This is a great standby cowl for the winter. It’s quick and easy to produce, and really effective at keeping out the cold.

Cater cowl is perfectly reversible, and although knitted here in King Cole Riot, phots 4 and 5 show how it mingles and merges short colour sections in variegated yarn - in this case Manos Alegria.

The stitch pattern creates a supremely squishable fabric, very similar to the feel of the yarn skein prior to knitting it up (and for me, the feel of the skein is an important part of the decision of whether or not to buy a new yarn.) It’s very warm, and the two way stretch allows it to be worn in different ways - around your neck , or over your head.

The gauge is not particularly important as this is quite a forgiving item, but if you knit much more loosely than the gauge given you might not have enough yarn. Cater cowl can be created in different weight yarns, but it will affect the size of the finished item.

The name comes from the direction the stitch pattern forms, from ‘cater-cornered: in a diagonal position’.