Soft as a cloud and fuzzy enough to conjure thoughts of summer peaches, this cowl is all the things warm and whimsical enough to get you through every season. Whether it lends a bit of comfort on cool summer evening or fights off the bite of winter winds trying to sneak in your jacket collar, the lovely loft of merino singles and clever construction of this slice of summer will be sure to satisfy every time you slip it on.

This reversible cowl is knit completely in the round. The
color work chart is both written and charted in color and in black and white for ease of reading. The inside columns and outside marl panels are completed separately, beginning with a provisional cast on and left with live stitches on waste yarn. The pieces are then closed by the ribbing, leaving a clean finish with no kitchener stitch necessary! This is also a great project for those looking to get a start on reading color work charts and knitting with 2 colors at once. Repeats are short enough that there is no need to catch floats, and the clever combination of color work and slipped stitches on the marled pattern displays all 3 colors in every round without juggling that third ball of yarn. The ‘blending’ effect from the singles and stitches means it’s also wonderfully forgiving of mistakes. Yay for not having to frog back!

Yarn: Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light (100% superwash merino wool). 100g/420yards in ‘Star Scatter’, ‘Copper Pink’, and ‘Toasted Sugar’

C1: 81.4(50)g / 342(210) yds
C2: 61.6(27)g / 258(113.5) yds
C3: 61.6(33)g / 258(138.5) yds
The numbers above include approximately 10% extra for differences in tension, weaving of ends

You will also need waste yarn for the provisional cast ons and lifelines while knitting!

Sizes: Large(Small)
Circumference: 25(20) inches
Height: 10 ¾(9 ½) inches
The small size has 3 stripe sections instead of the 5, and a smaller circumference. it’s perfect for the small humans in your life or if you just don’t feel like commiting to the full project.

Needles: US 3 (3.25mm) and US 5 (3.75mm), or any needles with which you can achieve gauge. You will need to have a spare needle to attach the inside and outside panels together. I did this by having one panel on my smaller needles and the other panel on my larger needles, continuing to knit with the size with which I worked the ribbing.

Gauge: 34 sts and 40 rounds is 4”x4” in both the inside and outside panels. I ended up using the 3’s for the inside panel and ribbing, and the 5’s for the outside panel to get gauge.

Notes: The most important part of making this project turn out successfully is to make sure you knit your ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ panels to the SAME HEIGHT. That’s why I recommend knitting the ‘inside’ panel (because it has 3 sets of color pairs that are all the same number of rounds) before knitting the ‘outside’ panel, checking periodically to make sure they end up the same height. There’s some wiggle room in the width of the two panels, but if they are different heights your panels and ribbing will roll in towards the shorter side. If you get near the end of your ‘outside’ panel and know you will be too long or short, adjust the number of rows you complete of the marl pattern. It can be stopped early if necessary, and repeats after 84 rows so you can start the chart over again at round 1 if you need additional length.

This pattern includes both a plain text size 16, serif font version of the directions for this pattern, as well as a version with smaller font and additional graphics. both contain the same information, and have both color and black and white charts for the marled color work panel as well as written out instructions as well. If you have any questions, concerns, or recommendations, please feel free to reach out to me here or at read.knit.repeat.regret@gmail.com. Happy Knitting!