Snow Day Cowl

Snow Day Cowl

I love mixing mohair and silk laceweight yarn with other yarns. This time I was looking for a fast project as we were weathering a string of snow days in my area. I decided on a simple mock cable cowl.

Using two strands of yarn, this cowl knits up fast on 6mm needles. You can adjust the circumference and height easily to scale the cowl up or down, depending on the intended wearer.

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Materials: I used a ball of Rico Design Fashion Luxury Yarn (alpaca, wool, nylon blend) and a ball of Sugar Bush Drizzle (mohair/silk) for this project.  The Rico is listed as a super bulky yarn but I personally think that's a bit of a stretch. If looking to substitute,  go with a bulky yarn instead. The Drizzle is a variegated laceweight yarn. The Rico is a matte color so the mohair/silk stands out even though it is much smaller in scale. Keep this in mind when choosing your yarn. Both yarns are held together for the entire project.

Gauge: 3 stitches and 5 rows to 1 inch.

Tools: 6mm circular needle (16 inch was my preference), stitch markers, tapestry needle,  scissors, soft tape measure.

Instructions:

First, stand in front of a mirror and loop the tape measure around your neck to mimic the circumference and drape you want in your cowl.  I choose to make mine about 24 inches in circumference. 

Make a gauge swatch to ensure your yarn and needles will give you your desired size. If your swatch is too large, choose a smaller needle size (e,g. 5.5 mm and try again. If your swatch is too small, try 6.5 mm needles and try again. 

Based on my gauge, I need to cast on 72 stitches.  If you want yours to be larger or smaller, make sure the final stitch number is divisible by 4, as that will ensure your stitch pattern works. 

Using your preferred cast on method, cast on the desired number of stitches (in my case, 72). I used a cable cast on method as I like the edge that gives me. Join in the round taking care not to twist the stitches. To help avoid this I often don't place my EOR marker until the end of my first round.

Once joined, begin a K2, P2 ribbing. Repeat to the end of the round. If you haven't placed your marker yet, do it now.

Repeat this ribbing for 4 rounds in total. Then commence the mock cable (aka Barnacle Stitch) pattern.

Barnacle Stitch Pattern - note the next four rounds constitutes one pattern repeat

Round 1: (k2, p2), repeat to EOR.

Round 2: (k1, yo, k1, p2) , repeat to EOR. 

Round 3: (k3, p2), repeat to EOR. 

Round 4: (sl1, k2, psso, p2), repeat to EOR. 

Continue doing pattern repeats until you are about an inch from the desired height of your cowl. I did 8 pattern repeats in total (i.e. 32 rounds of pattern) as I have a long neck. 

Then complete 4 rounds of (k2, p2) ribbing.  Cast off loosely. I use a size larger needle (7mm) when casting off to ensure it isn't tight. This helps ensure consistency in my stitch tension too.

Weave in your ends of yarn. Block if desired.

Enjoy your cowl! Stay tuned, the matching hat isn't far behind!

ABBREVIATIONS 

EOR- end of round

K - knit

P - purl

Sl1 - slip one stitch knit-wise

psso - pass slipped stitch over the stitches just knitted

CO - cast on/cast off