Hydrangeas have always held a place in our hearts in my family. Here, in the summer of the Pacific Northwest, they bloom in great washes of the most vivid lavenders and pinks. Some an almost electric cornflower blue. The dark ones a glorious purple. To me, they embody the lazy heat of summer as it slowly slips into a hint of fall.

With this cowl, I focused on a stitch pattern that’s off-the-beaten-path. The texture and bunching of the garter sections within the lace remind me of big heads of hydrangea blooms. This cowl might be worn on a cool summer night, and still used deeper in fall and winter with a warm coat or sweater. It’s a great wintry gift, yet light enough to knit while the blooms are still nodding on the bushes.

• Pattern is charted
• 3-page pdf
• color photos
• Thanks to terbearknits for knitting the sample!