Cool & Comfy Cowl

I love this cowl! I’ve never had one before, and it remains to be seen whether or not it’s as effective against the cold as a regular scarf. But it’s pretty, and that’s worth a lot.

I made it out of Rowan Wool Cotton, which unfortunately has been discontinued (or so I’ve been told). It knit up at slightly less than the desired gauge, but when I blocked it, it stretched out properly.

The pattern is from the Fall 2016 issue of Vogue Knitting, and is called “Fair Isle Cowl.” It lends itself well to many color options, as well as many yarn options in a DK weight. For that matter, I imagine you could knit it in a worsted weight as well, if you knit it a little tighter. That might actually be warmer in the colder climates.

Or if you wanted to try a bulky weight yarn, knit a gauge sample and adjust the number of pattern repeats accordingly. With the DK weight there are 6 repeats. I’m sure you could easily go down to 5 with a different stitch gauge. You may not want to do a second round of the center of the chart with a bulky weight yarn (the green and yellow part of my cowl) as that might be too long.

I was almost finished when I realized this could easily be misconstrued as team colors (with a little pop of pink added) for the Green Bay Packers, arch rivals of my Minnesota Vikings. Don’t be fooled. I remain loyal to my team.

Anyway, I see gift possibilities with this cowl!