Cowl Noir. . .

This is my Mildred Cowl that I started and finished last Monday when we had the day off.  The pattern is called the Tuesday Night Cowl by Susan Lawrence and the free pattern is available on Ravelry here.   I loved, loved the pattern. Big smooshy cables and the cowl sits very cozy around the neck, not too loose, not too tight and very warm.  It was knit with about one and a half skeins of Cascade Pastaza which is 50% wool and 50% llama.  It's a 24 row repeat with only two of those rows being the cable rows and the rest just stockinette, so it was the perfect DVD watching project.  I finished it as I watched the last episode of HBO's mini-series Mildred Pierce, starring my constant girl crush - Kate Winslet.  It was a bit strange watching noir in colour, even though much of the palette was dark and moodily muted so it definitely suited the story.  It's in many ways a completely over-the-top story but I enjoyed this extended version and the acting, costumes and set design were all terrific.  It also made me want to read Cain's novel.  There is a commentary on two of the five episodes by director Todd Haynes, co-screenwriter Jon Raymond and production designer Mark Friedberg and they are well worth a listen.

I don't think Mildred would ever wear this cowl but she definitely needed some cozy warmth throughout many of her trials and tribulations.