FREE COWL KNITTING PATTERN for a fast, useful Christmas present that will fit anyone!

You officially have 14 days left before Christmas.  OH MAN.  I should have performed that calculation before today.  Folks, it is past panic time.


Fortunately, my holiday break from the "real job" begins Monday.  Prepare for knit mania.  And for Christmas morning knitting. 

What I will post here is so simple that it is almost embarrassing to call it a pattern. 


Why I like it:
I HATE bulky or long scarves.  They get in my way, and, to make matters worse, when I try to tuck long ends in under my coat, I come out looking like a lop-sided version of Dolly Parton no matter how hard I try.  Regardless, long and dangly, floppy things aren't safe when I'm around the horses either--which is why I was never a fan of scarves in the first place.   Needless to say I'm not a fan of the massive infinity scarves.


What follows is roughly modeled after a Carhart knit neck warmer that was a gift.  I love it, but it's for barn use. 


THE PATTERN
SUPER SIMPLE NECK WARMER or THE COWL FOR DUMMIES

If you are a beginning knitter--perfect!  You can shape this project without any major shaping effort!


MATERIALS: 
Yarn:
Shown is Bernat Li'L Tots in Sweet Pea, which is about $4.00 per skein.  You will be able to make several with 1 skein, so this is a very inexpensive project.


Any lighter (in weight, not thickness) worsted (#4) yarn will work.  Li'L Tots comes in some neato colors, as do other yarns made by Red Heart and Lion Brand.   Li'L tots comes in some man-friendly colors too--so just because it's a "baby" yarn don't over look it.  It is not easy to find it in my area though : (


When picking your yarn--pick a yarn so that the color does the talking.  The stitch here is very plain, so pick an interesting yarn to stand out.  If you are a beginner, I would avoid yarns like Amazing or Unforgettable or any similar yarn that has minimal "twist"--they are a pain when you are learning as it is easy to split the fiber by stabbing in to the yarn itself. 


Needles: 
It is best to have at your disposal the following sizes:  5, 6, 7, and 8.  Again, if you are a beginner, head to the store and by "the" knitting needles...and by "the," I mean every size they make.  Seriously, you will eventually need every size known on Earth, so, might as well go ahead and do it now.  (Option #2 would be to sneak a pair in with those Walmart groceries every week...)


Gauge and Measurements
In the photo, note that the bottom is wider than the top.  You can easily customize this for wider necks and heads--just remember that it must be able to pass over the head to put it on. If the smallest section is wide enough to pop over the head, it's fine. 
Mine is as follows:
Bottom edge 9.25 inches; Top edge 8 inches; length (top to bottom) is 6.75 inches


Here's the interesting part--the change in width is done by simply changing gauge.
Gauge at bottom edge:  3.25 stitches x 6 rows = 1 inch
Gauge at top edge:  4 stitches x 6.5 rows = inch


This change is what causes the shaping, and this is done by simply changing needles to one or two sizes smaller 1/3, and then 2/3, of the way through the project.  Based on your own knitting style (and I know you are too lazy to actually do that insane gauge swatch), start with a size 7 or 8 and then go down to a 5 or 6.  If you are super lazy, or extra broke with one set of needles, you can knit more relaxed at the beginning and tighter later on.  The easy way to do this is to knit the last section while watching The Blacklist.  I suppose you could start the project drinking real eggnog and try to sober up later.  If you try that let me know how it goes.  I'm sure that's probably a very, very bad idea but the thought still makes me giggle. 


My version was knitted flat and then seamed up the side, but you could easily knit this in the round. 

THE ACTUAL "PATTERN" written for beginners (aka normal humans)


1.  Using the largest needle, cast on loosely (I mean it this time) approximately 60 stitches.  I have a small head and neck, so increase the # of stitches here for larger sizes as needed.
2.  Work 3 rows garter (knit every row)
3.  Knit 10 rows (knit even # rows and purl odd # rows)
4.  Change to smaller needle (one size down)  and knit 10 rows
5.  Change to smaller needles (one size down) and knit 18 to 15 more rows for a total of 38-45 rows; version shown has 38 rows. 
4.  Work  3 rows garter and bind off knitwise. 


Of course, this could easily be lengthened to "stack" on the neck more and/or made on the knitting machine by decreasing the gauge a little.  If I make a machine version--I'll post it. 


So, there you have it!  Simple, quick, affordable, and a perfect small gift for lots of people on your list, especially those with scarf-a-phobia and/or a memory of Dolly they would like to keep unscathed.