This cowl is worked in the round, with the only finishing being the weaving in of some ends. It's worked from the top down and ends with the fun, frilly picot bind off that I loved so much in the original shawl. Like the shawl, the top portion of the cowl features a two-color garter/stockinette stripe sequence, and it's finished with a band of textured lace. The lace pattern is both written and charted in the pattern.
Although this pattern looks fancy and perhaps complicated, it's much easier than you might think. The skills required are fairly simple: You need to be able to knit and purl in the round, work from a lace chart or written directions, do a centered double decrease, and do a cable cast on (for the picot bind off).
The pattern is written for fingering weight yarn (and the sample, like the original shawl, is worked in madelinetosh tosh merino light); you'll need approximately 175 yds./160 m of the first color (the gray in the sample) and 190 yds./174 m of the second color (the green in the sample). Instructions are given in the pattern for making the cowl wider or longer, should you wish to make it larger. I also think the pattern would be lovely in a heavier yarn, which would be a very easy way to make it larger.
My test knitters came up with some beautiful color combinations for their cowls, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what people who knit this pattern will come up with -- it's been one of my favorite things about seeing people knit the shawl! I hope you enjoy the pattern and have fun coming up with different colors!
Brilliant adaptation! I loved the shawl, but knew no one on my gift list would appreciate it. This? They will fight over. Thanks for taking time to revisit an existing design.
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