Jeweled Cowl

 My Jeweled Cowl is finally finished! I started this project in january, I think, but it took me a long time to knit because I worked on it nearly exclusively at work during my breaks.  In fact, I finished it awhile ago, but I wasn't satisfied with the bind off. At first, I only did a traditional basic bind off but it was too tight and made the final opening smaller than the starting one. After a couple of weeks of watching it lying around, I kicked my butt and unraveled the bind off. I searched for a stretchier bind off in the book Cast On Bind Off  from Leslie Ann Bestor and chose the Suspended Bind Off and now it's perfect!  

If you like the cowl and would like to make one yourself, you can find the pattern here for free: www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/jeweled-cowl It really is a nice "lace-weight beginner" (as I consider myself) project. The instructions are simple and the pattern knits easily. You'll need patience though, because the beading process does slow down the knitting. But its worth it, all these little beads adds a lot of elegance and shine. Plus, it totally mystifies people who don't know the technique haha!

It was a fun project to knit as a first time with lace yarn. I used Knit Picks Shadow in Vineyard Heather. I like the rich violet color with the tiny bits of red and gold mixed in.
I hope to make a more complex lace piece eventually, maybe a shawl...but right now I'm much taken by other crafts. I love winter time, with all the cozy wool and hot cups of chai tea, but summer always seem to bring me more energy and a lot more project ideas than what my normal schedule allow me to work on. Anyway, I should be posting some non-knitting projects soon, between my gardening and balcony-tea-drinking sessions!