I am kind of addicted to the linen stitch done in different colors right now. The stitch itself makes a beautiful flat fabric that looks like it has been woven. When worked in different colors every row or every other row you get interesting patterns. Someone had suggested I use the left over yarn from the Austria Mittens to make a matching cowl, so of course I went with the linen stitch.

This cowl is just long enough to wrap twice around your neck, for a cosy winter look. It is short enough that it can also just be worn without wrapping as a pop of color.

Look how great it goes with the Austria Mittens.

I didn’t do a pdf for this pattern as it is just a simple, two row stitch pattern. Other than that is is just a matter of changing yarns in the correct pattern. I did not bother to cut my yarn between color changes, I just wove it up at the beginning of the row. It is pretty much invisible on the back.

Striped Linen Stitch Cowl

Size: 42 inches around and 5 inches wide blocked (It was about 38 inches unblocked)

Supplies:

• approx. 58g/290 yds fingering weight yarn. I used 32 g, about 150 yds, black and 26 g, about 140 yds, variegated (I used Knit Picks Palette in black and Wollgarnspinnerei Ferner Lace for the variegated. Yes, I used a lace weight instead of a fingering, but this lace weight seems to be close to the Knit Picks fingering.)
• 29″ size 3 (3.25mm) circular needle or size needed to get gauge
• stitch marker
• tapestry needle

Gauge: 8 stitches per inch unblock, 7.25 stitches per inch blocked

Cast on 307 stitches. (You can make it longer or shorter just make sure to cast on an odd number.) Join together to knit in the round being careful not to twist. Place a stitch marker between the first and last stitch to mark rows.

Abbreviations:

• k – knit
• sl – slip stitch, for this pattern you are always slipping as if to purl. (Ok, I actually knit this whole cowl slipping the stitch as if to knit, but slipping to purl is the correct way to do linen stitch and actually easier. My stitch was twisted because of slipping as to knit which made it a little tighter.)

Stitch pattern:

Row 1: (k1, bring yarn forward between needles as if to purl, sl1, bring yarn back between needles as if to knit) Repeat until one stitch remains, k1
Row 2: (bring yarn forward as if to purl, sl1, bring yarn back as if to knit, k1) Repeat until one stitch remains. Bring yarn forward between needles as if to purl, sl1, bring yarn back between needles as if to knit.

Be careful when bringing your yarn back and forth not to create a yarn over.

Color pattern:

Use this stitch pattern for the whole cowl using the following color pattern.
Rows 1 – 4: black
Rows 5 – 6: variegated
Rows 7 – 8: black
Rows: 9 – 12: variegated
Rows: 13 – 14: black
Rows: 15 – 16: variegated
Rows: 17 – 18: black
Rows: 19 – 22: variegated

Repeat rows 13 – 22 until cowl is about 3/4″ shorter than you would like. Do rows 13 – 18 again then three more rows in black. Knit one row in black. Bind off loosely in knit. (It is very important to have a nice stretchy bind off or your won’t be able to twist it around your head to wear as a cowl.) Weave in ends. Block.

Copyright 2015 Kathy Lewinski JustCraftyEnough.com
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