Knitting Project #5: Easy Striped Cowl

Easy Striped Cowl

I started this project before I complete my project #4 (which is about 70% completed) because my lovely cousin in the US said she wanted to make this cowl, so I tested out whether the needle size fit the project.

I found this pattern on knitandbake.com :

http://www.knitandbake.com/2012/03/30/easy-free-striped-cowl-knitting-pattern/

The grey yarn that the author used actually look better, but my husband picked this blue yarn that I used for this project, because he is the one who will own the cowl when it's completed.

Yarn Used

• Wolle Rödel New Big
• Colour - blue (article no. 2335 partie no. 03)
• Material - 95% Polyacryl 5% Wool
• 100g - 75m
• Suggested needle size from manufacturer: 9mm - 10mm
• Gauge (10x10cm) - from manufacturer: 8 stitches 12 rows
• Gauge (10x10cm) - from me: 12 stitches 14 rows with 9mm needles
• Amount Used - 2 skeins (I have very little left, so I'd say approx. 130m)
• Cost - 7.98 Euro

Materials

• 9mm Circular needles - length: 40cm
• Stitch marker x 1
• Scissors
• Yarn needles (to weave in) 

Finished Size (When lied flat on a surface)

• Width 32 cm, Height 22 cm

My 9mm circular needle was too long to knit this project, so I ordered this circular needle from eBay and it arrived today, I was so excited and I wanted to test it ASAP!! But I gotta wash the dishes, do the laundry, clean the floor, clean the bathroom, and most of all, take care of my lovely boy... so when I've done everything and when my two men are asleep, finally I had time to try this out (and it was almost 12am already!!).

The cable for the circular needle is interchangeable, I ordered the 40cm cable for knitting this cowl. Oh and how I love the colour of the needles!! 

This is the first time I knit in the round, and this is the thickest knitting needles I've ever used. The knitting in the round isn't too difficult, but handling the thick needles is very challenging!! Especially when the cable is just long enough to knit, it took me a while to adjust my hand positions to purl with the continental knitting method.

The original pattern suggested to cast on 56 stitches, but after I casted on 56 stitches, it looked too short to be joined, so I added 4 stitches (so I casted on 60 stitches in total), but after a few rows, I realised the extra stitches that I've casted on are unnecessary, so if I were to do it all over (which I didn't want to!) I'd stick with 56 stitches.

After joining the work, the joined stitches looked very loose, so I sewed the tail twice to tighten it a bit. I know it can be fixed later when I weave in the ends, but it just look better that I fix that earlier so I wouldn't keep seeing the ugly holes between them!

I had to stop at the 14th row, I wanted to knit more but my hands are just too tired because of the thickness of the needles! Especially my right wrist! No wonder my knitting teacher said thick needles are tiring to handle, sometimes you really have to experience it to understand the reasons behind!

Updated on 16 Nov 2012...

Conclusion

Despite I've made quite a few mistakes, the cowl is finished, I think it took me a total of about 15 to 20 hours. Considering it's my first time for me to handle such a thick needle, I think it's not bad! 

When I first put it on myself, I thought 60 stitches is really a bit too much, because it looks so loose on my neck. But when my husband came back from work and I let him tried on, it looks actually ok. 

But if I were to do it all over again, I'd buy another type of yarn, this yarn is too thick, and it doesn't feel as soft as the other yarns that I have which contain more animal wool in the material.

Overall, I'm very happy and I'd love to make a mini version for my little boy cos he looked so cute with his daddy's already :D