This cowl is named for the first leaves to unfurl on a plant - it’s for when you’re tired of winter and ready for spring, but It’s still cool enough to want an extra layer on, or for when you want a extra pop of color for your outfit. It’s also for when you are ready to try some colorwork, and you want to start with a project that won’t take too long or be too complex. There are never more than two colors on each row, and no long floats to catch. If you’ve got some experience with stranded knitting, this would be good for a quick gift or a glorified swatch to test color combinations for a larger project.

It’s also a good way to use up scraps - just make sure your yarn is soft enough to wear against your neck! You will need approximately 150 yds of Color 1, 100 yards of Color 2, and 80 yards of Color 3 - on the sample project Color 1 is black, Color 2 is white, and Color 3 is bright green.

The exact gauge is not critical, but shouldn’t be too far off the provided gauge - it should be big enough to go over your head, and not so floppy that you see much of the inside of the stranded colorwork.