Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Res Completa: Maximus

Though San Francisco doesn't even get all that chilly during the chillier months, this winter I have been completely obsessed with all the big, chunky, cozy-looking neckwarmer type things I've been seeing around. And once I found the perfect pattern, I did not stop knitting until I had a giant, head-eating cowl of my own.


Thanks, Mom, for modeling.

Pattern: Maximus, by Bonne Marie Burns
Yarn: Yanabey Merino Worsted, 1.5 skeins of light blue (held double)
Needles: US 17 straights
Start to Finish: January 14-15, 2010

Notes: Very simple, very quick. I love the cool texture of the stitch pattern and I think holding the yarn double added even more texture. Knitting this on such ginormous needles was not, in fact, very easy to do on public transportation (I kept elbowing the lady to my left and hitting the window with the needle in my right hand), but I only had to do that once because it was done in a flash.

And I love it. It hasn't been so practical for walking around the city (I'm freezing when I leave the house, yes, but after getting the blood pumping after walking about a block, I start shedding layers), but it is extremely cozy and has been great for snowy mountain visits and the like. Plus, I think giant chunky knits are so cool! Maybe next time I'll go even bigger...

27 comments:

Meghan said...

Your mom is adorable (and so is the knit!)

Clumsy Knitter said...

Love it! I totally wanted a giant cowl this winter too, but it's completely impractical down here in San Diego...so I made one for my sister in MN instead. LOL

Thea said...

Your mom looks lovely in the giant head eating knit! How cozy. Maybe on a foggy day in the Sunset it'll come in handy if you aren't up Tahoe way...

Susan said...

Love love love this one!

Teresa said...

I guess stylishness is genetic!
Beautiful cowl. I know it'll get some use (if not this winter, perhaps next!)

Aesderina said...

I love that so much! That style is exploding everywhere!

Virginia G said...

That looks so warm and cozy!

I'm kind of wishing I had one this morning.

Chantal Boucher said...

Here in Quebec, would be very very helpful!! My next project I guess!! Your mother is a good looking model! Nice pictures.

Julie said...

what a gorgeous, squishy, delicious looking cowl!! Absolutely love it.

Aline said...

Impressive! I have some big yarn in the shop...I can't keep up! A. xx

saraq said...

lovely mum! and lovely ,warm cowl!

Mr Puffy's Knitting Blog: said...

So cool ~ so stylish ~ both your cowl and your Mom!

That dilemma is so my problem too. You start and end the day freezing and yet in the middle of the day it can be hot.

Philigry said...

i love this one too! i think i need one! your mom looks so cute!

Estella said...

Wow that is wonderful! Your mom looks fantastic in it.

Maryse said...

It looks so cozy and warm! Wonderful!

Brenda said...

Your mom is gorgeous! It definitely runs in the family! The cowl looks great, too!

the Lady said...

Ooh, I see where you got your hot genes from! Love the cowl. That's really funny about the head-eating cowl - a couple of weeks ago a woman came into the shop and actually was attempting a ginormous, monster, man-eating scarf - more of a blanket really. Her daughter was freezing her butt off in New York and had a requested a scarf with the dimensions of a blanket. I shook my head and sold her size 19 needles and the chunkiest damn yarn we had.

Beautiful Aestlight too.

Karen said...

I've never used big yarn. Now I'm tempted!

Jodi said...

Oh, it's just lovely, and it looks so cozy!

Thanks for your comment on my blog the other day. I can't believe your experience with your name change -- that's terrible.

One of my friends did what you did (changed her last name and added her old last name as an additional middle name). When her new social security card arrived, the gov't had hyphenated the two last names for her. She had to go through the whole process again!

Lisa Stepi said...

I love this, and your mom's a great model :)

peaknits said...

What a gorgeous big knit!And your mom has got it going on!

a friend to knit with said...

i see where you get your looks! your mom is beautiful.
i have been wanting to make one all winter! maybe some day soon.

Sue said...

This cowl is next in my queue! Great project for those of us in snow country. My handknit woolies are the quid pro quo for life in the cold. I love the way I get to dress every morning.

jennifer said...

Perfection.

Julie said...

Lovely cozy cowl, and lovely mom. It's easy to see where you get your beauty.

recapitulation said...

Fantastic! The texture on the cowl is lovely. It looks just about perfect for snowy Chicago weather. Is the yarnaby holding up to use? Is it the 3ply or the single ply one? I'm casting on for a sweater with it, so it's a little late to ask, but I'm hoping it wears well.

Hilary said...

@recaptitulation -- Thanks! The Yanabey is the single ply version (I believe I held it doubled here) and it's held up pretty well. In addition to this cowl, I also made two sweaters out of it that still look great after almost 3 years. It will pill quite a bit, especially in the underarms, but it's pretty easy to remove. The only other thing I'll say is that it is WARM. Oh my goodness. My Yanabey sweaters are the warmest sweaters I own. Perfect for the snow...not so much for anywhere else. (But I suffer through it because I love those sweaters! :) )