Curating Ravelry: Cowls

I started this post on the last day of the first month of winter and it is freezing. The wind is blowing off the Antarctic and it is wet and soggy and the wind puts ice in your bones. I've dragged the hand-knitted neck warming goodness out of the cupboard. So in honour of an Australian winter, today's Curating Ravelry post has a theme of  cowls - free patterns of course. I'm a fan of texture and lace and here you will finds cowls knitted at a range of yarn weights.

I'm starting with the iconic free cowl pattern; the Honey Cowl designed for Madelinetosh yarns. This is a clearly addictive pattern with 16015 cowls made so far. Many people can't just stop at one.

© madelinetosh

Honey Cowl by Antonia Shankland.

More gorgeous texture in a bulky yarn this time in herringbone stitch.

© Purl Soho

Big Herringbone Cowl by Purl Soho.

Or lacey and leafy. I love this idea of fastening a smaller cowl to fit to order with a gorgeous brooch or pin.

by emilyooo

A Noble Cowl by Emily Kausalik.


Want to knit a special project with your knitting BFF? The concept for this design was to create a knitted version of “best friend necklaces”. Here's the BFF cowl from Knitty! Interlocking links are knitted flat, then grafted together for all eternity.

© Marc Smollin

I made this one. But I cheated and was my own knitting BFF. (Slightly sad but a great fun knit). This is a worsted weight project.
BFF Cowl by Ysolda Teague & tiny owl knits.

Lace and ridges

A Grey Loop by Helen G.

Or simple, effective and unisex.

by westknits

Purl Ridge Scarf by Stephen West (Westknits).

A lacey cowl that's long enough to wrap around and around and nestle into in deepest winter weather.

by knittedblissJC

Stockholm Scarf by KnittedBlissJC.

Linen stitch in leftovers, bright and rainbow and a great stash-buster.

by LadyDanio

Manic Panic Cowl by Sarah Core.

Or lace and texture blended together in a reversible loop that you can just through around your neck without having to figure out which way is up.

© Galia Lael

Casu Cowl by Galia Lael

Gorgeous milanese lace. A long loop of airy scallops.

© stipa

Mialnese loop by Tante Ehm

An elegant lace funnel shaped cowl that frames the shoulders and is long enough to warm your neck without bulk.

by AudKnits

Eleanor Cowl by Audrey Knight

Simple unisex loops combining stocking stitch, garter and rib. Matching his and hers cowls anyone?

© Tin Can Knits

Oats by Tin Can Knits

This one is designed to showcase a variegated yarn without pooling and without the yarn overwhelming the pattern.

© Knitterchristy

Downtown Cowl by Christy Becker

Or maybe colour-work is your go? Tell your life story in a wearable cowl.

© POF

I did!
My Favorite Things Infinity Scarf by Jill McGee

Knitted chevrons in an elegant buttoned cowl.

by Meliabella

Pedestrian Crossing Cowl by Melissa Sibley

Crossed stitches produce a distinctive openwork pattern.

© Reiko Kuwamura

Elis by Reiko Kuwamura

Lace and cables make for an elegant and airy cowl.

by bellanordica

My Dolphin Cowl by kniTTina

I could go on and on and on and on. I've inspired myself to get out the needles, dive the stash and plan the next cowl. Hope you enjoy knitting a winter cowl too!

Just a little divergence?

OK, sometimes I just get bored even if I am currently knitting like 5 other things. Hence the name of this project - Divergent.

This is a small divergence from the current knitting path. I saw the Divergent movie recently with my daughter and hubby and was incredibly impressed with the costuming. The colours in this would fit in Abnegation perfectly. And I just need to knit a hat. I haven’t done one this year so far. I had to buy a set of 5mm dpns for this. I can’t believe I didn’t have any amongst the hundreds of needles I own!

Pattern: Molly by Erin Ruth
Yarn: Passioknit Scandy Ayres in colourway Husk, 50% Acrylic, 41% Wool, 5% Nylon, 4% Mohair. You know how sometimes you just can't resist a yarn when you squish it in a wool store. The colours in this just sing to my heart.

Trying out Mel's homemade light box. Cool stash pics now possible.

Needles: 5mm set of 4 dpns. (Their inaugural knit).

Thanks to the eldest daughter for her impromptu modelling skills. She always rocks a hat, any hat at the drop of a hat. This was the knitting equivalent of a rich dark chocolate indulgence - rich and satisfying. It only took three evenings on a couch in total. I love how it turned out.