The Paulina Cowl in Mayu

There's a truly decadent new yarn on our shelves - have you seen it?  Amano Mayu is a blend of Royal Alpaca, Silk and Cashmere and it's dyed in a breathtaking range of subtly semi-solid shades. Royal Alpaca (since I know you were wondering) is a designation only earned by the top 1% of fibres from alpaca fleeces.  It's the cream of the crop as it were, with a softness akin to cashmere while retaining the signature drape of alpaca. It just so happens that there is a beautiful free pattern available on Ravelry for this yarn, and it makes use of two of these perfect little skeins of heaven.  The Paulina Cowl is an ideal introductory project for one-colour brioche, and it throws in a bit of lace and grafting in to the mix too. It might be that this is just the project you've been waiting for to try out some new techniques and push the boundaries of your skills. Or if you're already comfortable with those methods? Then just see this design as the perfect chance to add some Royal Alpaca, Cashmere and Silk to your handknitted wardrobe! Paulina can be worn draped and decorative, or it can be doubled up for snug-up-to-the-neck warmth.   Our version used two skeins of Shade 2004, a versatile rich bronze that'll will suit most skin tones.  There are 13 other shades in the range though - so definitely something for everyone! We'll be back soon with another indulgent Mayu project that features a *double layer* of these divine fibres!  (A little hint - if you suffer from cold ears, and love Woolly Wormhead designs, then this blog post will be for you!)