Welcome to The Midwin Scowl blog.

Conceived in a dog park in the winter of 2013, The Midwin Scowl arose from a need to have a way to keep my face and head warm without having extra material falling around me as I ‘stooped to scoop’. As the idea evolved, I wanted a deep, roomy hoody / cowl in which to bury my head  with a short scarf overlapping the neck and crossing the face to be buttoned over the bridge of the nose.

The Midwin Scowl is a unique and practical gift for friends, family, dog walkers, winter enthusiasts and un-enthusiasts, skiers, boarders, knights both medieval and galactic, pilgrims, penitents  and political malcontents. It is a perfect long weekend project as it knits quickly and uses only 2 or 3 skeins of yarn.

Starting with Judy’s Magic Cast-On and working from the top-down allows the Scowl to be tried on as the knitting progresses for the possibility of a better custom fit.  Using a combination of working circular and flat, the pattern allows for a seamless, 3-D construction that knits easily for even novice knitters.  There are a few techniques  that are drawn on but these are easily learned, especially with the video resources available on Youtube and other knitting websites.

The Midwin Scowl is designed to be a basic format for making other variations of the design. The relatively large area in which the work is knit flat allows for the possibility of  intarsia for those interested in some improvisation with colour. Stitch patterns can be changed and Cowl and Yoke variations are easily modified. Those who are adventurous, and I hope some knitters will be, can  use the Midwin Scowl as a start for a top down sweater design. A great design for a hoody!

This blog invites knitters who have tried the Midwin Scowl and would like to share their ideas, suggestions and photographs with others. I will also be including my own tips, ideas and photgraphs that go beyond the basic design. For those who wish to send me a  message I can also be reached by email at don@dondeitcher.com.

As a side note, there may be visitors to this blog that know me from my other work as predominantly a glass and fibre artist.  I will be including pages with this work as time goes on.

The Midwin Scowl can currently be purchased on http://www.ravelry.com  at: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-midwin-scowl.

I will also eventually have a page here from which you can purchase the pattern. This site is still under construction.

If you have already purchased the pattern, many thanks and I hope you will enjoy knitting it for yourself and for the wearing pleasure of others.  As we live in a time when photocopying and file sharing are way too easy, if others are interested in knitting the pattern, please encourage them to purchase it as you did. The design is not for commercial reproduction.

Don Deitcher