How much do I love a cowl?

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The answer is lots...apparently

I've written about my love of cowls versus shawls a few times before - at length - but it's really at this time of year that they come into their own.

Something you can just throw on in a morning as you dash out of the door. Those first few frosty mornings that catch you slightly unawares and can leave the knitter feeling exposed and slightly draughty at the bus stop.

Until I had knit a few I was unpersuaded by the joys of cowls, I thought they would feel bulky or constraining (I have an irrational fear of polo neck sweaters and anything too tight under my chin) but they have turned out to be a surprisingly versatile and well-worn addition to my wardrobe.

They are also pretty quick to knit - compared to a full on shawl - and 1 skein of DK can go a long way when you pair it with a stretchy, squishy stitch pattern.

As a winter treat I have put together a bundle of cowl patterns with the discount code COWL15 on my website. You can buy as many as you like - just add the code at the checkout.

Happy knitting

Presenting the Colour Block Cowl

Colour Block Cowl - on sale here

More autumn excitement from me today as I am thrilled to present my latest pattern release with you. Things feel especially autumnal today - as I write this midmorning it’s still incredibly dark outside (I even have the big light on) and the rain is lashing down against the windows. Just right for thinking about cosy autumn knits.

The Colour Block Cowl was knit using 50g of contrast yarn for the 'colour blocks' and a 5 x 20g set of ombre mini skeins for the main colour.

I chose to use a mini skein set from As Yet Yarns, colourway Volcanic Mist, a gorgeously subtle gradient from lightest cream to mid grey. 

For ease of knitting and so that nothing interrupted my 'flow' I wound the mini skeins into a cake before I started. I used the Magic Knit technique for this. If you'd like to try it there's a short tutorial up on my blog to show how I did it.

The cowl is a really straightforward knit with lots of stocking stitch - and it's ideal as a base to practice your colourwork on. You could knit the body of the cowl a little shorter if you prefer. As it is I had about 15g left over and I love that it is deep enough to wear folded over for extra warmth.

PIN FOR LATER

The joys of seaming (and a sale)

Cowl design: Women hold up half the sky

Well, not quite. But at least I got your attention, if only because you thought I might be being held hostage and signalling my plight to you. I know I have certainly waxed lyrical before about the joys of seamless knits, and how, if I had wanted to spend time with a needle I would have taken up sewing.

But, every so often there is a good case for seaming a knit and I hope you’ll bear with me while I elaborate.

It’s quite common for cowls to be knit in the round for many reasons not least because you are creating a tube or loop which will be worn as a tube or loop. It makes sense therefore to avoid the need for a seam and cast on in the round.

Now, this is partly personal preference but I sometimes feel that cowls in the round can feel a little bit like I’m wearing a surgical collar, particularly if the fabric isn’t as drapey as I would like.

I almost always prefer a cowl knit flat and then seamed. Partly because I feel that it tends to give better drape and partly because it makes it really easy to judge how long the cowl is and whether you can get one loop or two loops from your yarn. I’m all about reducing leftovers at the minute and anything that I can stretch to get the most out of a skein of yarn is all to the good.

SELF CARE SALE

As I regard shawl and cowl knitting as a valuable form of self care, and I’m in the mood to spread a little love this week I thought I would have a week-long sale on my shawls and cowl patterns. Just tap the button below and use the code SELFCARE to get 25% off any of my shawl and cowl designs - you may choose as many as you like.

And if you know a friend who is looking for a new project please do feel free to forward the link to them as well, and spread the love a little further.

Women hold up half the sky

Women hold up half the sky -Cowl pattern available on Payhip

“Women hold up half the sky” is a quote famously attributed to Mao Zedong. I came across it recently online and it has really resonated with me in the aftermath of my dad’s sudden death.

This pattern is dedicated to all of the strong women in my family.

It's been a difficult time, to say the least but together with the women around me we've got through it with tears, with laughter and with a gentle but indomitable strength.

We’ve looked back through old photos, we’ve remembered happy times together and we have supported each other, unfailingly in our darker moments.

Women everywhere, do indeed hold us up.

This cowl is knit in some glorious yarn from Black Stag Yarn & Fibre in a colourway called ‘Hat full of sky’ - a wonderful Terry Pratchett reference.

As soon as I saw it I knew it had to be something sky/star related and I hit upon this star stitch pattern, which I think looks fantastic spaced out across the stocking stitch background - like stars in the night sky.

The cowl is knit flat from a provisional cast on and grafted closed at the end. As I like my cowls quite snug there was a generous 40g yarn leftover from this one - probably enough for a short pair of fingerless mitts - but if you prefer something with more drape simply keep knitting until you’ve achieved the circumference you are looking for.

If you subscribe to my newsletter, please check your inbox as there should be a little discount code waiting for you there.

Shawls v cowls

The PPS

I asked a question on Twitter recently about whether people preferred making cowls or shawls and it generated such a vibrant debate that it prompted me to sit down and think about why we choose to make the things we do. Why we choose one pattern over another. And why in some cases do we choose to make the same pattern over and over again.

There are millions of patterns out there - both knit and crochet. The choice is astronomical, but for many of us we stick to many of the same familiar designers or styles.

In most cases I stick to the mantra of never knitting the same thing twice - life is too short after all. But there are a few notable exceptions. I must have made well over 10 Honey Cowls during my time as a knitter - most have obviously been given away as i think I only have one left in my drawer. I’ve also made quite a few of my own Fuss Free Festival shawls (and not just for sample knitting).

Both of these patterns share common features. They are relaxing to knit, they don’t require very much active thought - leaving your brain free to go off and do it’s own thing. And they both work with a variety of yarns. meaning that you can ‘shop your stash’ at 2am and cast on exactly when the mood takes you. Sometimes the planning of phase of project is enticing and enjoyable - the yarn selection, the ordering, the swatching. But sometimes let’s face it you just want to grab your yarn and needles and get cracking.

Anyway, back to shawls v cowls. Shawls won the day but only by a narrow margin. I do love a good shawl, don’t get me wrong but when it comes to actually wearing my handknits, my cowls are worn far more often than my shawls. Especially these days where I’m rarely doing anywhere fancy. For me, cowls are way more practical for everyday wear.

I guess that’s another point isn’t it. There’s a difference between what we choose to knit for fun (maybe to give away or just ‘because’) as opposed to what we knit because we want to wear the end product. but that’s a philosophical question for another day.

With my mind on all things neckwear I thought I would put together a discount across all my shawl and cowl patterns - running from now until the end of January. Another bonus of shawls and cowls is that they knit up quickly, so if you cast on (and you are in the northern hemisphere) you still have a few months of cosy wear ahead of you. And if you are in the southern hemisphere - well you are just getting cracking ready for autumn.

You can find my shawl and cowl patterns here, and you can buy as many as you like with the 50% discount code WARMTHOUGHTS.

So, how about you - are you Team Shawl or Team Cowl?

January Cowl - a cosy knit on darker days

January Cowl

Sometimes you need something cosy, something not too complicated and something that will work with whatever you happen to have in your stash.

I found myself in somewhat of a knitting crisis recently. A sudden urge to knit a worsted weight, cosy cowl in a textured stitch that I had been playing with. The only problem was that my husband was occupying the spare room (now office) where my stash was housed.

He was on a marathon length Zoom call with colleagues and I was desperate.

But I did have two skeins of Eden Cottage Yarns Pendle 4ply to hand in my emergency stash. So I decided to wind them and hold the yarn double to achieve the required worsted weight type squishiness. Success!

1 skein of yarn held double is enough for a single loop cowl, 2 skeins held double will give a more generous double loop version.

And in case you fancier a lighter weight version I have also given the numbers for a version with the yarn held singly, in which case half a skein would be sufficient for a single loop cowl, or a full skein for a double loop.

Both versions are included within the pattern.

The cowl is knit flat and seamed or grafted at the end.