Spending a lot of time outdoors lends itself to an appreciation of the Seasons and I’m always using wool and handmade items to stay warm while I’m outside.

I decided to create some patterns as a Celebration of Seasons where I share some of the items I like to use while I’m hiking/outdoors - all are inspired by the area around me.

Hiking in the Winter is one of the best things there is - it’s cool, quiet, and you can feel like you’re in another world. Plus, the tree trunks (and their different types of bark) are showcased and you can appreciate their subtle differences.

The Shagbark Cowl shares the same cables as the Shagbark Socks and was inspired by one of my favorite trees - the Shagbark Hickory. It’s an easy tree to identify by the shaggy bark that is also useful for bats when they are looking for places to cozy up and rest!

I like to stay warm while I’m out hiking in the Winter but I don’t like a lot of bulk, especially around my neck. This is perfect for those really cold windy days - it keeps you toasty and warm and has enough squish that you can bury your chin into it if you want but it’s not too thick or too heavy..

Since I also appreciate options, I decided to knit this up twice - once with a DK/lite worsted weight and once with a worsted weight for a little extra variety.

The DK version uses a US 7 (4.5mm) needle and the sample used a little under 230 yds.

The Worsted weight version was taller, uses a US 8 (5mm) needle, and used around 250 yds.