Assigned pooling is one of my new obsessions. This is such a fun knitting technique and if you are not familiar with it, I suggest you give it a try and you might get hooked too.

So how does this assigned pooling work? Basically, you take advantage of a change in colour within a skein of variegated yarn and use a very textured stitch just for that accent colour. Not all variegated yarn will work the same so you might want to play a bit around if you don’t have any yarn especially dyed for assigned pooling.

Special thanks are going to Dawn Barker, the creative force behind this technique. There is so much room for experimenting and it’s easy to make a project look different while using the same yarn!

I love shawls but sometimes they are difficult to keep on, especially when living on an island (such as New Zealand) with strong winds.

Cowls are fast projects and so practical, so here’s one for playing with assigned pooling.

Gauge is not crucial, however, if different, the final size and yarn usage may be different
22st / 34 rows =10cm/4in (after blocking)
Dimensions:
58 cm long (at the deepest point) and 57cm circumference (after blocking)

Cowl is worked flat for the first part and then joined and knit in the round. Burst/buds are worked in the first part and scribbles for the second part.

Select a yarn with a happy contrast colour to bring some joy.