Gifts, revealed: more cowls

Apparently, this was the Christmas of the cowls; I made several. Here are some more. This one was made from cotton, for my sister who can't stand wool's itchiness:

It's super soft and comfy, and when I tried it on, I wished I were keeping it for myself. (That's my I'm-too-busy-making-gifts-to-primp look in the photo):

I tried a new stitch pattern for this one--stacked shells--after admiring a friend's afghan-in-progress. It turned out to make a quick and beautiful scarf! So I made more. This one (in wool, this time) for Andi:

And this one for a friend (it's hard to see in the photo, but those are some cool clay buttons that match the color of the yarn perfectly):

As I worked on these, each one came out just a bit better than the last--to the point that I wanted to remake the first ones! I think I've got it down, now, and these are sure to become a common gift from my hooks.