Because... does one have to have a reason?

 

Actually, there is a pretty good reason.  I wanted to understand how circle cloaks work so I made some tiny mockups.  And since the only thing I have that resembles a doll are these chickens... 

So what did I learn?  

Half-circle cloaks take A LOT of fabric.  But they have far less fabric waste or cabbage, leftover than a cloak that is fitted over the shoulders.  There would be less leftover with a collar or a hood cut from the cabbage.  And some pockets and...

I also learned that if you don't know these are chickens, it's hard to tell when they are wearing a cloak.  

So with my handwoven cloak project (check out the playlist if you are reading this in the future, I'll add more videos as I make them), I'm considering the Winterberry Cape pattern by Mood.  I don't know this make, but the pattern itself looks pretty darn awesome.  The instructions... well, I suspect if you already know how to sew a cloak, the instructions make sense and you don't need them.  But if you don't already know, then you need the instructions and um... okay.  

If I do go with this pattern, I'm going to make some changes.  Like adding a few inches to the front so it overlaps - which I noticed was difficult with these chicken cloaks.  Keep the collar, but maybe I don't need both to be with the outer fabric if I am most likely to wear it down all the time.  

So once I make those changes, I'm curious to discover which will be longer (circle or winterberry cloak) and which would have the least cabbage leftover.

I spent all this time spinning and weaving this fabric, I don't want to toss most of it in the scrap bin.

Right, back to weaving I go!