Since becoming a brand ambassador for Wonderland Yarns, my role has shifted from promotional to primarily sample knitting. This has been a welcomed shift because they send me yarn and patterns and I knit them, meaning that I’m starting to work with colors I don’t normally reach for and patterns I don’t have to worry about who to gift the finished garment to. To make a joke out of it, it’s the all-inclusive vacation version of knitting: maximum fun without having to spend hours and hours looking for the perfect project and yarn combination every time. (To be clear, I do still do that! This just means I have a project on my needles while taking the time to figure it out that offers a little more spice.)

The first cowl I worked up and want to make several more of is the Pub Crawl Cowl. Worked up using Alice DK in the colorway Fireflies, this pattern allows the yarn to do most of the talking while throwing in a few purl rows to keep things interesting. Having never worked with Alice DK before, my first observation was the soft sheen and vibrant colors provided by the silk blend, my second quickly became the gorgeous drape. Also, I’m not usually drawn to speckled yarns, but this colorway changed my tune. The subtle flecks of color evenly distributed across each stitch creates a gorgeous fabric. I can’t help but wonder if there is a pullover I can knit up and enjoy during cooler summer nights.

It’s been a while since I’ve wanted to wear something with stripes (other than socks!), enter the Parfait Cowl knit up in Mad Hatter (thankfully they sell mini-skein kits for those of us who aren’t as confident in selecting colors). The rich colors are a perfect accent to anyone’s dark winter wardrobe. Mad Hatter is quickly becoming one of my go-to yarns.

Both cowls took 2-3 days to work up and required little pattern referencing, perfect for a last-minute gift or a long car ride. Use the discount YARNVIP for 15% off your total purchase from Wonderland Yarns (discount not eligible on sale items, with other discounts or on yarn clubs) :]