Shetland Sampler Cowl

Back in May of last year (2013), I took a spinning class, Spinning the Colors of Shetland, taught by Nancy Barnett at the Middle Tennessee Fiber Festival in Dickson, TN. Nancy provided us with fiber in a number of different colors of Shetland.

As part of the Tour de Fleece later that year, I spun up all my Shetland and had a great sampler of yarns. I had eight different colors of Shetland, spun from rovings, short forward draw. The final yarn was a 2-ply, varying from DK to worsted weight.

With the goal of using this yarn for something other than just petting, I decided to knit up a cowl. I found a basic honeycomb pattern and improvised the pattern. I love having something as a final project which was started in the class. I share the pattern here for anyone else who might find him or herself in a similar circumstance with small quantities of several different colors of yarn (whether handspun or store bought).

Happy Knitting!

Shetland Sampler Cowl

Materials:

approximately 11 yards each of 7 colors (colors A - G) of a DK to worsted (9-10 wpi) weight yarn (approx 4 grams each for my 2-ply; my cowl includes colors A=white, B=grey, C=light grey, D=shaela, E=emsket, F=mioget, G=moorit) for a total of approximately 77 yards (28 grams) - these could be handspun or store-bought

approximately 90 yards of a main color (approx 32 grams for my cowl; my cowl includes black for the main color and I used KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Sport)

Needles: US 5 circular needles
US 7 circular needles for cast on and cast off (optional - used to help ensure edges aren't too tight)
or needles sized to obtain gauge

Gauge: 4 to 4.5 stitches per inch

Cast on 112 stitches using the main color with US 7 circular needles.
Join to knit in the round ensuring that your stitches are not twisted and use a marker for the beginning of the round.
Switch to the US 5 circular needles.

Row 1: Continuing with main color, Knit all stitches
Row 2: Purl all stitches
Row 3: Knit all stitches
Row 4: Purl all stitches
Row 5: Knit all stitches
Row 6: Purl all stitches
Row 7: Knit all stitches
Row 8: Knit all stitches

Row 9: With color A, (Slip2 as if to purl, Knit 6) repeat to end of row
Rows 10 - 14: Repeat Row 9
Row 15-16: With main color, Knit all stitches

Row 17: With color B, Knit 4, Slip 2 as if to purl, (K6, Slip 2) repeat until two stitches before end of row, Knit 2
Rows 18-22: Repeat Row 17
Rows 23-24: With main color, Knit all stitches

Rows 25-30: With color C, repeat Rows 9-14
Rows 31-32: With main color, Knit all stitches

Rows 33-38: With color D, repeat Rows 17-22
Rows 39-40: With main color, Knit all stitches

Rows 41-46: With color E, repeat Rows 9-14
Rows 47-48: With main color, Knit all stitches

Rows 49-54: With color F, repeat Rows 17-22
Rows 55-56: With main color, Knit all stitches

Rows 57-62: With color G, repeat Rows 9-14

Row 63: With main color, Knit all stitches
Row 64: Knit all stitches
Row 65: Purl all stitches
Row 66: Knit all stitches
Row 67: Purl all stitches
Row 68: Knit all stitches
Row 69: Purl all stitches
Row 70: Knit all stitches
Cast off using US 7 circular needles.