SSC (Super Simple Cowl)

I made the first of these cowls a couple of years ago when I was doing my Yarn of the Month thing and drew my 2 skeins of tosh bulky in Forestry. The yarn is gorgeous and didn't need any fancy stitches to make something beautiful so I thought I'd just do a stockinette cowl.

 

 

 

I had some tosh and Plucky Bulky leftovers after making my Flame Nettle and decided to make another one since I've found myself reaching for the original over and over again since cold weather arrived.



I hesitate to call this a 'pattern', but here's what I did:

Materials:
About 200 yards of bulky yarn - hand-dyed semi-solids are perfect for this
16" or 24" US 10.5/6.5 mm circulars

Gauge:
3.5 stitches per inch in stockinette

Cast on 126 stitches. I used the long-tail cast on. This gives a 36" inch cowl.
Purl 1 row.
Knit 1 row and then join. (I like to knit a couple of rows first to make it easier not to get a twist. The tiny seam is easy to sew up with the tail.)
Knit until it's tall enough (mine are about 8 or 9") or you're out of yarn (or patience)
If you're using multiple colors, just change whenever you run out. No need for a beginning of round marker.
Cast off loosely. Weave in ends.

I like to wear it with the reverse stockinette side out.

On this second cowl, which was made up of leftovers, instead of weaving in the ends where I changed colors, I tied little bows on the stockinette side (WS) and secured them with a few stitches with a needle and thread. It's so hard to weave in ends with bulky yarn and I think this is a cute look too - although I consider the reverse stockinette side the right side.



I went yarn-crawling yesterday and bought yarn for another one -



it's perfect for working on when I need a break from more intense projects or when I'm just too tired to do anything but knit mindlessly in the round.