Michelle I have had this design in the back of my mind since last winter. I’ve even had the yarn that I wanted to use since then. Last month I finally sat down and knitted it. It’s the Boxy Cowl.
It’s inspired, of course, by the waffle stitch pattern used in my Boxy Dishcloth, Boxy Cozy, and Boxy Slouchy. I just knew this textured stitch pattern would lend itself well to a big thick cushy cowl in a super soft yarn. I love the long cowls, or maybe infinity scarf is a better name, that can be worn long and loose or double wrapped around the neck.
The yarn is Malabrigo Twist, another amazing hand dyed yarn from a wonderful yarn company. Twist is an aran weight baby merino wool.
The challenge for me with this cowl design was the edges. Should it have a slightly rolled edge like another popular cowl? A ribbed edge like some others? In the end, because the waffle stitch pattern has regular purl rows, I decided to put a purl round at each edge. I used a regular cast on and knitted away. I bound off and then realized that I wasn’t happy that the edges didn’t match. I like symmetry and balance – quite a lot. I preferred the look of the bound off edge so I decided that this cowl needed a provisional cast on so that the knitter could go back to the cast on edge and bind off in the same way as the bound off edge. I frogged the whole cowl and started again. And the result was perfect symmetry and balance.
Here’s a link to a wonderful video that shows three different provisional cast ons, along with some helpful tips – Knitting Daily TV: Provisional Cast Ons. If you’ve never done it before, go ahead and give it a try. It’s easier than it sounds.
I hope you enjoy this easy project!
Michelle