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This cowl is for Anthony Bourdain (1956-2018). RIP. The beauty of the world can take us to immeasurable heights of joy, and it’s awfulness can drop us in to the darkest pits of despair. Beauty and despair can both be seen in Anthony Bourdain’s work. He never hid from the latter, and wherever he went, he always did his best to show us the former.

I travel, but not like Anthony Bourdain did. This year, in fact, I’m not getting on a plane once. But I still travel, through the pages of books, through each episode of Parts Unknown, and through the motions of making stitches on my knitting needles. My knitting this month took me to Sweden and Norway, Iceland, Great Britain, and Nova Scotia, Canada, all on on the trail of Vikings and their braided knot-work motifs. The Vikings didn’t knit, but their art still inspires knitters around the world. I hope you’ll enjoy some armchair travel as you knit this cowl.

Please join me in knitting this Viking cowl in memory of Anthony Bourdain, and as you are making and wearing it, never forget, we’re all only human.