Turquoise V Cowl

Turquoise V Cowl

I knew I had to have this yarn as soon as I saw it; the colors, the feel (it's a bit ropey, but soft), and the general aesthetic of the fiber really appealed to me. But then I struggled a bit more when it came to knitting it up, tearing through who-knows-how-many ideas before settling on this one. And, in short, this one relies on a cabled edge down one side of the cowl and a stitch pattern which adds and drops stitches for a very textured effect. Furthermore, while the pattern below looks complicated, that's mostly just increases and decreases along the edge; the basic stitch pattern remains the same throughout.

The stitch pattern, closer up.

Yarn: Schachnmayr Original Multicolor (100% Cotton; 98 yards [90 meters]/50 grams); color #85 Jade Mix – two skeins

Needles: Straight needles in size 7, cable needle (cn) or double-pointed needle for cabling

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker 

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches

So let's get started! First, let's define some terminology as follows:

front cross (fc): slip 2 stitches to cn and hold in front, p3, k2 from cn

back cross (bc): slip 3 stitches to cn and hold in back, k2, p3 from cn

Now, cast on 14 stitches loosely, and knit the following row: p2, place marker, k4, p4, k4. Then, we’ll repeat a few set-up rows to get the piece started. Or in our pattern notation,

Set-up Rows 1 & 3 (right side): p4, k4, p4, slip marker, knit until one stitch before end of row, yo, k1

Set-up Rows 2 & 4: purl until marker, slip marker, k4, p4, k4 

Set-up Row 5: p1, bc, fc, p1, slip marker, knit until one stitch before end of row, yo, k1

Set-up Rows 6, 8, & 10: purl until marker, slip marker, k1, p2, k6, p2, k1

Set-up Rows 7 & 9: p1, k2, p6, k2, p1, slip marker, knit until one stitch before end of row, yo, k1

Set-up Row 11: p1, fc, bc, p1, slip marker, knit until one stitch before end of row, yo, k1

Set-up Row 12: same as rows 2 & 4

Knit set-up rows 1 – 12 three times, at which point you should have 32 stitches on your needle. And now we’re going to knit a few transition rows to add a couple more stitches, and then move on to the main stitch pattern. So let’s start with these:

Transition Row 1: p4, k4, p4, slip marker, k1, (k3, yo) 6 times, k1

Transition Row 2: purl until marker, slip marker, k4, p4, k4

And then let’s move on to an increasing version of the main pattern (so we’ll be adding one stitch on every odd row), which you’ll find below. As you’ll notice, the cable portion will continue to follow the same 12-row repeat, and the second pattern will follow a 6-row repeat. Oh, and the stitch pattern doesn’t maintain the same number of stitches on every row, and will increase on rows 3, 4, 9, and 10, and decrease on rows 5 & 11 (not that you need to remember any of that, but it’s a reminder not to freak out if your stitch count isn’t adding up the way you thought it should).

Row 1: p4, k4, p4, slip marker; then k1, * (yo) twice, sl1-k2tog-psso; rep from * until you’re one stitch from the end of the row; end yo, k1

Row 2: p2, * p1, (p1, k1) in double yo * until you’re one stitch from marker, p1, slip marker, k4, p4, k4

Row 3: p1, bc, fc, p1, slip marker; then k1, * p2tog, (k1, yo, k1) in next stitch * until you’re two stitches from the end of the row; end yo, k2

Row 4: p3, * p3, k1 * until you’re one stitch from marker, p1, slip marker, k1, p2, k6, p2, k1

Row 5: p1, k2, p6, k2, p1, slip marker; then, k1, k2tog, * slip 1, sl1-k2tog-psso * until you’re five stitches from the end of the row; end slip 1, k2tog, yo, k2

Row 6: p4, * pfb, p1 * until you’re one stitch from marker, p1, slip marker, k1, p2, k6, p2, k1

Row 7: p1, k2, p6, k2, p1, slip marker; then k1, * (yo) twice, sl1-k2tog-psso * until you’re one stitch from the end of the row; end yo, k1

Row 8: p2, * p1, (p1, k1) in double yo * until you’re one stitch from marker, p1, slip marker, k1, p2, k6, p2, k1

Row 9: p1, fc, bc, p1, slip marker; then k1, * p2tog, (k1, yo, k1) in next stitch * until you’re two stitches from the end of the row; end yo, k2

Row 10: p3, * p3, k1 * until you’re one stitch from marker, p1, slip marker, k4, p4, k4

Row 11: p4, k4, p4, slip marker; then, k1, k2tog, * slip 1, sl1-k2tog-psso * until you’re five stitches from the end of the row; end slip 1, k2tog, yo, k2

Row 12: p4, * pfb, p1 * until you’re one stitch from marker, p1, slip marker k4, p4, k4

Knit these 12 rows three times, and then we’re going to phase out the cable section of the pattern over the next 12 rows (but we will maintain the increases at the end of each right side row). And here’s what it looks like:

Row 1: p2tog, p2, k4, p2, p2tog slip marker; then k1, * (yo) twice, sl1-k2tog-psso; rep from * until you’re one stitch from the end of the row; end yo, k1

Row 2: p2, * p1, (p1, k1) in double yo * until you’re one stitch from marker, p1, slip marker, k3, p4, k3

Row 3: bc, fc, slip marker; then k1, * p2tog, (k1, yo, k1) in next stitch * until you’re two stitches from the end of the row; end yo, k2

Row 4: p3, * p3, k1 * until you’re one stitch from marker, p1, slip marker, p2, k6, p2

Row 5: k2, p2tog, p2, p2tog, k2, slip marker; then, k1, k2tog, * slip 1, sl1-k2tog-psso * until you’re five stitches from the end of the row; end slip 1, k2tog, yo, k2

Row 6: p4, * pfb, p1 * until you’re one stitch from marker, p1, slip marker, p2, k4, p2

Row 7: ssk, (p2tog) twice, k2tog, slip marker; then k1, * (yo) twice, sl1-k2tog-psso * until you’re one stitch from the end of the row; end yo, k1

Row 8: p2, * p1, (p1, k1) in double yo * until you’re one stitch from marker, p1, slip marker, p1, k2, p1

Row 9: slip knit stitch to cn and hold in front, p1, k1 from cn, slip purl stitch to cn and hold in back, k1, p1 from cn, slip marker; then k1, * p2tog, (k1, yo, k1) in next stitch * until you’re two stitches from the end of the row; end yo, k2

Row 10: p3, * p3, k1 * until you’re one stitch from marker, p1, slip marker, k1, p2tog, k1

Row 11: sl1-k2tog-psso, remove marker; then, k1, k2tog, * slip 1, sl1-k2tog-psso * until you’re five stitches from the end of the row; end slip 1, k2tog, yo, k2

Row 12: p4, * pfb, p1 * until you’re two stitches from the end of the row, p2tog

And once these 12 rows are completed, we’ll continue the same pattern, except without the cabling, and with slow decreases instead of increases. Furthermore, although the main stitch pattern will continue to operate on a six-row repeat, it will take two repeats of the pattern to work the decreases, so we’ll still have 12 rows. Like so:

Row 1: k1, * (yo) twice, sl1-k2tog-psso; rep from * until you’re four stitches from the end of the row; end k2, k2tog

Row 2: p3, * p1, (p1, k1) in double yo * until you’re one stitch from the end of the row, p1

Row 3: k1, * p2tog, (k1, yo, k1) in next stitch * until you’re three stitches from the end of the row; end k3

Row 4: p3, * p3, k1 * until you’re one stitch from the end of the row, p1

Row 5: k1, k2tog, * slip 1, sl1-k2tog-psso * until you’re five stitches from the end of the row; end slip 1, (k2tog) twice

Row 6: p2, * pfb, p1 * until you’re one stitch from the end of the row, p1

Row 7: k1, * (yo) twice, sl1-k2tog-psso * until you’re two stitches from the end of the row; end k2

Row 8: p2, * p1, (p1, k1) in double yo * until you’re one stitch from end of row, p1

Row 9: k1, * p2tog, (k1, yo, k1) in next stitch * until you’re two stitches from the end of the row, k2tog

Row 10: p1, * p3, k1 * until you’re one stitch from end of row, p1

Row 11: k1, k2tog, * slip 1, sl1-k2tog-psso * until you’re three stitches from the end of the row; end slip 1, k2tog

Row 12: p1, * pfb, p1 * until you’re one stitch from the end of row, p1

Knit rows 1 – 12 until you have 33 stitches left on your needle, and you’ve just completed Row 12 of the pattern. Now we’re going to finish in a simple stockinette, like so:

Row 1: knit until you reach last two stitches of row; k2tog

Row 2: purl

Knit rows 1 – 2 until there are 14 stitches left on your needle and you’ve just completed row 1 of the pattern. Bind off loosely. Seam piece together, and tuck in ends.