This lovely cowl (pattern, my Ravelry project) was designed for the limited edition Brooklyn Tweed yarn Ranch 03: Campbell-Hansmire. The yarn was released in March and is already almost sold out. (I got the last skein of Reef when I thought I was going to run out for this project, though I ultimately didn’t need it.) It is a squishy, soft, sport weight merino that is dyed some really fun colors.

The pattern is pretty straightforward, and like all Brooklyn Tweed patterns it includes careful finishing details. It starts from an optional tubular cast on. Right after the cast on rounds, you rearrange the stitches from 1×1 into a 2×2 ribbing arrangement. I found this to be the most challenging part because there were so many stitches on my needle that it was hard to manipulate them.

Next there were a few decrease rounds to get to the number of stitches required for the main pattern. And then the the cables began! I made the smaller size cowl, which repeats the cable pattern 15 times per round. Most rounds of the pattern are pretty easy, but there is a set of rounds where 14 out of every 15 stitches are involved in cables, so it gets a little tight.

You repeat the entire chart only 3 times, and then there are a few increase rounds and a tubular bind off, and you’re done! The tubular bind off is kind of cool; you separate the knit stitches from the purl stitches on two needles, then do kitchener stitch. It matches the look of the tubular cast on well. I had to look at the cable direction to tell the top from the bottom!

This is a great project if you want to practice cables that are a step up from the most basic. I recommend trying to cable without a cable needle, since all the cables are only 2-3 stitches. It doesn’t work for all cable patterns, but this is a good one for it. This technique speeds up the work since you don’t have to switch between the main needle and the cable needle.

The yarn is delightfully squishy, and this comes through in the finished fabric. I’m glad I chose the smaller size since I prefer to keep my cowl close to my neck. I’ll definitely be adding this to my wardrobe for chilly mornings/evenings. I highly recommend the Ranch 03 yarn – if you can get any!