Pretzel Buttons are one of my favorite holiday treats to bake - so easy that kids can help, fun to customize with different candies, and absolutely delicious! Windowpane pretzels are topped with chocolate kisses, baked for a few minutes to soften the chocolate, and then finished with another pretzel or M&Ms. They are always a crowd-pleaser at holiday parties!

The Pretzel Buttons cowl works up quickly on size 13 needles with super bulky yarn. This cowl begins with a simple 1x1 ribbing and then the body is made up of a 6x6 stitch colorwork pattern, inspired by the windowpane pretzels. The color chart is easy to memorize and without long floats, so this would be a suitable beginner project as far as stranded colorwork is concerned. I knit my sample in less than a day, only working on the project for a few hours while watching TV. It is easy enough for a confident beginner, and a quick project that even experienced knitters will enjoy for easy gift knitting.

Materials
Berroco Peruvia Quick - discontinued 100% wool; 103 yd/94 m per 100g skein;
MC 9190 Caramelo; 1 skein - used 66g (approx. 68 yds)
CC1 9152 Saddle Brown; 1 skein - used 40g (approx. 40 yds)

Suggested Substitute Yarns: Lang Yarns Crucero or Universal Yarn Deluxe Bulky Superwash would be ideal choices. The yardage is slightly higher per 100g skein, so the knitter should be able to make two cowls by switching the MC and CC on the second project.

Harrisville Designs Turbine, Brown Sheep Lanaloft Bulky, or Imperial Yarn Native Twist would provide a similar look to the cowl pictured. Depending on the knitter’s desired aesthetic, Malabrigo Yarn Chunky or Koigu Othello (both tonal yarns) could be used.

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Circumference: 28 inches/71 cm
Length: 9 inches/22.75 cm

GAUGE

12 sts / 11.5 rows = 4 inches/10 cm in charted pattern stitch