And Speaking of Cowls

October 30, 2014 by Sarah White

Thanks for the amazing response to my yarn giveaway (if you haven’t entered yet it’s open through Sunday). I’m taking this positive reaction to mean both that you love free yarn and that you love cowls, which a lot of people have been saying.

So it seems the right time to share this post of a dozen cowl patterns (includes knit and crochet) from Red Heart.

I like the Once Around Cowl, pictured here, which has a cute cable pattern that just looks soft and squishy and warm. The Chunky Colorful Cowl is a super easy one if you need to mass produce a holiday gift. And even though it’s crochet, the Color Block Cowl might give you an interesting idea for a knit project (this one also uses reflective yarn, which is pretty cool).

Do you have a favorite cowl pattern? I’m working on a bunch for holiday gifts (have done a bulky one in moss stitch and am working on a color blocked feather and fan one right now) so I’d love some more suggestions!

[Photo via Red Heart.]

Looking to buy your Yarn online? Check out these online yarn specials.

Specific to knitters, you can join our Knitting Patterns Only group to get, well, knitting patterns, ask questions and gain inspiration for what to knit next.

Check out these books dedicated to Knitted Cowl Patterns still looking for more cowl patterns? Check these out on Etsy.

Next Pattern:

Comments

Maryanne says
November 1, 2014 at 10:17 pm
I really liked knitting a brioche cowl (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/brioche-hat-and-cowl) recently. It was an easy, but not mindless knit. I also love that although the 2 sides are different, neither looks like the “wrong” side.

Have you read?

A Blanket Knitting Pattern Where Yarn Selection is Everything

Many times when I write these posts I will say something like “you can use any yarn you want” or “this would be a great stash-busting project.” That’s just how my mind works. And my stash, too, since I probably have sweater quantity of two or three yarns at most, but tons of singles and odd balls and leftovers.

Blankets are generally a really good way to use up those bits, but in this case, I think you’re going to want to plan it out a bit better.

Looking at photos of the Color Study Blanket from Purl Soho, it looks like it’s made with two yarns held together, and that block in the center is worked with one of each color from the adjoining sides to make a mixed up color.

But that’s not actually how it’s done. This is three separate colors (four, really, with the neutrals in the corners) chosen form a yarn with an expansive palette so they play off each other. The project calls for a worsted weight superwash wool, which is a great choice for a blanket that’s both warm and washable.

This pattern was originally designed by Laura Ferguson and was updated by Hiromi Glover. It is worked in one piece in garter stitch intarsia, which is a great way to learn the intarsia technique if you don’t already know it. It comes in crib or throw sizes.

Despite the introduction to this post, I am going to go ahead and say that, yes, of course you could do this blanket with scraps or odd balls or even just choose five colors that don’t blend together so easily. But I really do love the look of the color play, and I think it would be worth your time to find colors that play well together to get a similar effect.

This pattern is available for free from Purl Soho.

[Photo: Purl Soho]