Gauge is not esstential but try to get as close as possible.
I knit from one sk directly to the next without trying to match colors, just let the yarn flow.

Knit in the round, this cowl shows off the colors of Urth Yarns Spiral grain. This is a simple lace pattern with a center doouble decrease. The pattern is both charted and written out.
Two sks will make a cowl that is 14” high and about 30” around.