A Cozy Cowl Just for You

Now that it’s too late to knit anything for anyone else for Christmas, I say it’s time to get selfish with your knitting. Maybe for just a little while. Even if you only knit one project for yourself. I tend to give myself permission around the holidays to knit from someone else’s pattern, which is super rare for me. It usually takes me a couple of years to finish a project, but it’s a lot of fun to make something I don’t have to think that much about.

If you’re looking for something to knit just for you, I’d like to suggest this simple seed stitch cowl from Classic Elite Yarns. Designed by Susan Mills, it’s actually more of a recipe than a pattern, because it explains how to make it for three different lengths and three different widths. Just choose the yarn you like in two different colors, swatch, pick your options and you’ll be on your way.

It’s worked in seed stitch in the round with a touch of contrasting color on each side. This makes the project pop with very little effort, which is just the thing for the rush of the holiday season. And odds are we’ve still got a lot of cold weather ahead of us in the Northern Hemisphere, so you’ll get plenty of use out of this project.

[Photo via Classic Elite Yarns.]

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Once you get past the rush of the holidays, it’s time to focus on yourself and your home and what’s going to make you feel good for the rest of winter. For me, that’s having a homemade blanket in every room. I’m currently working on a granny stitch crochet blanket, but I wanted to share some cozy knit blanket patterns with you in case you’re on the lookout for something great to knit yourself or someone you love.

I have really been enjoying log cabin projects lately because they’re a great way to use stash and I love the connections between knitting and quilting. This log cabin scrap blanket pattern is free from Very Pink, and it includes a video tutorial if you haven’t done log cabin knitting before. It’s worked in garter stitch and has blocks that are connected by borders in a single color.

Speaking of scrap busting (since that’s on my mind all the time, but particularly when New Year’s resolution time rolls around), the Hue Shift Afghan by Kerin Dimeler-Laurence is worked in a huge array of colors in garter stitch mitered squares. The pattern has options for working with sport weight or worsted weight yarn, and the blanket is worked in quarters and then sewn together, but the individual squares in each section are worked off each other for minimal finishing. Get the pattern from Knit Picks.

If you’re looking for an easy pattern that has a lot of texture, this quilted knit throw from Mama in a Stitch is a great choice. It uses chunky yarn in a single color to make a simple knit and purl pattern that looks like diamonds. The designer notes that a lighter colored yarn is helpful for making the stitch pattern stand out, but you can try whatever color you like.

Or go even simpler with the Bella Vita blanket from Christaco Design. This one uses super bulky yarn (or make it a stash buster by holding two strands of worsted weight yarn together). The pattern has a seed stitch border and allover knit and purl pattern, and includes sizes from baby blanket to California king.

If instead you want a project that will challenge you and occupy your mind as well as your needles, try the Aran texture cable afghan knitting pattern from Pattern Professionals. This gorgeous design features panels of cables and other textured stitches, and the pattern is originally form the 1970s. It uses worsted weight yarn and each pattern strip is worked individually and sewn together (though you could combine them into one big panel if you’d rather).

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