's super soft and comes in tons of color at an affordable price.  i wanted a neutral but also a color and this one fit the bill perfectly.  it just oozed fall to me :) 


this pattern was the first time i've done short rows in what feels like forever!  it was super fun and very addicting...thus the one day finish :)  that and i finally watched super 8 and had to see how it ended.  i do have to admit though that i had a few small issues with the pattern itself.  even after getting gauge (i had to go down to 5.5mm to get it) my cowl and rebecca's cowl were both much longer than the pattern length and i ran out of yarn!  rebecca eneded up with a teeny tiny amount and i just plain had none left.  i only got about half way through my 3rd pattern repeat and had to do the finishing rows or i would have ran out.  overall though i like it alot even though i didn't get through the pattern.  it's drapey, warm and cozy.  a few tips would be to make sure to get more than one skein of the yarn you are using and to cast on very loosely and bind off with a way bigger needle.  you will get a great drape that way.  my cast on was a tad too tight and i'm regretting it now as i seem to keep pulling the back neck to widen it out as it pulls in on itself a bit.  could just be my boobs though..lol


overall i love that i have another new staple accessory for my wardrobe and i especially like that it makes me want to get my inner yeehaw cowgirl groove on......c'mon....you know ya wanna join in....



and now that i've done my jig for y'all i've got a special surprise for you!  the insanely talented jane richmond is here today to show us what i think is the best knot evah!!!!!!! it's magical!  seriously.  trust me on this...it will change your knitting life forevah!!!!!  now let's hear from jane....


Hi everyone, my name is Jane Richmond and I'm going to share a very special knot with you. This knot is incredibly strong, nearly invisible and the best part is it leaves you with no ends to weave in, no joke! It's the method I use when adding a new ball of yarn to a project. When I first learned to make this knot it felt like a magic trick, you'll be amazed at how useful it is. I hope you enjoy my video tutorial.


Thank you so much for having me back as a guest on your blog Shannon. I think the Carefree Cowl KAL is the perfect way to kick off the knitting season and I'm so happy I could be a part of it!

thanks so much jane! you know i'm obsessed with your videos..lol.  jane's got a knit along going on of her own right now that's been a lot of fun too for one of her newest patterns - rae.  click here to join in!  you can find all things jane richmond here:
for those of you who are wanting to join in our carefree cowl knit along and haven't yet there is still time!  you can join in anytime before the deadline which is november the 9th.  sign up here:


and you can follow along with all things " carefree cowl knit along" here:


feel free to add any pics you like to the flickr group and the ravelry thread.  we love seeing your progress, yarn pics and finished items! it's been so exciting watching all your lovely cowls being made!

and don't forget to pop over and show some love to our carefree cowl knit along sponsor: