My mother doesn’t remember. I have her sewing box now, and she had a cluster of these beautiful carved buttons. They may be bone, plastic or ivory. I think the ivory is at least possible because she was born in China in the 20’s and lived there until she was a young adult. (I was born there.) And then lived in Japan for 40 years. Whatever they are made of, they are beautifully carved with tiny roses and leaves and remind me and my sisters of her.

I started off with the always lovely Irish Hiking Scarf, but had in mind something more asymmetrical and drapey. I gradually slipped in more stitches, hiding them in the purl bands at first, then slowly thickening up and lengthening the cables until there were about half again as many stitches as when I started. After making buttonholes, I started increasing more dramatically for a ruffle, using short rows to make it asymmetrical.

I found after I had finished the cowl, that totally accidentally it works as a kind of unusual, open-topped flapper’s cloche.