I wanted an elegant yet warm cowl, that I would also use to cover my head.

You can make this cowl as wide or as long as you would like. I made this one 28 inches long when seemed together. 12 inches wide.

I got 9 STS per 1.5 inch in lace pattern and 21 STS per 4 inches in st st

Pattern would look beautiful in any yarn and gauge. I knit loose so you may need to change needle size and yarn all together to get the right gauge.