Normally when I'm asked this question, I reply, "tea, please." But since the arrival of Little Miss, I've found myself reaching more and more for that caffeinated elixir to bring me back to life. Most often when I think of coffee, the first two people that come to mind are my husband (who is quite the coffee snob with his Chemex coffee pot and fancy coffee grinder) and my friend, Mary, who is rarely seen without her favorite beverage. For her birthday, I often find yarn related projects that celebrate her java love.

In the middle of my search for the perfect yarn, I heard about Gnome Acres going on permanent hiatus (sniff...sniff...I will miss them!!). I took one last stroll through their yarn pages and stumbled upon this skein of Chunky Gnome in the colorway Coffee! Coffee! Coffee! It might as well have said Mary! Mary! Mary! Into the cart it went and before long, it arrived at my house.

I have a few other skeins of Gnome Acres in my stash, and they're so luscious. I've made Little Miss a sweater from Puff Gnomey in the past, and have enough Squishy Gnome in the Arthur Weasley colorway to maybe make myself a little something. I will miss Amanda's colors and lovely yarn, and wish her well in wherever life takes her. 

Coffee! Coffee! Coffee! is like a velvety cup of mocha with rich browns and tans. I was originally thinking of making a hat but thought that this would make a great around the neck accessory for Mary. Also, I was thinking knit instead of crochet because Mary is an avid crocheter, and I don't often see her with something knit. I finally decided on the Why Wait? cowl pattern by Susan Ashcroft. I couldn't wait to cast on!

Why Wait? is designed to use Malabrigo Rasta, but worked well with the aran weight yarn. It took a little longer to knit, but I am happy with the end result.

This was a fun and very easy knit. I'd love to make another one in Rasta. I'm sure it works up very quickly in super bulky yarn. I didn't do a gauge swatch (I know...slap my wrist), and if I had to do it over again, I would since I used a different weight than what the pattern called for. I ended up making too many increase rows which made it way too big in the neck. I stitched up the back a little more, though, and it wears just fine.

If you're a newer knitter (or a crocheter who is trying out knitting), this pattern is fairly easy to make. The body of the cowl is stockinette and it has a quick seed stitch border. 

Because our birthdays are in the winter, Mary and I have started getting together in the summer to celebrate. She loved her newest accessory! I also gave her a HUGE Gnome Acres coffee mug and the best homemade soap from Hickory Hollow Soap. Mary spoiled me with skeins of HiKoo Kenzie in the Ruapehu colorway and this amazing junk journal that she made. Mary is crazy talented in all sorts of crafts and I'm in awe of everything she makes. You can find her at @craftygoodnesscrochet on Instagram.

What projects have just come off your hooks and needles? Or, did you make a recent stash enhancement? Share them in Instagram with hashtag #yarngerie so I can see what you've been up to.