Monday, February 18, 2013

Triple Lane Travel Cowl, a free pattern

And here it is, my belated 2013 Valentine to you:


It's a compact, practical travel companion for compulsive knitters, masquerading as a cowl.

I had a long wish list when I designed this one.


No marker (less to lose)

Short, blunt circular needle (ditto: plus, less scary-looking than double pointed needles for air travel)

Mindless (the better to enjoy the scenery)

Textured (so as not to be too mindless)

Easy to pull off the needles (in case the needles prove too scary-looking after all) and

Easy to put back onto replacement needles later.


Tall order?

Well, yes.  It's not 100% easy to put live stitches knit through the back loop onto needles.  But it's quite logical: just remember that the left leg of such a stitch sits a little forward of the right, unlike a regular knit stitch where both legs meet squarely in the middle.


To minimize the risk of stitches laddering down if they do have to come off the needles, I chose a non-superwash wool from Rowan.  It's got some grab, and the stitches are more likely to hold while gently stored, and it's not nearly as itchy as you might think for next-to-neck wear.

Bonus Features

It's unisex.

It's reversible.


It's fast enough to finish very early in a trip, so you can wear it when you arrive.

You can stuff it with a scarf or a little cardigan and use it as a travel pillow.

Or you can give it to one of your traveling companions for a souvenir s/he will never throw out.

More Info

I really, really wanted to squeeze a cowl out of one 50g ball of yarn, and I did.  Just.  I am specifying two balls for the pattern because another knitter with another tension might run out just before the cast off, which would be super disappointing.

I'm also giving stitch counts for two larger sizes because the Small, at 17" wide, doesn't leave much drape for an adult.  It works, but I think I would break this one down to be Small for a child or youth, Medium for a woman, and Large for a man.


Triple Lane Travel Cowl

Materials
Rowan Pure Wool DK (100% wool, 136 yards, 50g), 2 (2, 2) balls
4.0mm 16” circular or double point needles, or size to obtain gauge
stitch marker (optional)
darning needle


Gauge
21 sts, 32 rows = 4” in stocking stitch, after blocking

Finished Dimensions
S (M, L): 17 (18, 19)” circumference; 7.5” long.


Level of Difficulty
Easy: stitches include knit, purl, and ktbl (knit through back loop).  Worked in the round.


Click here for .pdf of Triple Lane Travel Cowl

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the Valentine cowl! It looks like a very satisfying travel knit.

Erika said...

I think I might try this one!!

Mary Keenan said...

If you do, send me pix :^)