SUPER-DUPER EASY-PEASY NORO COWL
@ Ellen T. Andresen/SISO Designs 2011 This is by no means an original idea, but here it is anyway. Basically, it's a very easy knit cowl with spectacular results due to the long color-changes of the Noro yarn. And it's a great way of using up single balls of yarn from your stash. Not to say a great project for quick gifts and commuter knitting! The primary yarn is a ball of Noro Kureyon, or any other worsted/aran yarn with long color changes. For the secondary yarn, choose a worsted or aran yarn in a color that complements one of the colors from your primary yarn. For a bolder cowl, you can use two balls of Noro yarn, and start knitting with the second ball at a different point of the colorsequence. Gauge is not very relevant, as it's knit on large needles. I tend to knit loosely, and usually go down half a needle size. The finished size of my cowl was 25,5 cm high, 66 cm around.
Materials used:
Primary yarn: One ball of Noro Kureyon (aran weight 110 yards) Secondary yarn: One ball of Knit Picks Andean Silk (worsted weight 96 yards) or any other suitable yarn of choice 6 mm needle Darning needle Cast on 36 stitches with the Noro yarn using the long tail method, taking care not to make it to0 tight.
Row 1-2: Knit with Noro Row 3-4: Knit with your secondary yarn
Carrying the yarn along the side; repeat rows 1-4 until you're satisfied with the size or starting to run out of yarn. End on row 3 with enough yarn left of the secondary yarn as if for at least one knit row. Leaving the live stitches on the needle, graft (kitchener) the two ends of your cowl together in pattern, i.e. garter stitch. Hold the end with the live stitches at the bottom, and the cast-on edge on top. From beneath, pull the darning needle (with the alternate yarn) into the last live stitch, up through the loop and around the “root/two legs" of first knit stitch on the cast-on edge. Insert the darning needle into the loop for your first live stitch from beneath, crossing over to the neighboring stitch on the left, and down through the loop. Go up and around the two legs of the second stitch on the cast-on edge. Continue in this manner until all stitches are grafted together. Weave in ends and it's ready to use!
