This cowl is dramatic to say the least. Any yarn with a weight of about 250m / 100g will be suitable.
This pattern featured in the first edition of the Jaarn Magazine. You can find the magazine here: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/jaarn-magazine-i...

Included in the Magazine is:
7x knitting patterns
1x machine knitting pattern
1x tunisian pattern
6x crochet patterns
2x recipies