Instacowl

As the cold weather quickly approaches here on the Canadian west coast I find myself craving colourful chunky knits. Being an avid knitter of Malabrigo yarns I often collect pairs of beautiful skeins in irresistible colourways. Rasta has been no exception. The way this yarn takes colour is incredible and the luscious softness of the finished item makes it perfect for against the skin. With InstaCowl the simplicity of garter stitch and genius of Malabrigo’s colours come together  in an effortlessly beautiful quick knit. Easily completed in less than a weekend this project makes a perfect last minute gift or wardrobe addition for the cold months ahead.

Supplies: 2 skeins of Malabrigo Rasta (82m/90y per one 150gram skein – 100% Merino) Shown in Azules (blue), Zarzamora (purple/green) & Abril (blue/pink).

Gauge: 8sts/4″ in garter stitch

Needles: 10mm/15us 24″ circular needle. A larger needle to cast off with (I used a 12mm/17us).

Size: One size infinity cowl, approximately 7″ wide and 26″ long measured flat or 52″ around. It might feel a bit snug at first, but it will relax and stretch with time as cowls often do.

Here’s what I did:

Set up:

Using the long tail cast on, or cast on method of your choice, cast on 100 stitches. (Make sure your cast on isn’t too tight! The long tail cast on is nice and stretchy, if using a different method you may wish to cast on using a larger needle.)

Place marker and join in the round.

Purl one round.

Main:

Repeat the following 2 rounds until you’re almost out of yarn, being sure to leave enough to cast off with. (I continued on until I had about 15 garter stitch ridges before casting off.)

Row 1: Knit to end of round.

Row 2: Purl to end of round.

Finishing:

Using a larger needle cast off knit-wise. Sew in ends and enjoy! Block if desired. (Mine were left unblocked – the yarn is already very soft and I enjoy the plumpness of it.)