Sweetbay Cowl

Sweetbay Cowl draws its inspiration from the graceful leaves and delicate blooms of the sweetbay magnolia, a tree that flourishes throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

This design combines a look of a triangular shawl with effortless styling and coziness of a cowl. Interesting shaping cuts off the bulk of the fabric at the back neck making the cowl easy to wear under jackets and coats, and also makes it possible to complete the whole piece in under two skeins of DK weight yarn.

The main textural elements of Sweetbay Cowl are composed of traveling stitches - paired increases and decreases -

which have the appearance of cables without the need to actually cable.

Directions are both charted and written out. Videos for tricky techniques provided.

Yarn

• 440yds / 400m of DK to worsted weight yarn
• Sample cowl: Juicy DK from Farmers Daughter Fibers (100% superwash merino; 3.5oz / 100g, 274yds / 250m), in color Clay Dreaming
• Solid to tonal colorways will show the stitch pattern best

Needles and Gauge

• US 6 / 4mm needles, straight or circular, or the size needed to obtain gauge
• 23sts and 33 rows in 4” / 10cm in Moss Stitch, unblocked
• 21sts and 31 rows in 4” / 10cm in Moss Stitch, blocked

Size

• Height at the deepest point 25” / 64cm, adjustable
• Circumference at the midneck 24” / 61cm

Construction

• The cowl is worked flat from the bottom tip with the built-in i-cord edging. It features travelling stitches, nupps, Moss Stitch, and faux mini cables.
• Increases made along the sides shape the Bottom Triangle.
• For the Middle Section, additional stitches are cast on on both sides of the triangle. Decreases shape the cowl to be narrower towards the top for a better fit.
• The Top Section is worked straight until the desired height and is finished off with 2x2 ribbing.
• The piece is seamed at the back.