A 2-tone checked möbius cowl with a section of stripes near the seam. This is an intermediate crochet project designed to teach you planned pooling concepts using just one skein of yarn.

Also included: a bonus pattern for a matching headband.

This pattern does not require any prior knowledge of planned pooling and is designed to teach you planned pooling step by step with clear written instructions including ample extra information in appendixes, charts, photos, illustrations, definitions and descriptions.

Planned pooling is a technique where you crochet with variegated yarn and adjust your tension in order to form stripes or plaids just based on the lengths of the colors in your yarn.

Pattern includes link to an app to create a chart that matches your specific yarn color and contrasting color lengths.

Yarn Choice
This pattern calls for a DK weight yarn in a 2-color pooling colorway. I have a photo of some yarns that will work. Make sure you choose a colorway with high enough contrast to see both colors clearly and that there is a clear boundary between the colors. Ideally the shorter color should take up 30-50% of the skein.It’s important for this beginner planned pooling pattern that the boundary between the two colors is very clear.

Contrast
Make sure that you can obviously see the difference between the two colors. When using a yarn with low contrast between the color sections, it can take me three times as long to work a planned pooling swatch compared to a yarn with higher contrast. This also depends on your vision and lighting.

Layout of colors
Make sure there are two color sections in an unwound hank of yarn. Sometimes dyers make a two color skein with four separate color sections. The width of this cowl and the instructions for this pattern relies on a skein with only two color sections.
It is hard to tell if a yarn is dyed in two or four color sections when it’s in a twisted hank. If you are at your local yarn store, please ask if you would like to see the hank untwisted to figure out if the yarn could work for you.

Seismic Yarn colorways that will work:
Custom Swim Lesson colorway: Fogust+Malachite is split 60/40 between the colors. You should be able to special order it on the Seismic Yarn website
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence: This colorway is about 65% black and 35% rainbow speckles
Fossil: This colorway is 50/50 blue and undyed