Unisex Cowl Pattern

I've been trying to shop from my stash as much as possible lately.  This next project came about as an exercise in using up yarn leftover from previous projects.

I bought some Cascade Eco Duo from a fellow knitter who was thinning down her yarn stash. I used most of it on a shawl and a scarf last year, but still had partial skeins left.

I opted for a simple cowl, in a unisex design, and decided to let the necessary color changes provide much the visual interest. At the last minute, I decided to do a broken rib pattern in the body of the cowl, which while simple on its own, complemented the color changes beautifully.

As this is a stash buster pattern, the yarn estimates are approximate. Take a moment to decide on your color pattern.  If necessary, weigh the yarn leftovers you have and then divide them into smaller equal balls so you know what you have to work with.  This should limit the "yarn chicken" you end up playing.

Visually, pattern repeats of groups of 3 are usually winning combinations, so consider this as you plan your color changes.

Conversely, you could change colors every few rounds randomly and make it more of a free-form project. The choice is yours.

I opted to create bands of color that were 12, 6 and 2 rounds deep. The instructions below will tell you exactly what I did.  Feel free to do your own thing, of course.

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Unisex Cowl

Materials:  I used random leftovers in Cascade Eco Duo. Any Aran weight or light worsted should do.

Tools: 4mm - 24 inch circular needle, tapestry needle, scissors, measuring tape.

Gauge: 10 stitches = 2 inches in broken rib.

Using the milk chocolate brown, cast on 128 stitches and join in the round taking care not to twist the work, and placing you end of round marker.

Work in ribbing (k2, p2) for six rounds. Then complete six rounds in Broken Ribbing as follows:

Round 1: Knit

Round 2: (k2, p2), repeat to the end of round.

Once 12 rounds in total have been completed, switch to the ivory yarn. Complete 2 rounds in broken ribbing. Then switch to the second brown color.

Complete 6 rounds in broken rib. Then switch back to the ivory yarn and complete 2 rounds in broken ribbing.

Switch back to the chocolate brown color again, and complete 12 rounds in broken ribbing. Then switch to the ivory color, and complete two rounds in broken ribbing.

Switch back to the other brown color, and complete 6 rounds in broken ribbing. Switch to the ivory yarn and complete two rounds in broken ribbing. 

Finally switch back to the chocolate brown color, complete 6 rounds in broken ribbing, and then 6 rounds in (k2, p2) ribbing. Cast off and weave in your ends.

Tip:  I have a tendency to cast off tightly, so I used a 5.5 mm needle to actually cast off. Using one larger needle for cast off is usually sufficient.