Daisy Chain Cowl

Daisy Chain Cowl

Technically, the name of this cowl should have something to do with snowflakes (since the stitch pattern is the Snowflake Eyelet and all). But I'm way too tired of winter to give this lightweight cotton v-neck cowl any name that isn't cheery, especially since it's a great warmer weather piece. It's also a top-down number finished with seed stitch edgings, which means you don't even have to block it, if you don't want to!

A not-very-good close-up of the stitch pattern.
Sorry.

Yarn: Schachenmayr Down to Earth Cotton (100% Cotton; 142 yards [130 meters]/50 grams); #35 Pink Peony - two skeins

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size 4, one 24" circular needle in size 4

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 22 stitches = 4 inches

So let's do this! First, then, using your 16" needle, cast on 127 stitches, place marker, and join in round. Then, knit the following set-up rows:

Set-up Rows 1, 3 & 5: k1, * p1, k1; rep from *

Set-up Rows 2, 4 & 6: p1, * k1, p1 *

Set-up Row 7: k1, (p1, k1) 31 times, place marker, * p1, k1 * until end of round

And now, let's begin the pattern, which is Snowflake Eyelet from page 248 of Barbara G. Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns.

Row 1 (and all odd rows): knit until one stitch before marker, yo, k1, slip marker, k2, yo, knit until end of round (+2 stitches)

Row 2: k4, * ssk, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k3 * until you have 4 stitches left before marker, k4, slip marker, k8, * ssk, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k3 *; end k1

Row 4: k5, * yo, slip 2 together knitwise-k1-p2sso, yo, k5 * until you have 4 stitches left before marker, k4, yo, slip marker, k1, yo, k9, * yo, slip 2 together knitwise-k1-p2sso, yo, k5 * (+2) stitches

Row 6: k4, * ssk, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k3 * until you have 7 stitches left before marker, k7, slip marker, k11, * ssk, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k3 *; end k1

Row 8: * ssk, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k3 * until you have 4 stitches left before marker, k4, slip marker, k5, * k3, ssk, yo, k1, yo, k2tog *

Row 10: k1, * yo, slip 2 together knitwise-k1-p2sso, yo, k5 * until you have 4 stitches left before marker, k4, yo, slip marker, k1, yo, k4, * k5, yo, slip 2 together knitwise-k1-p2sso, yo *, end k1 (+2 stitches)

Row 12: * ssk, yo, k1, yo, k2tog, k3 * until you have 7 stitches left before marker, k7, slip marker, k8, * k3, ssk, yo, k1, yo, k2tog *

Knit rows 1 - 12 three times and then knit rows 1 - 6 once more. You will want to switch to your 24" inch needle as soon as you can, also; probably close to the end of your first repeat of these twelve rows. Anyway, once you've completed all three and a half pattern repeats, it's time to knit two rows around, slipping the extra marker when you come to it. And then we'll finish up with the following rows:

Row 1: * k1, p1 * until you're one stitch before marker, kfb, slip marker, kfb, k1, * p1, k1 *

Rows 2, 4, 6, 8, & 10: p1, * k1, p1 *

Rows 3 & 7: * k1, p1 * until you reach marker, slip marker, (k1, yo, k1) in next stitch, * p1, k1 *

Rows 5 & 9: * k1, p1 * until you reach marker, remove marker, kfb, replace marker, kfb, k1, * p1, k1 *

Knit rows 1 - 10 and then bind off loosely in pattern and tuck in ends.