Bandit is a super fun, and easy accessory knit, worked flat from the bottom point, up, increasing as you go, and then seamed after blocking. It is knit using an uncommon technique called: “Jacquard Colorwork”, which is a cross between mosaic knitting and stranded colorwork, where the knitter is using both colors simultaneously on both the RS and WS rows and knitting on both the RS and WS rows. You hold your yarn in the back to carry your floats for the RS, and you hold your yarn in the front on the WS to carry your floats.

Anyone who knows me, knows my love for all things with a southwest / cowgirl feel. I found the inspiration for this cowl, oddly enough, from the patterning on a roll of paper towels we had sitting on our kitchen counter. The intricate diamond pattern caught my eye, while I was making coffee one morning. Early on in the pandemic, toiletries like paper towels were hard to come by, and I couldn’t help but think back to how struck I was when I saw people using handkerchiefs to cover their faces, when we were standing in line, one morning at the grocery store. They looked like bandits! I was craving a quick accessory knit with a little texture, a lot of colorwork, and a fun technique to achieve a mosaic look, but knit using stranded colorwork. I quickly sat down and charted out the colorwork, with the roll of paper towels sitting next to me, and the Bandit Bandanna Cowl was born.

YARN: MC: 2 skeins of Roan DK (100g | 230 yards / 210 m | 60% American Superwash Merino / 40% Domestic
Non-Superwash Merino)
CC: 2 skeins of Homestead Worsted (~82g | 150 yards / 137 m | 100% American Superwash Merino)
Sample shown in MC: “Cerulean” & CC: “Aurora Polaris”

YARDAGE: MC- 460 yds | 420 m
CC- 300 yds | 274 m

NEEDLES: US 6/4 mm – 32”/80 cm circular
(Use the needle size you need to achieve gauge).

NOTIONS: tapestry needle, scissors

GAUGE: 24 sts & 32 rows = 4” / 10 cm on larger needles. Measured over main body textured stitches,
worked flat, after blocking