Join me this January for a 5-week mystery CAL. One clue each Wednesday, starting January 1st, and in only 5 weeks you’ll have a lovely something, just for you.

This darling cap works up quickly and uses just 2 mini-skeins in fingering weight yarn!

This darling cap works up quickly and uses just 2 mini-skeins of fingering weight!

Follow me on Living The Yarn Life Facebook page to get a coupon code for free KAL pattern. 7/1 through 8/11

Follow me on Living The Yarn Life Facebook page to get a coupon code for free CAL pattern. 7/1 through 8/11

Here in the Mid-West, our Winters are so cold, the temperature indoors generally stays quite chilly. These simple fingerless mitts are the perfect solution. A bit of warmth while still leaving your fingers free for activities. They work up very quickly and use just a little yarn. In fact, you can use leftover yarn from hats, scarves, and cowls ...

Autumn is probably my favorite time of the year. The leaves start turning into their spectacular colors, the air is crisp, the best apples ever are at the Farmer’s Market, and beautiful fall arrangements of gourds and pumpkins are popping up everywhere. As I put together a housewarming basket for my daughter, I wanted to include a little of tha...

The Just Perfect Scarf, which will always use the perfect amount of your perfect skein of yarn. The Just Perfect Scarf is made with a self-edging technique, so there is no need to guess how much yarn to save for the edge. It is extremely versatile and can be customized in many ways. The width and length are your choice, you can even give it a s...

It seems that today, almost everyone needs to wear an ID badge at some time. School, work, or volunteer, we see them hanging around necks or clipped on pockets. As an educator, I wore my ID card on a lanyard, everyday. One day, I thought it would be nice to have the option to change my lanyard. I could have seasonal colors or school colors, the...

During what I like to call her “Parisian-phase,” my daughter surrounded herself in French culture. Everything from crepes to petite fours, photos to figurines, and of course clothing. Paris Beret reflects her French immersion, combined with a bit of our American Midwest winter temperatures. The result is a warm French-style hat, suitable for wi...

My daughter spent part of her college career studying abroad. While there, she had the opportunity to visit several European countries. It was early winter, the temperature was cool and she typically wore a hat. I soon began to realize I was getting requests for a new hat, just about the time she returned from visiting a new country. After ques...

My state is known for evergreen tree farms. Driving through the northern rural areas, it is common to find rows of pine trees, stretching for miles. I wanted to create a cowl which reflected these strong, sturdy trees. Yet, also offered the option for embellishment during the festive holiday season. So, your pine trees can stay rustic and natur...

Our family has a special Thanksgiving tradition. Everyone who comes for dinner chooses a favorite food and those foods become our Thanksgiving menu. We’ve had everything from macaroni and cheese to turkey, and even pizza. But the one constant that always appears is pumpkin pie. Nothing sparks the fall senses like freshly baked pumpkin pie. Warm...

We can go from pleasantly cool autumn to briskly cold winter overnight. This simple cowl, made with chunky cotton, works up quickly for those first frost covered mornings of winter. Put your own spin on it with more stripes, no stripes, or two-tone. Whip up a few to have on hand, ‘cause winter is coming.

Autumn in the Midwest is a visually spectacular season filled with beauty and unpredictable weather. The colors in this cowl depict the stunning sight of the trees changing their colors to gold, orange, and red. The tall twists of the triple crochet stitches are reminiscent of the twirling leaves falling to the ground. The cowl is designed to b...

Whether you enjoy it at the kitchen table with the newspaper or your favorite coffee shop with friends, in our culture morning coffee is definitely an event. The colors and shading of this yarn immediately woke up my coffee senses. It was as if I could feel the warm mug in my hands, smell the rich aroma, and see the beautiful dark brown coffee ...

Summer days seem enjoyably endless when we first start to feel the warm sunshine. So many plans to come; swimming, campfires, s’mores, ball games, and much, much more. However, as with all seasons, summer does come to an end. It’s those last steamy days which have a timeless, golden feel that so accurately depicts the beautiful yellows and gold...

The bright pink and green colors of this beautiful yarn took me back to warm August days perfect for cool, juicy watermelon slices. This yarn is actually made from corn fiber. The yarn is very light weight and has a natural moisture wicking property, making it perfect for items worn during those warm summer months. Use your imagination, try cha...

Red, white, and blue are the iconic colors of American Patriotism. I felt it was an appropriate tribute to create a red, white, and blue cowl for July. Where I live, July is always hot and humid; the last thing I want is a cowl wrapped around my neck. That is why this cowl is made with cotton, in long lacy strips, making it comfortable for summ...

The fun, pastel colors of this yarn brought to mind those childhood memories of lazy summer days. School’s out, the weather’s warm, the days seem to stretch endlessly, one into the next. Afternoons on the porch, cones filled with melting rainbow sherbet offer a cool break between backyard adventures and baseball games. This cowl is rainbow sher...

There are some yarns which shout “FUN” while still on the yarn shop shelves. Sometimes we’re not quite sure what to do with these yarns, but they seem to make it home with us anyway. Just For Fun Cowl is perfect for these yarns. It can be worn as a traditional cowl with a cute button tie at the center. Or it can be slipped down around the shoul...

Oh those 1960’s! Those scandalous, sexy, sensuous, and yes, psychedelic ‘60’s. This was an era in our history which not only revolutionized, but also liberated much of the American culture as we knew it. These changes were most noticeable among the youth; the flower children and the hippies. Their expressive style and use of color are iconic of...

Everyone needs a little old-fashioned tradition in their wardrobe and the Pineapple Lace Cowl certainly fits. Its beauty shines through simple elegance. Light and airy, it is the perfect accessory for those late spring events: weddings, graduations, even Mother’s Day brunch. This cowl has slightly smaller pineapples and an interesting curving e...

Lilacs have always been one of my favorite flowers. Their lovely scent and delicate color are nature’s signal that winter is definitely over and spring has arrived. When my children were very young, they gave me a tiny lilac bush for Mother’s Day. Today that lilac bush is over seven feet tall. It is a constant reminder of our own family’s growt...

I happen to live in a very drafty house; a nice house, just quite chilly. I’ve noticed that keeping my neck warm makes my drafty house feel not so chilly. So, I came up with The Vanilla, a quick, simple cowl; worked in a neutral color, that can be worn with anything. It is long enough to wrap around three times for extra chilly days and still l...

This cowl is purely decoration; it offers no warmth factor at all. In fact, it may lean a bit more to the necklace side of the scale, than cowl, but I prefer to think of it in cowl terms. Alternating popcorn stitches with glass beads in the traditional Mardi Gras colors of yellow, green, and purple, give us the look of strings of Mardi Gras bea...

Those tiny shoots of delicate green leaves pushing through the last layer of winter’s snow, are a certain sign that spring is just around the corner. Here in the mid-west, it sometimes feels like we wait quite a bit longer for the first signs of spring to appear. The colors in this light, airy cowl move from a very pale green center, outward to...

I was looking over some skeins of cotton sock yarn and I began to wonder what would happen if I used self-striping yarn in a cowl pattern. As the cowl took shape, I noticed the colors collecting in unique groups or patches. These patches created the charming appearance of a patchwork crazy quilt.

Reminiscing on how dating has change over the years came to mind as Valentine’s Day approached. Today it seems, relationships are born of computer web sites and on-line chatting. Gone are the days of holding hands, walking to the soda fountain and ordering a milkshake, with 2 straws. The Strawberry Milkshake cowl is to remind us of those simple...

Around our house, Warm Winter Cowl is often referred to as recess cowl. Here in the Midwest, winter can get very, very cold. In our home, we are all educators who have experienced winter recess duty. This cowl is designed to be warm and cozy. It’s made with thick wool yarn; it is long enough to wrap around three times, and still pull up over yo...

“Icicles on Snow” is a January pattern in the book 2020 Cowl Collection. It can be purchased as an individual pattern or as the ebook.

This beginner hat pattern is great for everyone! It’s versatile and it’s super easy to give it your own style. You can make a beanie or a slouchy hat; have it cuffed or no cuff; pompom or no pompom; if you’re confident changing colors, you can add a stripe or two; you can even put buttons or bling around the band. It’s your hat, so go ahead and...

The first Hug From Home Scarf went off to college with my first born. Soon it was time for my second child to begin his college journey. I also wanted to send him with a comforting, familiar reminder of home. Even though they can be similar, my children are quite unique individuals. Hug From Home Scarf Second Child reflects the similarities of ...

Young children have lots of little objects, often called treasures. They also have a compulsive need to bring all of their treasures wherever they go. Sadly, one or more of these treasures will eventually become lost. Fortunately, young children also like to put their treasures into some sort of container, preferably with a handle. So, I design...

A fun little way to keep your drink toasty warm, this mug cozy works up quickly, either as a treat for your own mug or as a last-minute gift for someone else. You can use up some leftover scrap yarn and create a unique collection of individualized cozies or make several from the same yarn for a matching set. If you feel adventurous, add a strip...

There is nothing quite as refreshing on a hot summer afternoon than a cool, juicy slice of watermelon. Even though this particular watermelon isn’t exactly juicy, it is refreshingly charming. Any young darling will be exceptionally cute as she tucks away her treasures into this watermelon bag, while covering her tresses from the hot sun with a ...

These mini scrubbies are the perfect size for washing your face without getting soap in your eyes or nose or mouth or…. Made with cotton, they absorb water fast and dry quickly; made with linin, they exfoliate and have antimicrobial properties. The texture from the crochet stitches hold the soap and gently scrub sensitive skin. There’s a handy ...

We have a tradition in our family where everyone gets new pajamas on Christmas Eve. One year, I picked out a beautiful nightgown for my mom. With one day left, I started wrapping the gifts and took a more careful look at the nightgown. It had a large, scooping neckline, and the current temperature outdoors was about -20. My mother’s neck would ...

When my daughter left home for college, I wanted to send her with a little something for the inevitable homesick feeling. I thought for quite some time about what to send. I wanted it to be useful, but not so big it was impractical and not so small it would get lost. I finally settled on a scarf; useful, as we live in the Midwest, not big or im...