the Cowl Collar sweater

Pattern #2: the Cowl Collar sweater

This is another sweater I made for the store window but never wrote the pattern. Amazing the incentive a couple of compliments can be!

The fuller or more lavish cowl collar is the one I made originally but while writing the pattern I wanted to add a more moderate collar modification for a scaled down version.

This sweater is also worked from side to side (cuff to cuff) and of course top down. Again it looks like a pretty simple sweater but the techniques give it a challenge.

The lavish version was knit using Madil Fusion which has been discontinued unfortunately because this was a great yarn. A mohair, merino & acrylic blend that has a wonderful drape, is lofty and soft, very lightweight. Of all their yarns this one was the last that should have been discontinued! If you see it out there somewhere grab it up you won't be disappointed.

The moderate version uses Cascade's Soft Spun which is pretty close to Fusion in loftiness and weight it's just missing that mohair fuzz.

If you are trying to substitute the yarn go for something that isn't wound tightly it needs to be light. When you hold these finished sweaters in your hands they weigh next to nothing.

Even though both Fusion & Soft Spun are worsted I liked how it looked using #11 (body) & #13 (collar & bottom of main body) needles with a gauge of just under 2.5 Sts = 1” in Stockinette Stitch on #11’s; 2-2.25sts = 1” in St st on #13’s.

And like the Boat Neck this pattern is not for the pedestrian knitter. Sizes are easy to adjust as you work and will be noted. The numbers provided form the framework and a starting point while making modifications to those numbers for a more custom fit for any size. This is the easier of the last 2 patterns I've posted and maybe a better introduction to this type of top down construction although I would still rate this for the intermediate knitter because of the techniques involved.

I love both of these sweaters. It's interesting though how different you feel wearing one or the other. The moderate version you feel you could definitely wear it to the office then throw on a pair of jeans for a casual after work get-together with your girlfriends. Where as the lavish version feels like something you want to wear to feel special or maybe for someone special I don't know but there's something about the way it feels when you wear it, the lightness and the fullness that makes you feel sexy!

Available as a PDF download. $6.50