Grid Gambit

Construction

Grid Gambit is a cowl worked flat beginning at one corner, shaped with increases and decreases, and seamed after blocking. The cowl features an allover mosaic pattern, built-in I-Cord edges and an I-Cord bind off.

Needles

One 24” / 60 cm circular needle or longer, US 7 / 4.5 mm or size needed to get gauge

Yarn

Sample One 

Main Color

Newburgh Yarn Co. ‘Hudson DK 4-Ply’

100% Superwash Merino (246 yds / 225 m per 100 g)

Shown in colorway Adirondack Haze

1 skein

Contrast Color

Sport to DK weight handspun yarn, fiber shown was dyed by Hello Yarn

100% Corriedale (200 yds / 183 m per 110 g)

Shown in colorway All Bark, No Bite

1 skein

To substitute the Contrast Color yarn used here, I recommend using a sport to DK weight yarn with marling or color transitions to create an effect similar to handspun, or use a similarly colored fingering weight yarn held double.

Alternatively, this could be a perfect project for mini skeins (either sport or DK held singly, or fingering weight held double), using a different color mini for each 12-row section. There are 19 of these sections and there are indications to change contrast color yarn in the “Bandana Body” section of the pattern.

Sample Two 

Main Color

Plies & Hellhounds 'Revival DK'

50% Kent Romney, 37.5% Blue Faced Leicester, 12.5% Brown Leicester (268 yds / 245 m per 100 g)

Shown in colorway Old Growth

1 skein

Contrast Color 

Plies & Hellhounds 'Nectar'*

60% Superwash Merino, 20% Yak, 20% Silk (400 yds / 365 m per 100 g)

*Held double to achieve gauge

Assorted colors of mini skeins. See amounts below.

Sample Two used the following amounts of fingering weight yarn held double:

Sections 1-2: 1 g / 4 yds / 4 m per section 

Section 3: 2 g / 8 yds / 7.5 m

Section 4: 3 g / 12 yds / 11 m

Sections 5-9: 4 g / 16 yds / 15 m per section 

Sections 10-11: 5 g/ 20 yds / 18.5 m per section 

Sections 12-18: 6 g / 24 yds / 22 m per section 

Section 19 & Bind Off: 7 g / 28 yds / 26 m

If substituting mini skeins with a sport or DK weight yarn, yardage will be half of what is listed above.

Gauge

19 sts and 25 rows = 4” / 10 cm in Stockinette Stitch, worked flat, unblocked

Note about Gauge

This pattern uses nearly all of the listed yardage of main color yarn. To conserve your yarn for the cowl, knit a gauge swatch without cutting the yarn and measure the swatch unblocked. When you have gauge, rip back the swatch and cast on.

Notions

Tapestry needle, blocking materials

Techniques

Long-tail cast on, slipping stitches, built-in I-Cord, I-Cord bind off, seaming

Tutorial

Mattress Stitch

https://tinyurl.com/mrzup8sk