Camptown Races is a three-color cowl with two different striping options. It’s worked in the round as a tube. There are loops of yarn looping in rounds around a large loop… like a racetrack. I found myself singing along all de doo-da day to this classic tune by Stephen Foster:

The Camptown ladies sing this song,
doo-da, doo-da,
the Camptown racetrack’s five miles long,
oh, de doo-da day.

Goin’ to run all night,
goin’ to run all day,
I bet my money on a bob-tailed nag,
somebody bet on the grey.

NOTES: This medium-level pattern is worked in the round with three colors. It includes stripes and/or chevrons (your choice). The cowl starts with a provisional cast on, is a knit in the round as a tube, then grafted together at the end. If you prefer, you may do a traditional cast on and sew the cowl together at the end.

Sample shown: The Plucky Knitter Primo Sport 75% Extra Fine ItalianMerino Wool, 20% Cashmere, 5% Nylon; 275yd per 100 gram skein; colors: MC: Medieval (grey), CC1: Edwardian (blue), CC2: Princess Phone (yellow): Less than 1 skein each. Large Chevron Cowl uses approx 594 yards and 216 grams of yarn in total. The striped version used approx 3 grams per stripe.

Pattern is currently available exclusively as a kit through the Plucky Knitter. Pattern will be available here for download in a few months.

Photos by Vivian Aubrey