80s Bonfire Night Crochet Cowl

It’s bonfire night tonight in the UK – one of the weirdest traditions we have on these little islands, where we celebrate a historic plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament by setting off a load of fireworks and lighting a bonfire with an effigy on the top. We’re a strange nation.

But no-one thinks about the weirdness when they think about bonfire night – ask any Brit, and we think about cold November nights we spent outdoors as a child, trampling through the autumn leaves in our wellies to get a shoddy view of a boring bonfire. We think about getting to use a sparkler, even though our parents repeatedly told us they were the most dangerous things in the world. We think about watching the night sky light up with fireworks, about “oooooh”s and “aaaaaah”s and then being herded back to the car as soon as the last bang has sounded. We try not to think about the inevitable huge queue of traffic on the way home, and how sick you feel after eating a dodgy hot dog, 3 toffee apples and a stick of candy floss before having a go on the dodgems.

And me, I think about gloves, hats and scarves. Because if there’s one night of the year in the UK that you need some warm accessories, it is bonfire night.

Bonfire night came to mind the second I stumbled upon Hayfield’s Illusion DK yarn.

This yarn is fab! The combination of the variegated colours and the black background make for a really stunning effect. It conjures up memories of fireworks in the night sky.

But… not changing yarns during a project is so not me! I usually stick to one brand when I make anything – it’s easier in terms of care instructions, and I know thicknesses will be uniform if I do this, so I don’t tend to be that brave. This project was the exception though – I just had to team this fab yarn with a couple of neon shades of Stylecraft Special DK.

As I’m completely obsessed with the 80s, these colours really speak to me – I love the neons against the black, with the coloured threads on the Hayfield yarn breaking up the black parts.

I used the stitch pattern from Lucy at Attic24’s neat ripple blanket to make the gentle ripples of this cowl.

Originally I wanted to make this into a scarf, but it’s very wide so I was worried about how many wraps around the neck I could deal with. It had to be a huge chunky cowl instead.

So how did it turn out?

The length of the cowl is perfect – I don’t like things around the front of my neck most of the time, but the width of it means I can wrap it around myself when it’s windy.

Isn’t it the most 80s piece of crochet ever? But, you know, in a good way! I love these random ripples in all their neon on black glory.

I love how the length of the cowl allows me to wear it over my shoulders too – this will be valuable when I’m out without my coat on a mild day.

I’m really thrilled with my latest quick make for me – it’s really spurred me on to stop being so selfish and carry on with my Christmas crafting list!

Happy Bonfire Night!

Until next time,

Elsie Pop

xx