Sea Glass Basket Weave Cowl (My First Knitting Pattern!)

When I first began knitting, it was scarves, scarves, scarves. I couldn't get enough of them. I thought I had conquered the greatest thing: knitting! Forgetting, of course, that women had been making things out of string to cover the body since the dawn of time. But for me, I was bringing "grandma" back. (Because Grandma was the one who originally taught me to knit.) I then graduated to the "joined" knitting club. That is, I was now able to "knit in the round"--using one needle, not the dreaded two-sticks. I was in LOVE with knitting this way because this got rid of that gawdawful "purl". I hate to purl. I was in heaven. So I knit tubes. Lots of tubes. With every intention of creating a top of some sort. Some day. When I learned how to make sleeves. Or attach sleeves. Or just make more tubes. 

Since reclaiming my ancestral past, I have come so far as to drag various widths of wool knots into some of the most lovely shapes: tops, sweaters, vests, cowls and the like. But yet, there is always the next project. Yes, we have a case of serious start-itis in the knitting world. All of us that knit do. I try to have a steel resolve and won't allow myself any more than four UFOs (unfinished objects) at once before coveting another lovely yarn. And I'm not a yarn snob by a long shot. I just want something new is all. (Currently I have Dr. Thyme's sweater on the needles, but I don't count this because it is an "eternity" project. It will take me an eternity to finish and I once swore I'd never knit a man's sweater. I still swear about that today, both the eternity of knitting a sweater that big, and eternity itself.)   

Cowls are fun. They're the "in" thing right now. I'm happy about this because the more of my neck I can cover, the better. So I began knitting this out of sheer shelfishness and craving for this yarn, and the color: sea glass. This is one of my favorite colors. I realized this recently after my kitchen was painted in the exact same color. Then my bathroom. Then I bought flip-flops in this color. And I recalled one of my favorite sweaters of all time (from The Limited) was in this color, too. It's all so clear now. I love sea glass (or seafoam green, or light teal, or whatever floats your boat). You get the idea.

This is a lovely yarn. And you can get it at Michael's, so you won't need to mortgage your home. This cowl is knit in Bernat's "Roving" in this color you see here called "Low Tide". I have since lost the label which is a bad knitting thing to do. To me, the texture of this yarn is perfect for this pattern. I really hunted for just the right design that would allow this yarn to stand out. It is a great big hug of a cowl, I love it!

You could pick any number of stitch patterns to create one of your own cowls. It's simple. I wanted something fairly chuncky and big and soft. I have this calendar of 365 knitted stitches and that's where the inspiration for the pattern for the cowl came from. If you'd like, you can knit your basket weave wider, narrower or what have you by knitting fewer and purling fewer in the repeats. If you'd like your cowl to be a little less of a "hug", cast on fewer stitches in the beginning. This is my first time actually sharing a pattern. Quite frankly, I am sure someone, somewhere has taken the lovely basket weave and turned it into a cowl. Surely. But I have not seen it. And for those who demand the Craft Yarn Council standards be followed for all knitting patterns--please forgive me. I'm giving it my best shot to get the project on the needle, to help in the "start-itis" department--to translate how I worked this cowl out. This pattern is very forgiving, too. Most of my knitting is done in front of the TV, with dogs lying about and husband commenting on this and that in the background. A girl can get lost--but I just improvise, adding maybe another uneven weave here or there--it all came out in the end. It's a pretty mindless, tv-watching kind of knit if you ask me. I hope you are inspired to make one. Let me know!

Sea Glass Basket Weave Cowl

2-3 skeins of Bernat Roving in Low Tide (Honestly, I don't remember how many I used!)

1 pair of size 10 or 10 1/2 circular needles (or needle size to get your desired gauge)

Gauge I used: 10 stitches 4 x 4 inch in stockinette (2 1/2 stitches per inch)

Cast on 104 stitches.

Row 1: Place marker for beginning of round and join yarn. Knit.

Row 2: K3, P5. Repeat until end of the round.

Row 3: P3, K5. Repeat until end of the round.

Repeat rows 2-3 until cowl reaches desired width.

Last row, Knit.

Bind off. Weave in ends.