This first finish is for my friend who admired my Infinity Neck Warmer which was a pattern from a Craftsy Course with Gwen Bortner on entrelac knitting. I really enjoyed making the original cowl so it made sense to revisit the pattern for my friend.
I wanted to use lovely yarn so I got some Araucania Aysen in grey. This semi-solid yarn is what I used to crochet my Quick & Easy Mitts. I love that I got a great gift out of these two skeins plus a little treat for myself.
I think this colourway will really suit my friend and it is wonderfully soft which makes knitting it much more fun!
With this version of the cowl I practiced knitting backwards before casting on. I quickly came to the conclusion that knitting backwards was slower than purling, but quicker than having to turn the project every 10 stitches or so. The stocking stitch with backward knitting has created a nice even fabric, so I was happy to use the technique and will continue to do so with other entrelac projects, and possibly when knitting on borders, which are also narrow pieces that need frequent turning.
I adore the lovely woven texture of entrelac, especially with this yarn. The inside looks almost as pretty as the outside.
As with the previous version of this cowl I haven't blocked it. The fabric is neat enough that it doesn't need pulling flat. Leaving it unblocked means the folds of the "blocks" pull the cowl inwards towards the neck, keeping it cosy.
With this cowl I added an extra row of units, to make it possible for the cowl to be pulled up around the ears, like this very unflattering photo.
As we have had a couple of really cold Winters in the UK in the past few years, and it already seems to have started, this extra row of units may well come in useful.
If it isn't as cold as to require an unflattering look, the cowl can be folded over to give a really smart look.
I am so pleased with this cowl and I hope my friend will love it as much as I do. I have been very firmly converted to the cowl. They are a wonderful invention and I can see myself making many more.
As usual, I am linking this post up to FO Friday with Tami. Click on the button to have a look at other completed works.
