Carved Diamond Cowl

Carved Diamond Cowl

I would like to tell you something about this cowl, but the Pentatonix video blaring at 1,000 decibels to my right is distracting me slightly (what can I say, my children are obsessed!). So I'll just say, first of all, thank you to the dear friend who mailed me this yarn all the way from Alaska. And then I'll get right to the pattern part, so you can make one of your own!

Yarn: Premier Yarns Cotton Fair (52% Cotton, 48% Acrylic; 317 yards [290 meters]/100 grams); #27-04 Turquoise - one skein

Another view of the pattern.
Quite pretty, no?

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 4 (optional but recommended: one 16" circular needle in size US 3 for edging)

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 23 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

Which brings us to the pattern! Using your size 4 needle, cast on 128 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round (if you're doing your edging in size 3, use that needle instead). Purl five rows around. Switch to your size 4 needle, if you didn't cast on with it, and then we'll continue in Carved Diamond Pattern from page 150 of Barbara G. Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. You will need the following notation to continue:

rt (right twist): knit two together, leaving stitches on left-hand needle; next, insert right-hand needle from the front between the two stitches just knitted together, and knit the first stitch again.  Finally, slip both stitches from left-hand needle together

lt (left twist): with right-hand needle behind left-hand needle, skip one stitch and knit the second stitch in back loop; then insert right-hand needle into the backs of both stitches and k2tog-b (knit two together through back loops, inserting right needle from the right)

And once you've got that down, proceed like so:

Row 1 and all odd rows: knit

Row 2: * k1, (lt) three times, k3, (rt) three times; rep from *

Row 4: * k2, (lt) three times, k1, (rt) three times, k1 *

Rows 6 & 8: repeat rows 2 & 4

Row 10: knit

Row 12: * k2, (rt) three times, k1, (lt) three times, k1 *

Row 14: * k1, (rt) three times, k3, (lt) three times *

Rows 16 & 18: repeat rows 12 & 14

Row 20: knit

Knit rows 1 - 20 until piece measures roughly 9" - 10" and you've just finished row 9 or row 19 of the pattern. Switch to your size 3 needles, if you're going to, and no matter what purl 4 rows around. Bind off, purling. Tuck in ends and block.