Quatrefoil Cowl

Quatrefoil Cowl

What can I say about this yarn? The minute I saw the color I KNEW I HAD TO HAVE IT, even though this yarn weight (worsted) in a mostly-cotton blend can be hard to design for (Why? Because lace isn't very crisp in this weight, the lack of stretch compared to wool makes it less ideal for cables, etc). So I had to play around with a few patterns before I came up with something I liked, but I enjoy the way this combination of a picot hem and a basic eyelet design creates a feminine, but not overly girly, aesthetic. Of course, just because I used a mostly-cotton fiber doesn't mean you're stuck with that choice; this design would look equally good with wool, and would probably even take the right variegated yarn as well... 

Oh, and before I forget - special thanks to my friend Nikki at Zender Studios for helping me with the pics! :)

Yarn: Lana Grossa 365 Yak (66% Cotton, 12% Yak, 22% Polyamide; 159 yards [145 meters]/50 grams); #004 - 2 skeins

A better look at the eyelets.

Needles: 16" or 20" circular needle in size US 9

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 18 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

So let's make a cowl! First, then, we're going to start with a picot hem. You can find tons of tutorials for this online if you need extra help, but I'll walk you through the steps here as well. So, to begin, cast on 96 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Knit five rows around. Then, work the following row:

Magentalicious Cowl

Magentalicious Cowl

First of all, I don't want to hear anything about my unimaginative name this week - I cycled through at least 847 other options that were significantly worse (including the "Better Than Barney" - named, of course, after the purple dinosaur. Really, I was scraping the bottom of the barrel). So since we're not going to talk about the name, let's just talk about the design, which is incredibly quick-knitting in a super bulky fiber, but still has a little bit of added pizazz with a single dropped stitch design. Oh, and it's also narrower at the back of the neck, so it tucks easily under a jacket.

Yarn: Lang Yarns Malou (70% Alpaca, 20% Nylon, 10% Wool; 71 yards [65 meters]/50 grams); #0166 Magenta - two skeins

I forgot to take a super close-up
but here's more detail of the
dropped stitch design.

Needles: Straight needles in size US 15

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 10 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

So let's start by casting on 18 stitches provisionally (I didn't call for a larger needle size for the provisional cast-on because the gauge is already big enough that you may not have larger needles laying around. But remember that you're going to want your provisional stitches to be big enough to get your needle through them when you pick them back up!). Anyway, once that's done we'll knit some set-up rows, as follows. Remember that your 3 slipped stitches are creating a faux i-cord edging so you can pull 'em as tight as you like!

Set-up Row 1 (right side): slip 3 stitches with yarn in back (sl3 wyib), k12, sl3 wyib

Set-up Row 2: purl

Ridge and Furrow Cowl

Ridge and Furrow Cowl

You know how you can walk by the same spot a million times and still not notice what's there? That's exactly what I realized had happened to me when I discovered another local yarn shop, this one just a four minute bus ride from my house. And if that discovery weren't great enough on its own, I discovered that said local yarn shop ALSO has a lovely sale section, which facilitated the pattern for this 100% silk cowl that's both basic and fun (not to say that sale yarn -- or even silk yarn -- is required for your own).

Yarn: Lana Grossa Linea Pura Soloseta (100% Silk; 109 yards [100 meters]/50 grams); #001 Light Gray Mix - 2 skeins

Another look at the pattern.
It reminds me of a field!

Needles: One 24" circular needle in size US 8

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 19 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size US 8 needles

And with that out of the way, let's make a cowl! First, then, cast on 110 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Then we'll move straight to the pattern, which is a basic combination of seed stitch and a yo/decrease combination, and goes like so:

Row 1: * p1, (k1, p1) three times, k3; rep from *

Divine Drape Cowl

Divine Drape Cowl

If this cowl is one thing, it's a summer-to-autumn wardrobe staple that would look great in any color, at virtually any length. And if it's two things, it's also yet another one of my attempts at the absolute perfect cowl design: not too bulky around the back of the neck, but with enough fun in the front to attract some attention. And heck, while we're at it - why not make it THREE things -- or in other words, your next project? ;)

Yarn: Premier Yarns Cotton Fair (52% Cotton, 48% Acrylic; 317 yards [290 meters]/100 grams); #27-09 Lavender - one skein

The main stitch pattern. Airy
and pretty, no?

Needles: Straight needles in size US 3, straight needles in size US 4, straight needles in size US 8, and straight needles in size US 5 for provisional cast-on

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 23 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size US 4 needles

So let's make a cowl! Using your size 5 needles and a length of scrap yarn, then, cast on 35 stitches provisionally. Transfer work to your size 4 needles and knit two transition rows, as follows:

Transition Row 1 (wrong side): purl

Transition Row 2: knit

Knit these two transition rows, and then transfer work to your size 3 needles and we'll work a ribbing for a bit, like so:

Ribbing Row 1 (wrong side): p1, * k1, p1; rep from * until you reach the end of the row

Ribbing Row 2: k1, * p1, k1 *

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