Tag Archives: cowl

A Million Stripes Loop

Posted on by

20

Fashionistas in the vibrant cities, London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, have been spotted wearing stripey loops around their elegant necks. Living in a remote part of northern England, well away from such captivating retail temptations, here are my instructions for making your own double-thick high necked version of this stylish accessory. We like to use remnant skeins of ColourMart’s finest cashmere and merino yarns. It is so soft, it’s unbelievably snuggly. You will love this if you make one too.

For all you sensuous process knitters, it’s a slightly piquant beginning requiring peace and a wee bit more of a piquant finale where you’ll need some concentration, filled in the middle by a soft relish of comforting, relaxing knitting, perfect for taking to your knitting group or telly-watching, and not too big to carry on the bus or Metro.

You will need:

• A small pile of little balls or lengths of yarn and two left-over full balls of some very soft non-itchy DK yarn.

Quantities? The orange in the sample one is approx 50g of ColourMart DK cashmere merino from what they call a scrap set. The tweedy grey is approximately the same amount. I suggest you get two different but toning colours like these to make the backbone of the pattern, so approx 50g of each will be enough. For the contrasting stripes, 20-30g will be enough for each colour. This Loop uses six colours, two main colours (MC) another four contrast colours (CC).

• a good length of scrap yarn, any smooth cotton or bamboo, in a completely different colour.

• one 3.5mm circular needle (min 60cm long) or 5 double point needles (dpns), whichever you prefer.

• a 4mm crochet hook. You can manage with a bigger one if you haven’t got that exact size.

• a large blunt needle for finishing.

Please do look at the gallery of already finished Loops on Ravelry for colour and yarn inspiration:

And for the yarn as used in the sample in the photographs: ColourMart’s website and their eBay Shop.

The downloadable PDF is now available for only £2!

Feel free to ask any questions in the comments thread here or in our dedicated Notes and Queries thread for the Loop on Ravelry.

Warm and grateful thanks to the lovely Claudia aka Toastbrot for allowing use of her photograph in this pattern.

Enjoy!

Ojo de Gallo Cowl

Posted on by

2

Soft, warm, snuggly, uses a scant skein of handspun from The Border Tart, but you can use anything. This pattern is so easy. And most importantly, it’s the lovely Ojo de Gallo pattern from our own Lisa Risager, adapted to work in the round.

You need:

A circular needle, any size. Check the ball band on your yarn and use that size, or go a size bigger if you want a looser fabric. With this lovely handspun, I used a 5mm needle. A bigger needle produces a looser fabric, and that’s what I’m after. So my suggestion is 5mm or even 5.5mm on DK equivalent weight yarn. But as ever, your call.

One skein or two, approx 100g of DK or similar weight handspun or any other DK yarn you choose. Try to support your local handspinners if you can, or if you don’t know anyone, look someone up on Etsy or Folksy. Something like this or this would be perfect.

A large eyed needle for sewing in your two ends.

How to do it:

Cast on any multiple of FOUR stitches. If you’re small, or you want a close fitting cowl, something like a collar, try 68, 72 or 76. If you want a larger cowl, something that will pull up and over your head, try 80, 84 or 88. If you want a long smooshy thing that you can wear as a long loop, and double over your head, double that number of stitches, go 160 or more. Always a multiple of four though.

The one I made here is 88 stitches, and is wide enough to go over my head, but because the fabric is so spongey, the top third doubles over to make  light, springy, off-the-neck collar.

Use any cast on you like. I used a cable cast-on but long tail or backward loop will be fine – anything that makes you happy. The cast-on will be firmer than the cast-off, but do a stretchy one if you like. There are oodles of tutorials out there.

Place a loop of contrast thread or stitch marker to mark the beginning of a round, and join.

Lisa’s Ojo de Gallo Pattern, adapted to work in the round:

Round 1: [K1, YO, K1, P2] repeat to end
Round 2: [K3, P2] repeat to end
Round 3: [slip1, K2, psso, P2] repeat to end

Repeat these three rows until it’s long enough or there’s no yarn left.

No hemming, just lots of soft squooshy knitting.

Use any stretchy bind off – again there are lots out there. This is what I do:

Knit 1, place knit stitch back on left hand needle and K2tog. Repeat to end.

Draw thread through last stitch and sew in ends..

This one, 88 sts using light DK on 5mm needles, came out 18” long – perfect for 100g of handspun. It pulls right up over my head at the back for that Chekovian peasant look, very fashionable in the east Durham coalfields this winter.

Enjoy!