In the remote regions of the Los Padres National Forest, thousands year old art galleries hide in sandstone caves and overhangs. The rock art of the Chumash indians range from simple geometric designs – lines, circles, cross-hatching – to elaborate, sometimes bizarre anthropomorphic creatures. Archaeologists thing shamans created the paintings for ceremonial purposes to represent supernatural beings or forces. Many of the paintings clearly represent animals and events that the Chumash encountered in their everyday lives. Chumash Rock Art was created with 3 colors, 2 of which were made of rocks. This cowl is made with 3 colors as well, in a comfy, chunky yarn. The use of elongated slipped stitches over a contrasting stripe of garter stitch mimics the geometric shapes found in the caves, and in woven artifacts collected along the Santa Barbara cost and nearby islands. Knit as a mobius, it can be worn as a long scarf, or doubled as a cowl, completely reversible.

Finished Size Width: 10”/25cm, circumference = 56”/140cm in bulky yarn. Width = 6”/15cm, circumference = 44”/112cm in worsted weight yarn.

Materials:
Yarn: Knits in Class Targhee Worsted, 100% Domestic Targhee Wool; 550 yds/8oz: 1 skein each of Bloom (A), Truffle (B), and Hosta (C).

Yarn: Knit Picks Cadena, 70% Peruvian Highland Wool, 30% Superfine Alpaca; 110 yds/100g skein; 2 skeins Coal (B), and 1 skein each Mochi (A) and Natural (C).

Needles: US 11 (8.0mm) 47” or 60” circular needle for Knit Picks Cadena. US 9 (5.5mm) 47” or 60” circular needle for Knits in Class Targhee Worsted. Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Gauge 14 sts and 12 ridges = 4” (10cm) in Garter st for Knit Picks Cadena. 16 and 16 ridges = 4” (10cm) in Garter st for Knits in Class Targhee Worsted.

Notes This pattern works best with contrasting colors — a light (color C), a medium (color A), and a dark (color B). When slipping wrapped stitches, slip the first st, and drop the extra wraps.

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