Snood news...in Summer

This is where my love affair with the snood (and Emma Watson) began; with her hands in the pockets of an effortlessly chic trench, tousled hair and a checked cashmere snood nestled around her neck like an effortless after thought, a last minute addition as she ran to the shoot, latte in hand.

Burberry's sales leaped by 10% following Watson’s A/W09 campaign and a positive slew of snoods appeared on the high street, but nothing that quite met our expectations. That’s just the problem with trends; you struggle to find the high street incarnation of what you lusted after at the season’s catwalk shows, and when you do find it, it’s not something you can justify with the ‘investment piece’ tag. I spent half an hour in front of a mirror in Gap fondling a soft, grey baby knit snood before deciding the wool would probably snag and I was therefore unwilling to spend so much money on it. Sadly, I returned it to its shelf, giving it one final farewell pat.

I’ve discovered that it’s not just me; there has now been a positive backlash against such luxury items. Following, dare I say it, The Recession, knitting has found a place in the heart of a new generation. Knitting and sewing groups like Stitch ‘n’ Bitch and websites like Ravelry.com, the Facebook of the knitting world, have made DIY clothing chic again. It is perhaps though not just the result of the economic climate but a response to today’s throwaway culture. More and more people are enrolling in evening dress-making classes at community colleges, and once they’ve got the basics the world’s their oyster. Who needs Topshop Unique when you can make your own one-of-a-kind dress? Similarly, you can knit something yourself that will last for years and actually keep you warm rather than lazily buying into the latest trends from Primark; they may be under a tenner, but they will be in a black bin bag on their way to a charity shop next season.

With that in mind, I jumped on the bandwagon and knitted my own dream snood. Now I know what you’re thinking: easier said than done. This is true, and I’ll admit that after ripping out my first attempt (the knit was so chunky that when I put it on it was slightly Burkha-esqu) I eventually found a ribbed pattern which was simple enough, knitted until it reached my desired length, stitched the two ends together and voila! A snood with the pattern, colour and thickness I wanted and all for the price of a few balls of wool. And after visiting sites like Ravelry I was delighted to find I wasn’t alone; there are thousands of people out there who have finally finished that piece they have spent hours lovingly creating, and are willing to share hints and tips with newbies like me. My next object of lust may prove a little more unrealistic: suede trousers by Maje for Fenwick. Wish me luck…