A cold spell please?

I'd like it to get temporarily colder for a couple of days before spring truly kicks in. My winter coat has been relegated to the back of the coat rack, and really I should just take it to the dry cleaner's so I can put it away until next winter. Trees are in bloom, flowers are everywhere, and I'm cool with that, only I'd like a little more cold. A couple of days is not too much to ask for? I'd like to be able to wear this you see....

I've finally finished my herringbone cowl!!!! I got the pattern from Purl Soho (here), and I must say it was really easy to follow. I didn't make any modifications apart from switching to size 8 needles to cast off, as sticking with the large size 12 was making the edge undulate.

Unfortunately, I can't say it was the most enjoyable knit in the world. For the first time, I realised my knitting sessions could only last for so long before my fingers actually froze in position. I'm not sure if it was the fact that I was using mahoosive needles, or the stitch itself, but while row 1 was a breeze, row 2 was always a little more difficult. It definitely got much better in time, but I did stop for a while because I was put off by the slowness of it all and the knowledge that I would get painful fingers.

The yarn I used was bought at the Glasgow Christmas Country Living fair from Woolfish. I shared a pack of 10 with a friend (check out her lovely new blog!), so it came to £15 for 5 balls (approximately 325m). The yarn was really beautiful to use, I mean you can't go wrong with 70% merino, 20% alpaca and 10% silk!!! (Although the merino fibers did leave a rather conspicuous trail wherever I sat down to knit... be careful if you're wearing dark colours!).

The pattern says to knit until the cowl measures 14" in depth. I didn't have enough yarn to make it that deep, and I didn't fancy buying some more, so I just went for as long as I could with those 5 balls. In the end, it's 23cm deep and 132cm long (diameter really). It's really lovely as it is, and I'm happy with my decision not to purchase any more yarn.

And look at that, not bad for £15 really!! It feels so luxurious, it really is quite wonderful. My favourite bit about it though? The stitch of course. This looks so simple, but I like how it looks quite sophisticated too. Using just one colour, you need a stitch that's going to speak for itself, and this one certainly does.

So, low temperatures for a bit please, I'd be very grateful indeed! Because let's me honest, a knit like that needs showing off a bit I reckon!

(project on Ravelry, as usual!)