Knitting

A KAL Cowl Pattern

Posted on by Jean
Fair Isle Cowl
Simple Fair Isle Cowl

This is a simple Fair Isle Cowl pattern you can download for free. I designed to knit for The Woolly Thistle‘s 2022 Colorwork Accessory Knit-a-long. Though this chart has a couple of nine-stitch stretches, it’s a good learning project for catching floats without being overwhelming as most of the other rounds have five or less stitches of one color in a round.

Fair Isle CowlDownload

A cowl is a great first project for knitters new to stranded colorwork. There is no shaping to worry about and it’s a fairly quick project. They also make a great “swatch” when trying new yarns or if you want to sample an old favorite on a new needle size as I did here. I usually knit Jamieson and Smith on 2.75mm, but wanted to try 3mm needles. I’m glad I did. I like the fabric very much. I may go a step further and try on 3.25 in another cowl.

Jean

A handwoven cloth is a very special thing. This ancient art has provided basic clothing, kept our babies warm, decorated our homes, and added fun accessories to our fashions. It never ceases to amaze me the beauty that comes from some thread and imagination. My fingers touch every inch of every thread at least five times before I even begin to weave. This the warp, the threads that are put on the loom. The thread I weave with, that is wound on a shuttle, is the weft. Once the piece is off the loom, it still needs to be wet finished: washed, pressed, and hemmed or fringed. Believe it or not, the actual weaving of the item is the shortest of all the steps unless it's a very complex pattern. I use only the best quality threads and yarns. I'm a firm believer that if you're going to take the time to do something by hand, do it with the best you can find.