Every December I love to get swept up in the holidays. For years, I have spent the days leading up to the holiday packing in as much cheer as possible. Time is spent finishing and wrapping gifts, baking cookies, making fudge, and preparing tons of food to host family on Christmas Eve.
While my daughters sleep late, I enjoy the quiet mornings between Christmas and New Year’s—known as Limbo Week in our house—to work on projects for me. The newest pattern in the Farm & Fiber Knits library is just the kind of project I look forward to. Tamy Gore’s Mountain Sorrel Cowl is the right combination of interesting motif and squishy yarn to keep my hands busy and allow my mind to relax.
Bias and Texture
Tamy’s design contains two unique features: bias and texture. Instead of being knitted from the top down or the bottom up, the Mountain Sorrel Cowl is constructed on the bias with increases to create the triangle point. Decreases follow in the second half of the cowl to form the shape. The cast-on and bind-off edges are then stitched together to complete the cowl.
Because Tamy’s cowl is worked on the bias, the horizontal stitch pattern is on the diagonal. The wrong side of the fabric (shown here) has lovely undulations as well.
Texture is added to the garter-based fabric using rows of slip stitches. The slip-stitch rows cinch up the fabric to create soft, cushiony welts in the knit. The top side of the fabric stays smooth, and the welts form on the back side as the stitches are pulled up. Add in a squishy yarn and the cozy pockets of yarn create extra warmth. This makes the pattern just right to keep your neck toasty in all kinds of weather. Tamy’s cowl is made in Mountain Meadows Jackson DK weight. The two-ply yarn drapes beautfully on the bias and is soft and bouncy, perfect for this cozy cowl.
Click on the photos below to get a closer look!
Left: Right side of the slip-stitch pattern. At right: Wrong side of the slip-stitch pattern. Photos by Katrina King
Cozy Year-Round
Where I live in Colorado, we have unpredictable weather conditions, so having an extra layer with a jacket makes the Mountain Sorrel Cowl the perfect knit to add to my collection. Whether you live in the mountains, on a temperate coast, or amid a tempestuous prairie, you might find a bit of cozy warmth to be just the thing you need.