the green scarf didn't work out but the cowl seems okay so far

      I was telling you about how I was adapting a hat pattern and using the chart to knit a scarf.  It didn't work out.  There was an imbalance between the number of knit stitches and purl stitches, and that caused the scarf to curl.  I got a little more than a foot done and then ripped out the stitches.

     I started again with a cowl, knit in the round, using the same chart.  There's no curl this time because the fabric is a tube.  And of course I put ribbing at the edge to prevent curling there.

     I chose a larger needle than the hat pattern calls for, to create a soft and loose fabric that will drape.  I've seen the recommendation for a larger needle for cowls in a couple places.  

    I based the number of stitches on a lace cowl I'd completed recently in the same weight of yarn.  That number turned out to be inadequate.  This cowl was turning out to be much narrower than the other one.  I ripped out my work and cast on again, adding enough stitches for two additional repeats of the motif.  Now everything seems to be in order and it's just a matter of plugging away at the knitting.  

     I was thinking yesterday about the role fear plays in my fiber arts and that of my friends who are kind enough to talk to me about their own progress.  A small problem like this one with the scarf slash cowl doesn't bother me so much.  But I do get hung up on some things.  I tend to get gripped by fear during bigger projects where I really care about the outcome and I'm unsure about my chances of success. 

     Right now fear is making me reluctant to start a fingering-weight sweater for myself for Fall.  Also, I'm not ripping out and redoing a hibernating WIP, one of the two sweaters that have been stalled for years.  

     I read once that when you have projects looming over you that you're procrastinating on and not about to start, you can use the energy from that nervous pressure to get a lot of little stuff done that you mean to do anyway.  Guess that's what I'm doing with the cowl.  

     Hopefully, whatever projects I do, I will use up some stash.  My cold sheep resolution is going alright on the yarn-buying front, I've bought the bare minimum.  I want to use up more yarn by the end of the year, though.