Giraffic Day cowl is worked in the round with the right side always facing up. Its stitch pattern uses spike single crochet stitches, which break up the straight rows of color to create a beautiful two-color polka-dot pattern.
COLORWORK
For my sample, I used two skeins of Malabrigo Sock and the color of the dots and the background color are switched in the middle of the cowl. The colors are not used equally in this stitch pattern and by switching colors midway, both colors are evenly distributed, and the cowl ends up larger. Plus, it’s so fun to wear - you can flip it upside down for a different look or use my tip on wearing cowls (see below) to showcase both sections at once.
Tip on wearing cowls: Part 1 (Awakener cowl), Part 2 (Aquarelle cowl).
This design allows you to play with colors in many different ways:
You can work the entire cowl in your chosen colors without switching them halfway through.
You can use variegated yarn (with short or long color repeats) for either the background or the dots for stunning multicolor effects!
You can make each half of the cowl in its own color palette.
MATERIALS
Yarn: Malabrigo Sock; light fingering / 3 ply; 440 yd (402 m) per 100 g skein; 100% merino wool
Hook: US E (3.5 mm)
Yarn needle to weave in ends
YARDAGE
1 skein each in shades 803 Ochre and 811 Eggplant
GAUGE
2 PRs (24 sts and 8 rows) = 4⅛″ (10.5 cm) wide and 1¾″ (4.5 cm) tall
Gauge is not crucial for this design. The size of the cowl can be adjusted by making a shorter or longer base round.
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
29″ (73.5 cm) in circumference, 18½″ (47 cm) tall
