There is a story behind each pattern in this collection. A story of my depression and anxiety, of my life, and how I coped (or didn’t), and my continued search for balance and joy and love. Knitting became a major source of comfort and coping for me as I managed (or didn’t) my most recent experience of acute depression. As I traveled this path I spent a lot of time listening to the AC Newman album Shut Down the Streets. Each pattern is named from a lyric from the album and there is a corresponding essay on my blog. I encourage you to read the essays, to listen to the album, and to knit on, with confidence and hope, through all crises¹.

For the Blank stare cowl I was trying to take the things that I liked most about the cowls I had been wearing a lot and improve them. I wanted to have something that was stiff enough to stay up over my face. I wanted it to be asymmetrical so it covers the space where my coat comes together in the front. I also wanted this pattern to be stupid easy, something repetitive, and quick to memorize. This was the first thing I designed after the sock and it barely requires me to be conscious to knit it.

Progress is slow at the beginning, but it’s still manageable. Once you reach the half-way point in terms of rows, it just seems to fly off the needles. I have to also make a serious plug for the yarn I used in the first sample. Osprey from Quince & Co is squishy and springy and holds up really well to repeated knitting (as I found out knitting the matching hat) It also smells delightfully of sheep if I wear it long enough over my mouth and nose while I’m outside in the cold air. I know I can’t be the only one who likes the smell of clean sheep, right?

This project also takes way less than two skeins, I had enough to knit a hat and leftovers besides. Which makes me love it even more. Make sure you have at least 200 yards, because any less and you’ll definitely run out. One of the members of my knitting group ended up doing a striping thing and it’s seriously cool. So if you have two suitable things in your stash, consider doing some stripes in there to stretch your yardage.

If you have questions, please let me know.

Kim