Red-Tail Hawk is the color of this Twizzle yarn by Mountain Colors. It’s left over from a cardigan I knit last Spring. (Perry Cardigan)
My cowl isn’t blocked yet and it definitely needs it…to widen, lengthen and pop the pattern stitch! At the moment, it measures 7" x 45"…and it’s supposed to grow to 8" x 60", which will be a much better fit around the neck. I won’t have the space to block it until Tuesday.
The “Garland Cowl” is a free pattern over at Ravelry. It is written out, line by line,
and the cowl is knit in 49 rounds x 126 stitches each. Very easy to follow. Worsted weight yarn and big needles (US 10.5).
The designer recommended a particular cast-on (very stretchy)…which I tried and failed at. Instead of it, I was able to use a stretchy cast-on of my own.
She also recommended a particular stretchy bind off, Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Sewn Bind Off…
which is demonstrated on You Tube. It was very easy indeed, and worked like a charm.
Mmm, beautiful mix of colors. I love the combinations that Mountain Colors produces. What a great cowl and yes, even better with blocking. Thanks very much for the EZ bind off video.
Jeny’s cast on was waaaaay too futzy for me…and over 126 st cast on??? No way, no how! I knew how to work a perfectly loose, stretchy LT cast on, so why cause myself unnecessary aggravation??? For a COWL??? No way.
The cable cast on seems plenty stretchy to me and not nearly as futzy. I’m not good at guesstimating the length of yarn needed for long-tail cast on and I hate ending up just a little short or waaaaaaaaaaay too long. Sometimes I think just because something is more complicated people think it’s better.
Gotcha! The ‘tensioning’ for the Jeny cast on was a hot mess. If you cast on too far away from the previous worked cast on stitch, you are TOAST. Trying to cast on 126 Jeny stitches.you’d have 1,260 failed cast on stitches. 1 good one out of 11 tries. Aaaargh.
The only thing that would motivate me to try the Jeny again would be as a requirement for the Master Knitter’s Certificate. Period.
I’ve seen the photos of your work. If you aren’t a Master Knitter, I don’t know who would be. I no longer feel like maybe I gave it up too soon, too easily. Thank goodness there are no knitting police! If knitting isn’t enjoyable, fergit it.
For stretchy cast on’s, I prefer the German Twisted cast on. I learned it from Amy’s cast on videos at the top of the page. It’s been valuable to me for hats, mittens, and gloves.
I hate that, too. LOL I’ll have to try the cable CO. I know how to do it, but I have never used it for a project. I’ve read that it’s a nice, stretchy CO.
I just used the cable cast on for a hat and it’s just fine, I didn’t even use larger needles for the cast on, same for some mittens I just started I thought when I first tried it that it was hard but that was when I first started knitting and now I wonder what took me so long to try it again.
Note to self: finish hat, finish mittens and scarves and sweater, finish other WIPs before starting yet another project. Finish something!
I almost always do long tail myself. I’ve gotten pretty good at estimating worsted weight on a size 6 or7 needle since that’s what I use most. (I knit loose) I have done other cast-ons though. German twisted is a good stretchy one. Always have to look it up though.
