INSPIRATION
Our lives are filled with countless choices. Some we make consciously. Others we make on autopilot. And sometimes, our choices feel like they’ve been made for us. There are many things we have little control over, however, we can always choose how we respond to life. This cowl pattern was inspired by a string of my own choices. To choose myself. To return to my favorite city, Chicago. To build community. And to embark on a fresh new journey with one of my lifelong loves: knitting.

DETAILS
This cowl is knitted in the round, beginning with a cable cast on, followed by twisted 1x1 ribbing (knit 1 through the back loop, purl 1), a Latvian braid, a meditative colorwork pattern, a Latvian braid leaning in the opposite direction in a different color, and then it’s finished with a bit of 1x1 twisted ribbing and a modified version of Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy bind off.

MEASUREMENTS & GAUGE
The simplicity of the colorwork pattern makes it easy for you to modify the width (by casting on in multiples of 4 sts) and length (by adding more chart repeats and/or ribbing) to create the size cowl you desire using a variety of yarn guages. Feel free to get creative and make it your own – the choice is yours!

Blocked Measurements
Finished Circumference: 24” // 60.96 cm
Finished Length: 13” // 33.02 cm

Gauge
26 sts = 4” / 10 cm
Measured over colorwork stockinette stitch pattern knit in the round, after blocking.

MATERIALS

Yarn
You’ll need sport weight wool in 3 colors or the yarn of your choice! Yardage is approximate and depends on your gauge, yarn, and needle size.

Main Color (MC) ~ 200 yards
Contrasting Color 1 (CC1) ~ 150 yards
Contrasting Color 2 (CC2) ~ 150 yards

Suggested Yarn
3 colors of Plucky Knitter Luxe Merino Light Sport 330yds (105g), 100% ultrafine merino wool. I used approximately half of each skein. You could probably make two cowls using these three skeins OR you could modify the pattern to create a larger version of the cowl (length and/or circumference).

MC: Twill // CC1: Blueberry Sour // CC2: Charming

Suggested Needles
US 6/4 mm - 24” circular. Use the needle size you need to achieve gauge.

Notions
Stitch marker, tapestry needle

COLOR SELECTION
Included in the pattern is a link to a Google Sheet version of the chart to help you select and plan your colors! Once you make a copy of the Google Sheet, you’ll see there are two sheets included. The first, called “Colorwork Chart,” is simply the repeat of the chart that is already included in this pattern. The second sheet, called “Example Chart Repeats for Colorway Selection,” was created to help you plan your yarn colors. Feel free to change the colors in the cells to play around with different color possibilities!

I recommend you choose a “neutral” for your main color with less value than the two contrasting colors, which are better suited to saturated colors with more value. “Value” is defined as the relative lightness or darkness of a color.