Every Project Has A Learning!

Most projects I under take have developed from love at first sight. I either see a pattern or an ad in a magazine, fall in love with a skein of yarn or display project at a LYS (remember the Crayon Box jacket?), or those amazing women from Knit-Purl in Portland send me an email I can't refuse. I always try to resist buying one more thing that I won't get to for a while, but most of the time that pesty addiction wins out and I have a new project in my TBFL (to be finished later) tub. The project I'm going to share today was one I saw in a Prism ad in a winter or spring 2014 magazine.

I saw this picture and thought, "Close the front door! I have to make this." I began my research and found a company who sold it in a knit. What I thought would be the perfect yarn was called Harvest. Lots of color just like I like. I am learning a lot about what light does to the colors in a photograph from this blog. Believe it or not, the skein of yarn and the picture of the knitted cowl are the same yarn. The real look is somewhere in between.

I was so excited about this project that I didn't even put it in a TBFL tub. I immediately wanted to start it. It was really fun. Lots of counting and keeping track, but I loved knitting it. I knit layer 1, then layer 2, then layer 3. I loved attaching the layers. It was about when I was finishing the neck ribbing that I had an inkling that something might be amiss. I was still having fun knitting but I realized I wouldn't wear it and I had no friends who were either clowns or court jesters. I usually start a project and as I finish it it becomes obvious who it is for. It never became obvious who this was for. I just can't envision any of my friends (or myself) in this. Taking it on and off messes up your hair so it would have to be something you leave and wear inside. Hot! Hot! Hot! My friend Barb is always cold, but like I said she's neither a clown or court jester.

I must say that the picture of this cowl on the model looked adorable. Oh,wait! Was it the cowl that looked adorable or the model. Whatever, I had a ball making this. And I have the perfect gift if I ever become friends with a court jester!

What is your "good project gone bad" experience?