Specklewerk Cowl

Pattern also available as a downloadable pdf for purchase on Ravelry and Etsy.

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Why such a cheeky name for such a simple design? Because those fabulous speckles are doing all of the work! These minis were all from Squiggle Yarn Co’s 12 Days of Yarn Goodness 2018 Christmas set and it was SO MUCH FUN, y’all! I even ended up using them in the same order they were sent in because it was just so pretty when I opened up the box!

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I wanted to make something that would let all the wonderful colors in this set shine, so I decided to use the linen stitch, which is one of my favorite stitches because it creates such a great fabric. It is also a great choice for variegated yarns as it helps to break up the colors with stitches that almost look woven. Add in the speckles and these colors nearly melt from one to the next!

So how about it? Do you have a pile of minis you've been itching to do something with? Or even a skein or two of speckly or variegated yarn that you haven't found the right pattern for? Give the linen stitch a try! This would be a great way to use up scrap yarns, too - even of different weights. Enjoy!

Suggested Materials:

• Squiggle Yarn Co mini sock skeins (20g, 87 yds [80 m] each), light fingering weight (0: lace) yarn, 75% merino wool and 25% nylon, 12 mini skeins

• C/2 (2.75 mm) crochet hook

• stitch marker(s)

• scissors

• darning needle

• 31" (79 cm) length of 1.5 mm leather cording (optional)

• bead(s) for ends of leather cording (optional)

Gauge:

Before blocking, 38 sts and 38 rows in linen stitch = 4” (10 cm). Finished measurements after blocking were 44.5” (113 cm) around and 11.5” (29 cm) tall.

Notes:

Keep your tension snug for your starting chain and first row or two of stitches; the linen stitch tends to be a bit loose starting out.

Instructions:

Row 1: ch 400 (or any even number of chains) and sc in 4th ch from hk. Mark ch–3 space for join. (Ch 1, sk 1 ch, sc in next ch) across. [199 sc, 198 ch–1 sps, 1 ch–3 sp]

Rnd 2: ch 1 and sc in beg ch–3 sp of Row 1 to join in the round, taking care not to twist the chain. (Ch 1, sk 1 sc, sc in next ch–1 sp) ad fin.

Yes, that really is it! Linen stitch not only in the round but in a spiral so there is no joining or even keeping track of rounds because I let the color changes happen organically – wherever I ran out of yarn, that’s where I joined the next color!

To change colors, work until you have 6–8” (15–20 cm) left of your first color (C1) and finish your last sc with your next color (C2). To do this, with C1, insert hk into next ch–1 sp, yo and pull up a lp (2 lps on hk). Drop C1 and pick up C2, yo with C2 and pull through 2 lps on hk to complete sc and color change. Ch 1 and sc in next ch–1 sp to continue in pattern until next color change.

Most colors from the Squiggle Yarn Co minis gave me about ten rounds and, of course, the speckles tie everything together beautifully. Each stripe of color was about an inch wide, but different yarns and different tensions may yield different results. You can end your rounds in the back where you originally joined Row 1 if you would like to keep all of your color changes in line, but I rather enjoyed just zoning out while working on this piece and using every last bit of yarn in this beautiful set!

You can adapt this pattern to use with any weight yarn or even, if you’re feeling frisky, mix and match for a great little stash busting piece! To modify the length, you simply need to add or subtract stitches in multiples of two. If, for example, you are lucky enough to get one of the many amazing Christmas/Craftvent sets with ALL THE MINIS (or if you already have a super awesome stash of minis or leftover bits), you could lengthen your starting chain to 500 or even 600 and then you’d have a longer infinity style cowl that could be wrapped twice around your neck for even more squishy goodness! (I can get mine wrapped twice but it is SNUG)

You could arrange your colors in a fade or you could alternate lighter and darker colors for maximum stripeyness. Remember to consider what it may look like from a distance, too, as you’re selecting your color order. A medium and a dark color may blend into a single stripe from across the room, for example. Play around with your options and have fun! This piece is meant to be meditative and fun, which is perfect for a holiday project that can be picked up and put down at any point and maybe even worked on after a wee bit too much wine!

Finishing:

To close the spiral, I ended on the backside of the cowl, roughly lined up with where I began, with a ch 1, sk 1 sc and next ch–1 sp, sl st in 2 back lps of next sc, ch 1, sk next ch–1 sp, sl st in 2 back lps of next sc, finishing off by duplicating the top of the next stitch with my needle before weaving in the end.

I also added some leather cording for a little cinched detail. I cut a 31” length of 1.5 mm “craft lace” in a silvery white color and threaded it through every few rounds, looping in the back at the top and coming back down again four stitches over. I tried it with evenly spaced threading, but I preferred the way it looked with random distances better. My intention was to add a bead to both ends, but I couldn’t find any that I liked with large enough holes! So I used some wire to make a bead link that would loop around both ends of the cording, which I knotted with a simple overhand knot. The bead I used is a 10 mm faceted Czech glass bead bookended with a couple of silver spacer beads.

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  Top view of leather cording threaded through stitches of cowl.

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  Bottom view of leather cording threaded through stitches of cowl with beaded accent.

I set it up this way so that it can lay flat OR be cinched up, for more styling options, but if you have a preference, you could always make the commitment and cut your cording to a shorter length. But I do love options!

I hope you enjoyed this project and I’d love to see your creations, too, so if you feel like sharing, pop on over to my Facebook page or tag me @crochetcetera on Instagram or Twitter and show me what you come up with!

Many thanks to my pattern testers – I couldn’t do this without them!!

Please note that this pattern is available for free here on my website, but for your convenience, you may also download a pdf for this pattern, which includes additional photos for the initial joining and finishing as a bonus feature, for a small fee through Ravelry or Etsy. Enjoy!

©2020 Crochet Cetera by Connie Lee

I invite and encourage you to sell any items made from my patterns;

I simply ask that you credit me for the design, especially if listing online,

by linking back to the source of the pattern.

Copying, redistributing, or selling the pattern itself or a derivative thereof is strictly prohibited.

You can contact me at crochet.cetera@gmail.com or find me online here:

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