Spring colors make me happy. I love to knit with them at every opportunity. I designed this cowl in wearable winter white punctuated with dashes of bright color. The fabric was originally inspired by a white Chanel coat woven with neon threads from the Winter 2015 collection. The fun of knitting with a neon variegated yarn fashions a sophisticated and nuanced fabric—like tiny colorful brushstrokes marking white canvas—this stitch pattern gives a woven appearance. The dense fabric has volume and structure to cocoon the head and neck— double-layered, double-wrapped, for an impenetrably warm and cuddly cowl for those days of deep winter when we are yearning for some hint of Spring color.
Broken lines of bright color are created by simply slipping a contrasting yarn over alternating stitches of stockinette rows. The cowl’s patterning unites the softly spun bulky yarn with the fine threads of rainbow bright fingering weight yarn into a fabric that looks woven or elaborately hand stitched. “Kantha stitch” is reminiscent of Kantha stitching, a type of hand embroidery from India.

SIZES
One Size Fits All
FINISHED CIRCUMFERENCE 58” /147cm
FINISHED WIDTH 6.25” / 16 cm doubled

GAUGE
12 sts and 15 rows = 4”/ 10cm in stockinette, and in patterns on larger needles. Gauge is not crucial for this design, but a different gauge will change the size of the cowl, and the yardage needed to achieve desired length.

YARN
MAIN COLOR
bulky yarn in neutral color, such as
MADELINETOSH HOME “natural”(100% super-wash merino wool, 110 yds / skein)
— 3 skeins or actual: 330 yds / 300 m

CONTRAST COLOR:
highly variegated fingering weight yarn, such as
MADELINETOSH TOSH MERINO LIGHT “neon crush” (100% super-wash merino wool) 420 yds / 384 m skein
1 skein or approximately: 146 yds / 139 m

NEEDLES & NOTIONS
US 11/ 8.0 mm circular knitting needle in 32”/ 80 cm length, or preferred length for knitting magic loop or traveling loop style
second circular needle of similar size or smaller (US 7 -10) of any length
tapestry needle with large hole
1 stitch marker or loop of waste yarn
crochet hook size K-10.5mm
waste yarn
or size to obtain gauge

No sewing involved! The slip stitch pattern is simple and memorizable and creates the illusion without any of the fuss. Kantha Cowl is seamless and entirely knit in the round. The provisional cast on is worked first, then the cowl is joined in the round. At the end, the cowl is grafted together into a seamless loop.

Technical Editing by Lori Law, Oceanwind Knits