Posted on 7 Comments

Dovetail Cowl

Dovetail Cowl

Dovetail Cowl

Dovetail Cowl

I used up the first of my Rhinebeck skeins last night. And when I say “used up” I mean, I skipped the last five rows of the pattern and still had to find a few yards of a similar substitute yarn in order to bind off the last six inches.

You can’t tell that I bound off a chunk of this in a slightly thicker yarn (Malabrigo Twist vs. the Brooks Farm Trio that the rest of the cowl was made in), mainly because the edges curl and the bind-off row is mostly hidden. Also, the way this cowl is worn all twisted up on itself tends to hid any imperfections anyway.

Speaking of hiding imperfections through twisting it up on itself…

Dovetail Cowl

Guess who managed to twist her cast-on edge? And then was too lazy to start over? And so gambled that it wouldn’t be a problem when she wore it? And then breathed a sigh of relief to be proven correct?

Yeah. That was me.

Whew.

This cowl has an interesting stitch pattern, which meant I had to be actually paying attention to what I was doing – kind of a mixed blessing for me, really. On the one hand, I am bored out of my mind when there’s too much of one stitch over and over and over. But on the other hand, I nearly always watch TV or listen to a podcast when I knit and so there is a lot of potential for losing track of what I am doing.

Let’s just say, I am glad I learned how to tink some time ago, because it came in very handy with this project.

I didn’t do a gauge swatch with this. (I know. Bad me.) But I could see that the yarn was somewhat thin, and I knew what my gauge normally is with thicker yarn and a #7 needle, so I just went down to a #6 and called it good enough.

That may have been a mistake. The cowl is almost too drapey, and the stitches are loose, and I feel like they lack some definition as a result. I fluffed the finished cowl in a hot dryer for 5-10 minutes to try and puff up the fibers a little bit (and crossed my fingers the whole time). It did help a small amount, but I still feel like it lacks some of the definition of the samples in the pattern.

Dovetail Cowl

Dovetail Cowl

Still, the drapeyness comes in handy, and the looseness of my stitching was beneficial in terms of making the cowl big enough to wrap around my neck three times, instead of the two I expected.

I can even wear it as a hood, if I want to. (And I’m not sure that I do, but it’s nice to have options.)

I’m calling this a success, despite my mistakes and misgivings. I like it, and I think it’s the perfect color for this time of year. I see myself wearing it a lot during November and December.

The Details

Pattern: Dovetail Cowl by Carina Spencer

Yarn: Brooks Farm Yarn Trio (wool, alpaca, and silk – it’s very soft and nice against the neck, which is more than I can say for the last cowl I made.)

Variation: I made the larger size (so it could be doubled) and added the 5 rows of stockinette at the top and bottom so that the edges would curl.

Modifications: There would have been none, but I ran out of yarn (420 yards) and ended up skipping the last five pattern rows.

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Posted on 7 Comments

7 thoughts on “Dovetail Cowl

  1. I love it, especially the color.

    I’ve just cast on for a hat in that same color (Woolly Wormhead’s MKAL – http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/2014-mystery-kal). 140 stitches on two circulars (because I didn’t have a 16 inch needle in a size 1). So, I was worried about twisting my stitches too. But I heard a tip a few years back that really works (because I have used it). If you realize that you have twisted your stitches when joining in the round, you can untwist them before starting the second row. Remember that one next time you cast on for a circular knit.

    1. Thanks for the tip. Unfortunately, I was already a few rows in when I noticed the twist, and I made the mistake of believing someone who told me you can fix a twisted cast-on after the project is complete.

      I probably should have googled that before soldiering on!

      All’s well that ends well, though – you really can’t see the twist when I’m wearing it.

      Have fun with your KAL – I could never do a mystery KAL! I am too picky to trust that I would like the finished product!

  2. How beautiful! Ugh, hate it when I discover it has twisted…although, you know, some people do this on purpose, so there ya go, it works! 🙂

    1. True! And I think in this case, the drapeyness of it really works to make the twist a non-issue. Thank goodness 🙂

  3. Such a stunning red color! I love it and it looks great on you.

    1. Thank you! I really love this color, too. The temperature is dipping,and I plan to wear the heck out of it this weekend.

  4. […] week, while knitting my delicate, lightweight, super drapey red cowl, I had an idea for a chunky, heavy grayish-tan cowl I could make on the knitting […]

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