Gift Cowl Pattern

Winter is the season for gifts, and every year this is my go-to cowl for family and friends who are on my gift list. Worked in an airy lattice stitch, this cowl is still extra warm for winter because of the thickness of the recommended yarn.

A printer friendly version of this pattern is available as a free download on Ravelry, or you can continue online with the instructions below.

Finished Size: 26" (66cm) around and 12" (30cm) deep.

Yarn: Malabrigo Rasta 90 yards (82 m) per 150g.
Shown in color 247 Wales Road.
Needles: Size 15 (10mm) 24" circular needles.
Gauge: 6 sts x 2.5 rows = 4 x 4" (10 x 10 cm) square in lattice stitch.
Other Materials: Sewing needle.

Notes:

Videos of basic lattice knitting techniques can be found online here or you can read my previous blog post to learn the technique.

For a longer cowl that will wrap twice around the neck, I use one skein of Brown Sheep Burly Spun yarn, cast on 60 sts to begin, twist once before joining, and only work 4 rounds before binding off.

This pattern is very useful as a recipe and can be altered to fit almost any gauge, just remember to leave at least 10% of your skein to bind off.

Cowl Instructions:

Cast on 40 sts using the I-cord cast on, 2 sts will be on the left hand needle when you begin the next round. Join in round being careful not to twist.
Base Stitch: *KFB, K2tog, SB2 rep from * to end of round. Work for 6 rounds total.
I prefer to approximate the end of each round visually rather than use a marker. There's a slight jog in the cast on, you'll want to start the bind off directly above it.
Bind off using I-cord bind off instructions.
To finish, sew in ends minimizing the jog at the beginning and end tails. It may help to slightly felt the ends of the yarn in place after sewing in.

Key Terms

I-cord cast on - Cast on 2 stitches using your preferred method. [KFB, K1, SB2] Repeat this sequence until you have the desired number of sts.
I-cord bind off – *K1, K2Tog, SB2  repeat until 2 sts remain, K2 sts together. Cut yarn and pull through to finish.
K2tog - Knit 2 stitches together.
KFB - Knit a stitch, leaving stitch on left needle; knit into back loop of same stitch.
SB - Slip back to left needle.

If you liked this project, remember to check out others like in in my Ravelry store.