Knit it Tonight Cowl

Lately, I've been picking up my knitting needles and trying some new knitting techniques. I found this really cute free "Knit it Tonight Cowl" pattern at Michaels.com. This was the first time I worked with two strands of yarn, by taking one end from the center of the skein and one end from the outside of the skein.

The Caron Simply Soft yarn, the pattern calls for is very soft and creates a nice drape. The double strands make for a nice thickness and provides for cozy warmth around the neck. This pattern not only drew my attention by its beauty, but the selling point was when I noticed the pattern called for only one skein of yarn. When a pattern calls for only one skein of yarn, I automatically think it will be something I can finish in a sitting. This pattern didn't disappoint me. The estimated completion time on the pattern is four hours. I quickly calculated this as watching two or three movie rentals with my family, depending on the length of the movie. Not only will I spend some quality time with my family, but I will have a finished cowl at the end of the evening. After six weeks, I am now on my sixth cowl.

After finishing four cowls using the Caron Simply Soft yarn, I decided to branch out and try the same pattern using some different yarns. The first yarn I chose was Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn by Lion Brand Yarns. Because of the thickness of this yarn I only worked with one strand of yarn. My cast on stitches amounted to 62 instead of the 76 stitches called for in the original pattern. I worked my rounds in the same way as the instructions creating the diagonal rib pattern. Since the yarn has wool in it, the cowl was a bit stiffer and did not drape like the previous four I made, but is just as cozy on a cold winter's day.

For my sixth cowl, I chose Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool yarn. The yarn is about the same thickness as the Simply Soft by Caron, so I've been following the pattern as directed. There were not any problems casting on the 76 stitches with double strands. All stitches fit just as nicely on my 16" bamboo circular knitting needles as with the Simply Soft yarn. No over crowding as I experienced with the Wool-Ease Thick & Quick; however, I will expect this cowl to have the same stiffness given the coarseness of the wool. I look forward to playing with this pattern more and expanding beyond the diagonal rib. Maybe on my seventh cowl, I'll brave a few cables. Happy Knitting!