Sandymouth is a bay in Cornwall, UK where one can admire uncommon rock formations. Tilted beds of rock form vertical strata in grey and rust colors as layers of sandstone and thin shales alternate. What did it take to create these layers? What kind of force shaped the Earth’s crust to tilt these rocks? Such geological formations fascinate me.
The Rocksandy cowl is inspired and freely named after the Sandymouth Bay, its colorful rock layers, sand and pebbles. The cowl features vertical stripes using yarns and stitches that complement each other: Compact and sturdy, airy and fluffy. Those create a playful cowl full of contrast and texture for maximum effect. Come rock the boat and tilt your stripes!

The cowl is perfect if you want a bit of adventure: experiment with round or squishy yarns, textures, bold or subtle colors. You choose! It’s your chance to have fun with some yarn and to learn a great provisional cast-on and to master grafting (or three-needle BO). Video tutorials are provided to help you master all the used stitches and techniques, so you are in good hands! ;-)

Yarns
Bart & Francis MerinoSoft Sport (Sport; 100% Merino; 300 meters / 328 yards per 100 grams); MC: 1 skein.

Bart & Francis Mohair & Silk (Lace; 70% kid Mohair, 30% Silk; 500 meters / 547 yards per 50 grams); CC: 1 skein.

Sample uses 67 grams in color Rocket Sprocket Violet mix (MC) and 26 grams in color Bright Pink (CC).

Needles
5 mm (US size 8) 100 cm / 40 inches circular needle or size to obtain gauge.

Gauge
24 stitches and 45.5 rows = 10 cm / 4 inches in stitch Pattern B – Rocks (Linen Stitch), unblocked with MC.
22 stitches and 42 rows = 10 cm / 4 inches in stitch Pattern B – Rocks (Linen Stitch), blocked with MC.
22 stitches and 18 rows = 10 cm / 4 inches in stitch Pattern A – Beach (Stockinette), blocked with CC held double.
Note: obtaining the gauge given is not crucial but will affect the finished size and the yardage needed.

Notions
Waste yarn (or spare circular needle cable). Spare 5 mm (US size 8) needle for grafting (or three-needle BO). Tapestry needle. Blocking pins.

Size
One; easily customizable.

Final measurements
Length (l): 105 cm / 41.25 inches, width (w): 24 cm / 9.5 inches.

Skill level
Basic stitches, single increases and decreases. Slip stitches. Easy to memorize stitch patterns. Patterning on all rows. Provisional CO. Grafting (or three-needle BO). Video tutorials are provided for the stitches and techniques used.

Pattern notes
This pattern is worked flat. The cowl is closed using a graft (or a three-needle BO). Suggestions are given to customize the pattern, and to knit a scarf instead of a cowl.
Charts and written instructions are provided as well as clear video tutorials for the used stitches. A schematic shows the color and stitch-pattern blocks.

Pattern support
For questions about this pattern, please PM me on Ravelry or send me an email. Contact details are provided.

Want to get a free cowl? Read on!

We all love knitting, right?! I certainly do! I’d like to gift you a cowl and doing so spread the love for knitting even more :-) This gift is available to everyone.

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