Wave by Rebecca Hatcher

I confess—the first version of this design (the purple one) was inspired almost entirely by my plan of wrapping myself in the yarn, without breaking the bank.  Since it’s pricy, a full-size scarf was out, but a cowl seemed doable.  Short rows break up any pooling (an issue if you pick a more multi-colored colorway), and purl ridges resemble draped fabric, giving the illusion that the cowl is longer than it really is.  

While knitting up the first version—and then with Jody’s encouragement—I wanted to tinker with the pattern.  What if I used lace weight for the short row sections?  What if the cowl were shaped to fit the neck/chin/shoulder area more closely?  

So the teal and cranberry cowls are the result of that tinkering.  The teal cowl combines lace weight and aran weight yarn.  Omitting some short rows and adding some increases makes the cranberry cowl longer around the back of the neck and wider at the base, both for more coverage.

Sizes

Purple and Teal Cowls

Finished Circumference 21”
Length 10”

Cranberry Cowl

Finished Circumference 21”, widens to 26” at base
Length 7”, widens to 10” at back

Yarn

Purple Cowl: Schaefer Yarn Company Helene (50% merino wool, 50% cultivated silk; 218 yards [201 meters] / 99 g): Color Betty Friedan, 1 hank

Teal Cowl: Queensland Kathmandu Aran (85% merino wool, 10% silk, 5% cashmere; 104 yards [95 meters] / 50 g): color 158 (MC), 1 skein
MC: Baby Kid Extra (80% mohair kid, 20% nylon; 268 yards [245 meters] / 25 g): Color 492 (CC), about 1/3 skein

Cranberry Cowl: Malabrigo Worsted (100% merino wool; 216 yards [199 meters] / 99 g): burgundy, 1 hank 

Needles

Size US #8 (5 mm): 16” circular (or shorter)

Gauge

18 sts and 28 rows = 4” in St st after wet blocking.
Exact row gauge is not crucial, as cowl length can vary slightly without negatively affecting fit. 

Notions

6 stitch markers, 3 of one kind and 3 of another; tapestry needle