Aquarelle cowl has been released and is now available on Etsy, Ravelry, and my website, with 20% off until the end of this week (the discount on the website will stay longer!).

The matching (but not identical) Moonwalk shawl is also 20% off everywhere.

The stitch pattern difference is minimal, but it was needed and based on the characteristics of the yarn and the colors used in each project.

For the cowl, I modified the Moonwalk stitch to create smaller diamond inserts, with a minimum of tall stitches, to avoid too harsh mix of colors in diamonds. Also, Torzal by Malabrigo is incredibly soft, and I wanted to give it a bit more density, while the shawl requires more drape.

The Aquarelle pattern includes two types of instructions and charts:

• for working in the round (think cowls, pillows, bags!)

• and in rows (for scarves, blankets, etc.).

It can be worked in any type of yarn and with any number of colors, solid or multicolor. I also included a few color placement variations and a blank template, so you can colorize it yourself and check your ideas before you start.

You can see the Aquarelle fabric, texture and colors in this reel on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/Dbs74_mMxqq/

Even though I used the colors in my cowl sample a very free way, I set a couple of rules to simplify the process and give myself some guidelines (your rules could be different!).⁠
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First of all, I found out (just approximately) how many ridges and diamonds I could work with one skein (I had five skeins in different colors), to make sure I would use them all equally. I didn't follow my yardage plan precisely, but it helped me stay on track.⁠

To check the yardage for this (not the gauge), you don’t need to work the complete swatch. Usually, in such stitch patterns, I work the stitches needed for one pattern repeat only.

Here, each diamond consists of 12 chains, 12 single crochet, 2 half double crochet, 2 double crochet, 2 half treble crochet, and 2 treble crochet stitches. I simply work these stitches one by one, then frog them and measure the yarn I used. This gives me the yardage needed for one diamond. And if my piece consists of 9 diamonds around, I multiply that amount by 9 to get the yardage needed for one full diamond pattern repeat around the cowl.

And each ribbing ridge pattern repeat consists of 32 single crochet stitches (16 sts in RS round and 16 sts in WS round), and I calculate the yardage for it the same way: I work 32 sc in a row, frog them, measure the yarn used, and multiply it by 9 (the number of pattern repeats around the cowl).

I also divided the colors (very roughly again) by lightness and darkness, and used the darkest shades at both ends of the cowl and the lightest colors for the inside to create a sort of frame. But the colors could also be organized from lightest to darkest for a fade, or in any way that is pleasing to you.
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And to minimize the yarn ends, I often used the same color again after one ridge or diamond in another color. I didn’t cut it, just carried it up. Even using five different skeins here, there are not many ends to weave in.⁠

As you can see, the darkest green appears twice, at the beginning and the end of the cowl, so it has just 4 ends to weave in. The brightest light blue is concentrated in the middle of the cowl and has only 2 ends to weave in.

A while ago, I shared my trick for wearing cowls. It works for cowls of any dimensions and thicknesses: lace, loose and wide, or close-fitting and dense.

In some cases, its main purpose is to achieve a smaller cowl circumference and a closer fit around the neck. In others, it helps with cowl stability or shows the stitch pattern nicely instead of letting it drop down in folds.

In the collage below, the cowl is worn on a mannequin using this trick, while in the photo on the right, I am wearing it as usual…. and the soft fabric gathers in folds, leaves the neck more open, and hides the stitch pattern. :(

In the past, to achieve this effect, I’ve been wearing two cowls at once or combining a cowl with a matching shawl. But this trick does wonders!

When the weather gets kinder, I will make another reel and take photos with some of my other cowls. ◍•ᴗ•◍