Materials:

US 35 straight needles
A darning needle

For Virginia (scarf):
1 skein Neighborhood Fiber Company Beltway Bulky and
equal yardage of Neighborhood Fiber Company Loft in a matching colorway (1 skein is more than sufficient for both projects), and
3 yds of matching ribbon cut into 6 inch pieces.

For Maryland (cowl):
1 skein Neighborhood Fiber Company Beltway Bulky and
equal yardage of Neighborhood Fiber Company Loft in a matching colorway, and
2 yds of matching ribbon cut into two pieces (each 1 yd) (or two large buttons if you prefer).

Pattern:

For Virginia (scarf):
Hold 1 strand of Beltway Bulky together with 1 strand of Loft and CO 12 stitches.
Knit in garter (knit all rows) until yarn is almost gone, using the remainder to bind off.
Weave in ends; no need to block. The scarf will be approximately 68 to 70 inches long.
With your 6 in strips of ribbon: attach each strip to the scarf in a random manner using a knot to secure the ribbon.

For Maryland (cowl):
Hold 1 strand of Beltway Bulky together with 1 strand of Loft and CO 20 stitches.
Knit in garter (knit all rows) until the piece is approximately 27 inches long and bind off.
Weave in ends; no need to block.
Overlap the two ends of the cowl by approximately 1 to 1.5 inches; tie the ends together by attaching ribbon through both layers of the overlapped fabric and forming a large bow 1/3 of the way from the top and 1/3 of the way from the bottom. As an alternative, sew buttons to one end, using the loops of the other end as button holes. The pictured cowl was styled with a twist in the fabric before attaching the ribbon bows.