When I purchased the Misti Alpaca Chunky yarn from Woolworks months ago, I bought four skeins. I thought I would need the entire ~440 yards for a generously sized, warm, bulky cowl. Since I ended up only using three skeins (~327 yards) for the cowl, I decided to make a matching hat.
The hat is a basic beanie with a brim that matches the slipped stitch seed rib of the cowl (the cowl was first posted about back in February here). I’m calling it the Corrugated Cowl because when I look at this stitch pattern, I see corrugated materials like the metal roofs some of my neighbors are using on their renovated porches, which is a really interesting, modern twist on our very old houses.
The cowl and brim of the hat use a cartridge or seeded rib stitch with slipped stitches. It’s a pretty simple two row pattern repeat worked over four stitches. Seeded rib stitch is a really common stitch pattern, but when I swatched with the bulky yarn I found I didn’t like the stitch definition. So I re-swatched the pattern with slipped stitches instead of the plain knits and purls and liked that the stitches looked more defined. It’s seems like in knitting, small changes can make the biggest difference.
I was a little worried about the alpaca growing and shedding because in my limited experience with alpaca, I found everything that other knitters say about alpaca growing and shedding to be true. But I’ve worn the pieces a few times (including today – it’s 43′ here in Baltimore) and growing doesn’t seem to be a problem. The shedding is a little annoying but the cowl and hat are so soft, fluffy, and warm that needing to use a lint roller occasionally is a small trade off. I do highly recommend the Misti Alpaca yarn for this – or really, any – project. If you’re looking for a less expensive alternative to the Misti Alpaca, one of my favorite bulky knit scarves is made with Lion Brand’s Wool-Ease Chunky which is a perfectly nice yarn (but it doesn’t have the amazing softness of an alpaca yarn).
The cowl pattern is available as a PDF download through Ravelry or on the Pattern’s page (I’m not planning to produce the hat pattern).
Pattern Details:
Construction: This cowl is a simple knit accessory that plays up the twisted look of the Misti Alpaca Chunky. The yarn is twisted and thick and looks like a bit like rope, but is incredibly soft and perfect for making a quick, warm accessory. The cowl is knit in the round and this pattern includes only written (no charted instructions).
Skill level: Advanced beginner – Intermediate
Skills needed: Casting on, binding off, knitting in the round, slipping stitches
Dimensions: 56” x 8 ½”
Gauge: 15 sts and 20 rows per 4” in slipped stitch seeded rib knit flat
Materials:
- US 10 ½ (6.5mm) 24” circular needles
- Misti Alpaca Chunky (3 skeins) or 325 yards of bulky yarn
- Stitch Marker
- Yarn needle
- Scissors
