 |
| Autumn Rose Cowl |
While I love (virtually) all knitting, I especially love designing pieces with a certain person in mind. This cowl was inspired by one of my kids' teachers, who has definitely earned something extra through her kindness and patience despite my kids' occasionally, ahem, * energetic *, behavior. As an added bonus, this cowl's simple design shows off the beauty of the yarn, and is also suitable for beginning knitters or as something to keep your hands occupied during a good movie.
Yarn: Malabrigo Mechita (100% Merino Superwash; 420 yards [385 meters]/100 grams); #862 Piedras – one skein
 |
| It's amazing what you can do with a few knits and some purls! |
Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker
Gauge: 26 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size US 2 needles
Which brings us to the cowl-making! With that in mind, cast on 140 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. And then we'll begin our edging rows, as follows:
Edging Rows 1 - 4: * k10, p10; rep from *
Edging Rows 5 - 8: * k11, p9 *
Edging Rows 9 - 12: * k12, p8 *
Edging Rows 13 - 16: * k13, p7 *
Edging Rows 17 - 20: * k14, p6 *
Edging Rows 21 - 24: * k15, p5 *
Edging Rows 25 - 28: * k16, p4 *
Edging Rows 29 - 32: * k17, p3 *
Edging Rows 33 - 36: * k18, p2 *
Knit edging rows 1 - 36. Now, it's time to begin our middle pattern, as follows:
Pattern Row: * k19, p1 *
Knit this pattern row until middle pattern portion measures roughly 1.5" (and piece measures roughly 5" in total). Now, we'll begin our second set of edging rows, as follows:
Edging Rows 1 - 4: * p1, k18, p1 *
Edging Rows 5 - 8: * p2, k17, p1 *
Edging Rows 9 - 12: * p3, k16, p1 *
Edging Rows 13 - 16: * p4, k15, p1 *
Edging Rows 17 - 20: * p5, k14, p1 *
Edging Rows 21 - 24: * p6, k13, p1 *
Edging Rows 25 - 28: * p7, k12, p1 *
Edging Rows 29 - 32: * p8, k11, p1 *
Edging Rows 33 - 35: * p9, k10, p1 *
Knit edging rows 1 - 35 and bind off loosely in pattern. Tuck in ends. If desired, block.
I like this! And really like th eyarn!! My question, could it be made bigger without messing up the "look" of it? I can't handle things that close around my neck - LOL!
ReplyDeleteLinda in VA
Hi Linda!
DeleteMy mother is the exact same way. :) And I think this would be very successful if it were bigger, although I would only make the middle pattern section 4 rows long instead of 1.5". I'd love to see it, if you make it!
You are right about your mother. ;-)
Delete;-)
DeleteJust found this on Ravelry ... love it! Plan on making in for my sister using the Madeline Tosh Merino Light she chose. What are the finished dimensions of your cowl Gretchen? If I did the math right, it's 21.5 inches in diameter. My sister does not like close fitting anything around her neck. Base on your finished dimensions, I may increase the number of cast on stitches to 160 or 180. Thanks!
DeleteYes, you're right about the dimensions, since this knits up basically like stockinette. It's also about 8.5" tall. And I would definitely go ahead and add a multiple of 20 stitches if your sister doesn't like things tight around her neck; blocking it would also help (although then it won't have the scrunch, of course). Anyway, let me know if you have any other questions! :)
DeleteThanks for the tip on the middle rows!! I used to be able to wear turtlenecks, but now I can only handle mock turtlenecks - LOL!
ReplyDeleteLinda in VA
I understand! And I do think it would be quite lovely larger. :)
DeleteThanks for sharing this lovely cowl with us. My grandkids' teachers would appreciate these.
ReplyDeleteYou are very welcome! I'm excited to start seeing projects in different yarns. :)
DeleteDear Gretchen, I bought Malabrigo Mechita Piedras, but it is completely different color :(, could it be, that you made it out of some different shade? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHi there!
DeleteI am confident that the label on the yarn I bought said Piedras, and I looked it up on yarn.com and the picture looks correct. So, two things - the yarn I bought looked a lot more blue & green in the skein, and knitted up much more pink & red, which might be what you're seeing. Also, Malabrigo has a fair amount of variation between their colorways, which is one reason I don't typically use their variegated yarns for projects which require more than one skein. If you'd like, you can email me a picture of what you got at ballstothewallsknits@gmail.com and I'll take a look at it! Then I can tell you for sure if it looks what I used or not. :)
Gretchen,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this pattern. I am a newbie to knitting and I was excited to find something I could do on your site. I just finished this on Easter Sunday and I love it...
I will definitely be making this again! Thanks again for sharing your talent and creativity!
Amy
Hi Amy!
DeleteI'm so glad to hear it! I really loved this cowl - I made it as a gift, which is always a special process!!! Anyway, let me know if you ever have any questions. I'm always around to help!!
I LOVE this cowl! I really want to make one that stays UP around my neck and doesn't just roll down and rest on my shoulders. Does this look like it stays up because of the fiber you used, or is there an increase I'm not seeing in the pattern somewhere that makes it wider at the shoulders that I'm not seeing.
ReplyDeleteI spent A MILLION dollars (or it seems like that) on some beautiful yarn I HAD to have: Madelinetosh (hand-dyed), DK weight. It's 100% superwash merino and I've been protecting it like the Holy Grail until I find something special to knit with it. I'm hoping this is it! Do you think the cowl will stay up with this type of yarn?
Any help or thoughts are greatly appreciated!
Jessica
Hi Jessica!
DeleteOkay, first of all, I totally understand the million-dollar yarn dilemma. I don't think I've ever actually made something I was super happy with with any of my extra-special skeins. So maybe I'm the wrong person to ask for help! :)
That being said, this pattern stays up just because of the combination of knits and purls (and because I didn't block it so it didn't get floppy). I've never worked with your particular yarn, so I can't tell you anything for sure, but this pattern definitely does lend itself to a more stand-up look because of the definition given by the stitches. Or in other words: I think it will be a good choice. And in final words of wisdom (well, I like to pretend), I would urge you to make something simple whether you choose this design or not - a very special yarn doesn't need all the pattern-based bells and whistles, you know! :)
I love this pattern! I'm going to make it for myself for this winter. Based on all the info above I was planning to make it using the 140 stitches, but with only 4 rows in the middle so it will be a little shorter. (I don't have a short neck but I am a short person so I think the proportions would work better for me.) That said, do you think this pattern would lend itself to a longer center section to allow it to become a snood?
ReplyDeleteOkay, I had to go look up pictures to make sure we were on the same page, snood-wise. And I think that this pattern could definitely be suited to that, it would just have to be blocked flatter! :)
DeleteThanks so much Gretchen!
DeleteI never know what to call it, some people use hood (which is what I would say) but most people use snood (which I guess it could be). I appreciate you taking the time to look it up for my question. :)
Sandra
Of course! And I always appreciate expanding my knitwear vocabulary... I'm well aware I'm using half of my labeling terms in different ways than others anyway!!! :)
DeleteI was just rereading this pattern. The last sent of edging rows are they the ones you did at the beginning of the cowl or the second set repeated again? It wasn't really that clear. Thank you
ReplyDeleteHi Mary! Just one iteration of the second set (so the instructions basically tell you to work as follows, give you the rows, and then afterwards instruct you how exactly to interpret the rows. So in this case, you simply work 1 - 35 once). Let me know if you have any other questions! :)
DeleteGretchen I have a pattern question because I don't read patterns well. Am I to understand that the 35 rows of pattern for the upper edge are knit twice and the 35 rows for the bottom edge are knit twice or are they only knit once each with the middle 1.5 inch section in between?
ReplyDeleteHi there! The edging rows on both ends are only worked once each; on my site, I typically write out the pattern rows and then say how many times to work them (which can, admittedly, get confusing when you only need to work them once as in this pattern). But yes, the middle section is 1.5". And let me know if you have any other questions!!!
DeleteI have a skein DK weight - would you just cast on 100 or 120 stitches in stead of the 140?
ReplyDeleteYes, either one! 100 will be a bit more snug - 120 a bit less. It just depends on preference! :)
Delete