Butt-Cold Cowl
By Ruddawg Designs "It's butt-cold out here and I'm fresh out of beer." Grandpa in “Grumpy Old Men"
Each morning I get out of bed, stumble to my warm set of work clothes and ‘release the hounds', which is actually letting out the poultry - geese, ducks and chickens - for the day. There are feed and water dishes to fill, and pools to empty, rinse and refill. My lungs just don't like that cold air streaming in, so I designed a cowl out of Cascade 220 that will allow me to dip my nose into it and take warm breaths. Now I like a cowl that is loose fitting. In order to make yours a bit tighter while keeping the look, decrease the number of cast on stitches by 3. The finished size of the cowl as knitted is 24” in circumference and 10" high. The edges roll as designed. I will give a stay-put alternative after the pattern. Yarn: Cascade 220 - 1 skein. I chose Country Blue to go with my coat. For a washable alternative, try Cascade 220 Superwash. Needles: 1 24" circular needle, size 7 US - 4.5 mm Gauge: 20 stitches and 28 rows per 4" (5 stitches/inch -7 rows per inch) Cast on 120 stitches using long-tail cast on. Join together, add a stitch marker to the beginning of the row and knit one row. Then start pattern: Row 1: \*k2 stitches, purl. Repeat from \* until stitch marker. Row 2: Knit all stitches Row 3: k1, p1 \*k2 stitches, purl. Repeat from \* until stitch marker. Row 4: Knit all stitches Row 5: P1, \*k2 stitches, purl. Repeat from \* until stitch marker. Row 6: Knit all stitches.
Repeat these 6 rows for 78 rows (13 repeats) Knit one row and bind off loosely. For a less curly piece: Knit first 6 rows in garter stitch: 1.row knit 1 row purl (repeat 3 more times) then start pattern stitch. Repeat the pattern rows 11 times and end with another 6 row garter stitch border. Bind off loosely.
