A really BIG Cowl

The Italian version of this cowl was published on M-U.it. La versione italiana di questo collo è stata pubblicata su M-U.it.

Collo Big a colori

Two hanks of Bracco Big, big fat needles and in a little more than one hour here's a perfect and very warm accessory ready t be gifted. 

Materials

• Bracco Big, 35% baby alpaca, 28% acrylic, 22% polyammide, 15% merino wool, 100 g = 40 m, 1 hank each coll. 5 (a) e 6 (b)
• 15 mm 16 cm long circular needle
• one 6 mm needle or, if you are using an interchangeable circular kit,a 6 mm pit (optional)
• a crochet hook at least size 10 mm (optional)
• Scissors

Tension: 6 sts = 10 cm in g st
Measures: circ. = 63 cm, height = 22 cm.
Notes
In this pattern the short rows are knitted by simply turning the work with no need to wrap and turn: the garter stitch and the thickness of the yarn prevent holes and unevenness in texture.
The first stitch in each row should always be knitted, never slipped. This will make the sewing up easier.

Collo Big grigio su grigio (non cambia molto)

Esecuzione

C.o. 35 sts with the long tail method and col. a.
Knit 1 row, start working the hort row pattern.

First short row section

• Row 1: k 5, turn.
• Row 2 and all even rows: k all sts.
• Row 3: k 10, turn..
• Row 5: k 5, turn..

Continue knitting 5 sts more on each odd row until you will be knitting 30 sts. 

Central section


Turn and knit all sts, then knit 2 rows from end to end.
Join col. b, k 2 rows with col. b, k 2 more rows with col. a and cut leaving a 30 cm tail. Continue working with col b for 3 rows. 

Second short row section

• Row 1: k 30, turn.
• Row 2 and all even rows: k all sts.
  
• Row 3: k 25, turn..
• Row 5: k 20, turn..

Continue knitting 5 sts less on each odd row until you will be knitting 5 sts only.

Final border

K 2 rows.
B.o. all sts with EZ's sewn b.o. using your fingers to run the yarn tail through the stitches, if you like you may use a very big crochet hok to hel you sew the stitches. You may also substitute the needle (or just its tip) with a 6 mm needle to make things easier. 

Finishing

Seam the short sides together still using either your fingers or the crochet hook.
Wash the cowl in warm water and let it dry (veru slowly) on a flat surface.

Season Finale in italiano

per chi preferisse lavorare da schemi in italiano, segnalo che il mio collo Season Finale è stato pubblicato in italiano su Maglia-Uncinetto.it.

Tiered short-row triangles cowl

Done!

Fastest knit in Alice's history

And I love it to sillyness.

The mindless

I am currently knitting a few items that require attention, care, and planning. So I took out a ball of a shaded yarn to provide myself with some good old mindless knitting. I thought that a big stockinette cowl with a nicely colored yarn would do the trick.
Well, it seams that my brain is more at ease with some intricacy because the most mindless I could come up is this short-rowed piece. Please, somebody save me from My brain!

The "sponge" cowl

A very easy cowl for the almost.novice knitter: it just requires knitting and purling. The model was originally created for the Milan "Homeless Night". If you decide to make this cowl, plaase consider making two and mailing the second to Assieme nelle Terre di Mezzo – via Calatafimi, 10 – 20122 Milano.
The italian version of this pattern is available on the Maglia-Uncinetto.it website.



 Materials

• Dolly Maxi, 100% superwash merino wool, 50 g = 87 m, 2 balls
• 5 mm (US 8) straight or circolar needle (for knitting back and forth)
• Scissors and tapestry needle

Tensione: 15 sts × 25 rows = 10 cm (4")

Sizes: woman – 53 cm = 23" (man – 58 cm = 25") – for both the height of the cowl is 22 cm (21").

How to

C.o. 35 with long tail method; turn.

• Row 1: Sl 1st st pwise wyf, k to end; turn. 
• Row 2: Sl 1st st pwise wyf, k4, * p1, k1 *, rep from * to * to 6 sts bef end, p1, k5; turn.

Repeat these two rows throughout until the strip is 50 (55) cm long (20/22"). B.o. all sts.
Sew up the two ends in order tu obtain a ring, wash the cowl in warm water and mild detergent, dry flat.

On gauge and needle material

I have been involved with knitting some item for this event where I will be teaching knitting basics. I decided on a cowl and started working at it with sime unknown very gray yarn I had in my stash (looks like an undyed, so it's probabily an old ball of organic yarn from Silke by Arvier) and 5 mm needles. I started out with an Addi Turbo short circ, but I quickly grew bored by the short tips and this morning I switched to a 5 mm Denise interchangeable.
WOW! The gauge immediately changed. I am not sure if you can see it from the crappy pic (click to espand it), but after thechange, despite the fact that I knit much faster and more comfortably, the gauge must have dropped one or two sts lower (on 10 cm/4"). Not a bad thing: the cowl is now distinctly softer and the wafer texture much more pronounced, but I did not expect such important difference knitting in the same stitch pattern and in the same yarn with the same needle size, just in a diferent material.
(To learn more on the October 15 even for the homeless, check out this post.)

Season finale

While the very first springlike days fill Milano with sunshine, pollen and even more smog than usual (in the past couple of weeks I have been ill with a constant sore throat for the combined action of flower pollen and thin dust in the air), I have come up with one of the most wintery items I have ever knitted.
This cowl is quickly knit in a chunky yarn, starting with a single rib circular part and ending back and forth in seed stitch on circular needles. It can be worn with the seed stitch up, like an extrawide collar, or you may turn it upside down and smooth the seed stitch part down your chest for extra warmth. The yarn is an Italian organic 100% wool which I found at a fair. The ballband said to knit it with 6 mm (US 10) needles, but I swatched it up until I found myself knitting it with 8 mm (US 11) needles when if finally worked out nice: never trust the ballband.

La versione in italiano di qusto collo è stata pubblicata su Maglia-Uncinetto.it.

Materials

• Tre Sfere Lana bio naturale 1 hank (100 grams = 100 meters) light brown natural solid
• 8 mm (US 11) 40 cm (16”) long circular needle, or size required to get gauge with your hand (I used the Denise set and switched to a slighly longer cord for the seed stitch part)
• One large stitch marker
• Scissors and tapestry needle to hide the tails