Ribbed Cowl

Hey everyone!

This week for the Harry Potter Knit and Crochet House Cup I decided to knit a long cowl from a single skein of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick (a super bulky yarn). After much consultation with the DH (the cowl is for him), I got out my ruler, did some planning, and cast on. I think it came out well and thought I'd share since doesn't everyone have a single skein of super bulky yarn in need of a pattern?

This long cowl is started with a provisional cast on to keep the initial row of stitches live. The cowl is then worked back and forth along the width of the cowl (approximately 5"). Once the yarn is almost exhausted (for me this was at about 28" of length), the stitches from the provisional cast on are "made live" again and the two ends are Kitchener stitched together. For those of you who wish to skip the fancy provision cast on and Kitchener-ing, a regular cast on and cast off can be used and the two ends seamed together.

The cowl is heavily textured given the bulky yarn, provides good warmth, and should be appealing to males and females.

Ribbed Cowl

Materials:

one skein Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick (approx 106 yards) or a similar amount of another super bulky yarn
Size US 15 knitting needles (straights or circulars are fine)
tapestry needle to accommodate yarn size

Gauge:

approximately stitches per inch (but gauge does not need to be spot on)

Directions:

Use a provisional cast on (I like the one from Purl Bee at http://www.purlbee.com/2007/12/10/provisional-cast-on/ ) and cast on 15 stitches

Row 1: (K1, P1) repeat until one stitch remains, K1
Row 2: (P1, K1) repeat until one stitch remains, P1

Repeat rows 1 & 2 until yarn is almost exhausted (almost 28" for me), reserving enough yarn to use the Kitchener stitch to graft the two ends together.

Place the reserved 15 stitches from the provisional cast on back onto your needle (the stitches are "made live" again) and using the Kitchener stitch, graft the two ends of the cowl together, forming a long (approximately 28" ) narrow (approximately 5") loop. I use the instructions from Knitty.com to Kitchener, http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEsummer04/FEATtheresasum04.html.

The cowl can be worn long or doubled for greater warmth (as shown in the photo). It has the benefit of being two-sided (both sides can be public).

A quick and easy project, good for anyone (unisex) that provides nice warmth for a cold day!