Who says a martini can't solve problems?

The idea for the Martini Cowl began as an exercise in problem solving. What if you don't know how much yarn you've got, especially if it's a bit of handspun or a charity shop buy which you're never going to be able to match? It might be beautiful but unless you actually measure the yardage, will you ever have the courage to start on a pattern which you might not be able to finish?

So I came up with a solution - a cowl where, once you've decided what needles to use and how many stitches to cast on, you can pretty much just keep going until you run out of yarn.

I needed both to experiment with what yarns worked and demonstrate how different versions of the pattern might look, so I started with a version in a sock/fingering weight yarn which I'd bought at Unravel, Shearer Girl Lustrous Sock in Antique Rose:

This made for a light, smokeringy type thing, which I've been wearing pretty much constantly since I finished it.

To show the versatility of the pattern, I then knitted it in Aran weight:

This was it works as an infinity scarf which can be twisted twice around the neck:

(The photos are part of the Clare Suffolk photo sesh).

The Martini name comes from the old ad - any time, any place, anywhere - this is any yarn, any length, any size!

So, the pattern is a great knitter's problem solver. What to do with spare bits of stash, and how to knit up quick Christmas presents with it.

What I hadn't appreciated from the beginning was that it might be helping to solve more serious problems. I decided to donate the pattern to p/hop, a knitters' project which raises money for Medicins sans Frontieres (MSF)- that's "Doctors without Borders". Every knitter who downloads the pattern is asked to make a donation to the charity. The same week the pattern came out, the typhoon hit the Philippines and MSF were on the front line in providing medical help to thousands of people facing disaster. So this pattern really is a win, win, win - use up your stash, make a gift for yourself or a friend, and maybe make a huge difference to someone in desperate straits.

Follow the links above to find out more about p/hop & MSF and to download the pattern or just make a donation.