New Pattern Release - Criss Cross Cowl

Back in the summer I had a lovely chat with designer Erika Knight, whom I sometimes knit up samples for, and we got onto the subject of my own design work and how I loved working with the super chunky yarn and 25mm needles for my Wool and the Gang blanket. Erika told me about a new addition to her Erika Knight for John Lewis range of wool due to be released in the autumn and very kindly sent me a hank to play with.

XXL Wool is 100% super chunky wool grown and spun in the UK and is available exclusively in top John Lewis haberdasheries and online priced at £20 for a 250g hank. Each hank is approximately 55m of pure squish!  It comes in three colours - blanc, soft grey (both shown below) and dusky pink.
XXL Wool is soft yet sturdy and has great stitch definition so I wanted to come up with something that could be knitted up with one skein and be full of interesting texture...

Introducing...

The CrissCrossCowl*

This one skein wonder is knitted on 20mm needles (mine are gorgeous Brittany Birch needles) in a deceptively simple stitch pattern that is easy to memorise and grows super fast. Slipped stitch edges give it a neat finish and it is knit as a long straight piece with the cast on and bind off edges joined at the end.

Start to finish, this project should not take more than a couple of hours! How's that for instant gratification?

I just adore the way the fabric looks almost woven rather than knitted (indeed several people thought it resembled basket work) and the sturdiness of the yarn means it holds it's shape well. Plus it is so warm and soft against my face - no scratchiness here! - I would be quite happy to hunch down inside this cowl. I'm sure it will keep the worst of the Winter chill away!

CrissCross Cowl is available now from Ravelry priced at £3.00
 (plus VAT if you are in the EU. Sorry!)

Not on Ravelry? 

click here to

 

*thank you to Karen Guenther on Facebook and lesleyana on Instagram who both suggested that name


PS I love to see my patterns in the wild so if you make the CrissCrossCowl please share on Twitter or Instagram with #crisscrosscowl and #forestflowerdesigns so I see it!