Katie’s Cowl

Katie_Cowl_Swap_01

A few years ago, Iz, Katie, and I thought it’d be fun to do a cowl swap. I knit for Iz, Katie knit for me, and Iz knit for Katie. This spring we decided to reverse the swap! That meant I was knitting for Katie, and the cowl had to be teal. I know she likes other colors, but it’s the one I most associated with her. I spent a long time wandering around Tolt looking for the right teal yarn, and I finally settled on Blue Sky Alpaca’s Worsted Cotton, but there was only one teal skein. That was basically what set this design in motion because I decided to pick up a contrasting color and work out the details later.

Katie_Cowl_Swap_03

Katie lives in Southern California, so I didn’t want to make a really warm cowl. The cotton was a good start, and I knew I was going to do lace or eyelets of some sort to keep things on the lighter side. That just left the big question of how I was going to work with two colors. I didn’t want to do color blocking because I did that one Iz’s cowl, and stranded colorwork would add to much bulk, and basic stripes didn’t seem special enough. After a bit of thought, I settled on using YOs to make extra long slipped stitches. Paired with the simple eyelets I chose, it has a really interesting effect. Sometimes the horizontal stripes stand out, and other times the vertical stripes are more prominent, and the rest of the time it just looks plaid. It was also just fun to knit

Katie_Cowl_Swap_02

I packed it up and sent it off to Katie last week, and it arrived earlier this week! I often feel like I don’t have time to do stuff like swaps, but they always make me so happy when I do them. It’s a lot of fun knitting for someone else who will appreciate the time and details that go into a project.


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8 responses to “Katie’s Cowl”

  1. that is SO pretty! I love the two colours, it makes the cowl feel really fresh.

  2. Swaps are a great idea ! I understand what you mean by knitting and giving to someone who really really care about the work behind the gift 🙂 pretty cowl btw 🙂

  3. The cowl is absolutely perfect. I grew up in San Diego and I know how the weather can be during the summer. The mornings and evenings can be very chilly but not enough for a winter heavy item. During the day the sun can just beat down, This cowl looks like it would work well at keeping the sun off your neck and not be overwhelming! Hope ya’ll make the patterns available for us non designing shmucks.

    Congrates on another great design! Can hardly wait to see what’s up next. I was looking at some of your first blogs and You’ve come a long way. You had that flare and your hard work shows in your designs. They are perfect for most skill levels and for beginners their perfect!

  4. What a great pattern you came up with. I’m sure she loves it!

  5. I loved the cowl when I saw it on Katie’s instagram. Will you be releasing a pattern for this?

    1. There will be a pattern, and it should be out later this week!

  6. I can’t imagine wearing a cowl in Southern California but need one on North Wales

    Noddfacrafts
    noddfacrafts.wordpress.com

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