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A Simple Cowl for When You Need to Think

January 22, 2024 by Sarah White

The beginning of a new year (or the end of the first month, since we’re almost there already!) is a great time to reflect on the past year and to think about things you might want for yourself in the year ahead. It’s great to have an easy knitting project on the needles for these times of deep thinking, and that’s just want the Brood Cowl was designed for.

>> While you are here, check out our post on 13 Valentine Mug Rugs to Sew For Gifts <<

Rebecca McKenzie designed this top down, circular knit cowl for those times when things are weighing on you and you just need a bit of comfort knitting and a place to rest.

It uses DK weight yarn and has a little bit of shaping to give it a sloped look. It uses three colors of yarn with regular striping so you can carry the unused yarn up the inside of the cowl as you go rather than cutting and weaving in ends.

By now you probably expect me to say that you can use more colors if you want, and you could also make this with worsted weight or another weight of yarn if you like, bearing in mind it will come out a different size (or you can easily adjust the size). You could also try making it holding two strands of yarn together if you have lots of sock yarn or lace weight to work through.

Speaking of sizes, there are two options available in the pattern. The first is 20 inches around and 26 inches long (that’s 50 centimeters around and 66 long for our metric system friends), while the larger is 24 inches/61 cm around and 30 inches/76 cm long.

The stitch pattern is simple knits and purls so it would be pretty easy to alter the size if you want.

Learn more about the pattern and grab your copy on Ravelry.

[Photo: Rebecca McKenzie]

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Add a Little Lace to Your Knitting Patterns

If you’re new to lace knitting or just aren’t sure how to incorporate the technique into garments, check out these tops and sweaters that use lace as a decorative element.

The easiest lace out there is eyelets, and you can practice them plenty with this eyelet covered sweater from Knitcro Addict. It uses light/DK weight yarn and is worked in four pieces knit flat. It’s intended to be a little cropped and a little oversized, and includes sizes XS to XXL in the pattern.

If you’re in parts of the world where it’s getting colder as you read this, the Nora sweater from Bummbul might be a good choice. This is actually a great one for learning lace because it’s worked in super bulky yarn, which makes it easier to see what you’re doing and makes the lace super graphic. This one just comes in one size, with a 42 inch (106) cm bust, but that could fit a variety of people depending on how much ease you like.

Minimi Knit Design has a cute allover lace cardigan worked in one piece from the bottom up. It’s worked in lace weight mohair held double, which maybe isn’t the best for those new to lace (because it can be hard to rip out) but it sure is pretty. Sizes range to fit from 30 to 66 inches/76 to 168 cm bust measurements.

If you’d rather not have lace all over your sweater, you can knit the Lumi sweater from Originally Lovely, which has a chevron lace pattern on the yoke and is otherwise worked in reverse stockinette stitch. (It’s worked inside out so you don’t have to purl every stitch.) The pattern has 9 sizes from XS to 5XL and uses worsted weight yarn.

Or try the super romantic sookie blouse from Trust the mojo (available on Ravelry). This sweet top is started working flat from the bottom up and has a V-neck and I-cord edgings. The sleeves are worked separately in the round, and the pieces are all joined together to work in one piece to finish off the top. It comes in eight sizes and is available in English and French.

You can also pair lacy sleeves with an otherwise plain top, like on the Starflower Wrap from Annelise Driscoll Gingrow. This intermediate pattern makes a wrap sweater with generous lacy sleeves and a double wrap belt. The pattern has nine sizes, from XS to 5XL, and is available for free from Hobbi.

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