SABLE Scowl: A Single Skein Project Combining Cowl Wearability and Shawl Styling

SABLE Scowl

By Emma Galati

Do you have a large yarn stash? I do. An appropriate knitterly acronym has been coined, I believe, by the incomparable Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. SABLE: Stash Acquisition Beyond Life Expectancy. Pretty grim, eh? My real stash weakness is single skeins of handspun. I love spinning beautiful colours and fibres, but it can be tricky to find a single skein project that shows off my yarny handiwork. Enter the SABLE Scowl - a single skein project featuring the wearability of a cowl and the styling of a shawl. It uses 100g (3.5oz) of any yarn weight, uses every last yard of your precious skein, and shows off gradients, stripes, and texture. It's everything you need to avoid SABLE! Not a spinner? Imagine the possibilities in variegated, hand dyed, or striping yarn! Choose any 100g skein you like for this project. Bulky yarns will give you a dense, warm cowl with less length in the lace section. Fine yarns will give the impression of a larger shawl, draped like a neckerchief. Gradient colourways are particularly fun. See page 6 of this pattern for a printable version on a single page. However, I recommend you read through the main pattern first as it goes over some aspects in greater detail.

Size

61cm (24in) at neck opening, bottom circumference varies depending on yarn weight and skein size

Gauge

Depends on your yarn choice - aim for a fabric that will have enough body to stand up a bit at the neck.

Materials Required

100g (3.5oz) of any yarn you like! The samples are handspun - the turquoise and fuchsia is a superbulky weight from batts by www.nunoco.etsy.com, and the purple and peach is an aran weight from batts by www.inglenookfibers.etsy.com 6 stitch markers.

Needles

Depend on your chosen gauge. See this chart for recommendations for various yarn weights. www.craftyarncouncil.com/ Weight.html

Abbreviations

co Cast on. BO Bind off. pm Place marker. sm slip marker. k Knit. P Purl. yo Yarn over - bring the yarn over the right needle from front to back (increase 1). k2tog Knit two stitches together (decrease 1). ssk Slip, slip, knit - slip two stitches knitwise from left needle to right, insert left needle into both stitches from left to right, knit the two together (decrease 1). p2tog Purl two stitches together (decrease 1). s2kp slip 2 sts together as if to k2tog, k1, pass slipped sts over knit stitch and off the right needle (decrease 2).

Pattern Instructions

Garter Tab Cast-On:

· Using a provisional cast-on, CO 3 sts. ·K all sts for 6 rows (creating 3 garter ridges). ·K 3 sts, pick up and knit 3 sts (1 in each ridge), unpick provisional CO and k3 CO sts (9 sts total) Set-Up Row (WS): · K3, pm, pl, pm, pl, pm, pl, pm, k3. 61cm (24in) long, ending on a WS ridge row. A little longer than 61cm (24in) is fine, if you need a few rows past that length to reach your WS ridge. Each 14 row shawl body repeat adds 28 sts, and 7 yo holes along the shawl edge. See above table for total stitch count at the end of shawl body.

Chevron Lace, Set-Up Row:

You will have as many chevron pattern repeats each row as you do shawl body repeats, and you will transfer to knitting in the round at the end of this row · (RS): k3, sm, \*chevron lace chart - right side\* x number of shawl body repeats, pm, k1, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k1, pm, \*chevron lace chart - left side\* x number of shawl body repeats, sm, k2tog, k2tog (one from end of row, one from beginning of new row, joining your knitting in the round), k2tog (both in new row). You are now at the new beginning of round. There should be a marker at beginning of round, a marker at the end of the right side chevron lace, markers either side of the centre stitch, a marker beginning the left side of the lace, and a marker 3 sts from the end of round, marking the garter stitchborder.

Chevron Lace:

· Row A: k to last m, p3. ·Row B: work right side lace chart to marker, sm, k to centre marker, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k to marker, sm, work left side lace chart to last marker, sm, k3.

Chevron Lace Chart - Right Side

Chevron Lace Chart - Left Side

nd B until you are nearly out of yarn or until cowl reaches desired size · Every 28 rounds, you may add an additional lace repeat on either side of the centre marker. To do s0, work right side lace chart as usual until marker, remove marker, work one more chart repeat, pm, k1, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k1, pm, work left side lace chart once, remove marker, and continue working left side as usual. This will likely only be required with higher yardage, lighter weight yarns. · When your remaining yarn starts to get low, weigh the ball, knit one round, and weigh the ball again. Subtract the second weight from the first. This simple calculation will give you the approximate weight of yarn used in each round (though remember, every second round adds 2 sts so the weight required will slowly increase). To be safe, reserve at least 2 rounds worth of yarn for your bind-off.

· Bind off loosely and weave in ends Soak your cowl in lukewarm water and your favourite wool wash, gently press out excess water in a towel, and pin the cowl out to dry. If you are folding the cowl flat to dry, make sure the spine of the shawl body (the line of double yarn-overs), is exactly perpendicular to the top edge so a point doesn't form at the centre front. Alternatively, block the lace area of the cowl out in a wide circle and prop the neck open in the centre. See pictures for reference. Rock on - your stash is one skein smaller and you have a pretty new cowl! uch for knitting my pattern! Please visit www.EmmaKnits.net for more All text and images Copyright Emma Galati 2013. Not for resale or reproduction. You are free to do whatever you like with your finished object, but please credit me as the designer should you choose to sell it!

SABLE Scowl Printable Instructions

Garter Tab Cast-On:

· Using a provisional cast-on, CO 3 sts. · K all sts for 6 rows (creating 3 garter ridges). · K 3 sts, pick up 3 sts (1 in each ridge), unpick provisional CO and k3 CO sts (9 sts total) Set-Up Row (WS): · K3, pm, pl, pm, pl, pm, p1, pm, k3. Shawl Body: ·Row 1 (RS): k3, sm, yo, k to m, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k to m, yo, sm, k3. · Row 2 (WS): k3, p to last m, k3. · \*Repeat rows 1 and 2 six times, then row 1 once more. · WS ridge: k all sts. 14 rows worked, 37 sts on needle. 7 yo holes along shawl edge.\* · Repeat 14 rows between \* \* until top edge is at least 61cm (24in) long, ending on a WS ridge row. A little longer than 61cm (24in) is fine, if you need a few rows past that length to reach your WS ridge. Each 14 row shawl body repeat adds 28 sts, and 7 yo holes along the shawl edge. See table in main pattern for total stitch count at the end of shawl body.

Chevron Lace, Set-Up Row:

You will have as many chevron pattern repeats as you do shawl body repeats, and you will transfer to knitting in the round at the end of thisrow · (RS): k3, sm, \*chevron lace chart - right side\* x number of shawl body repeats, pm, k1, yo, sm, kl, sm, yo, k1, pm, \*chevron lace chart - left side\* x number of shawl body repeats, sm, k2tog, k2tog (one from end of row, one from beginning of new row, joining your knitting in the round), k2tog (both in new row). You are now at the new beginning of round. There should be a marker at beginning of round, a marker at the end of the repeating chevron lace, markers either side of the centre stitch, a marker beginning the second half of the lace, and a marker 3 sts from the end of round, marking the garter stitch border.!

Chevron Lace:

· Row A: K to last m, p3. · Row B: Work right side lace chart to marker, sm, k to centre marker, yo, sm, k1, sm, yo, k to marker, sm, work left side lace chart to last marker, sm, k3. · Repeat rows A and B until you are nearly out of yarn (see main pattern for hints at how to do this) or until cowl reaches desired size. Every 28 rounds, you may add an additional lace repeat on either side of the centre marker (see main pattern for details). · Bind off loosely and weave in ends . Wash. Block. Rock. All text and images Copyright Emma Galati 2013. Visit www.EmmaKnits.net for more patterns! Not for resale or reproduction. You are free to do whatever you like with your finished object, but please credit me as the designer should you choose to sell it.