Monochrome stripes in different yarns give texture to this exquisitely soft, slouchy cowl. Short row wedges shape the cowl’s folds. The shorter size is a lovely, light cowl for crisp days, while the deeper size shown gives more coverage, and can also be worn wrapped around the neck and pinned. Slouch Cowl is worked in the round from the bottom up, using knit and purl. The pattern includes an illustrated tutorial for German Short Rows.

Yarn

• Shibui Knits Cima (70% superbaby alpaca, 30% fine merino wool; 328 yds/300m per 1.76 oz/50g); 2 (3) skeins (shown in Dusk; yarn held double)
• Shibui Knits Tweed Silk Cloud (65% silk, 35% kid mohair; 190 yds/174 m per .88 oz/25 g); 2 (2) skeins (shown in Dusk)

Needles

• US4/3.5mm 24 in/60cm circular needle or size needed for correct gauge

Notions

• 4 stitch markers (1 distinct one for end of rnd + 3 for short rows)
• yarn needle

About the yarns:
Shibui Cima is a high twist, laceweight yarn in superbaby alpaca and fine merino wool. Cima’s fibre content gives this yarn a lovely softness and drape, while its high twist keeps the alpaca from shedding or forming too much of a halo. The high twist and the 30% superfine merino also give the fabric some memory, so it won’t lose its shape. If you are substituting for this yarn, look for a soft, laceweight (if holding double) or fingering to sport weight (if holding single) that gives you a slightly drapey fabric at the pattern’s gauge. You will need approximately 580 yds/530.5 m (970 yds/887 m) if using laceweight held double or 290 yds/265 m (485 yds/443.5 m) of heavier weight held single.

Shibui Tweed Silk Cloud is a 2 ply laceweight silk/kid mohair blend with tiny, silky neps. This yarn is slightly thicker than most kidsilk-type yarns, with a bit less halo. Like those yarns, though, it can be knit at a fairly loose gauge for its weight, as the mohair fills in the stitches, making a wonderfully soft, airy fabric with little to no memory. If substituting for this yarn, look for a soft, high-halo laceweight (there are some high-halo cashmere or alpaca yarns out now for those allergic to mohair) or a light fingering to sport weight with enough textural or colour contrast to show up against your other yarn. You will need approximately 260 yds/237.5 m (380 yds/347.5 m).

Note: Version 1 of this pattern—shown on here in the green Field colourway—was the shorter version only, worked in Shibui Knits Birch (100% extra fine merino; 262 yds/240m per 1.76 oz/50g) (now discontinued), and Shibui Knits Pebble (48% silk, 36% merino, 16% cashmere; 224 yards/205m per .88 oz/25 grams). It was worked with each yarn held single at the same stitch gauge of 25 sts to 4 in/10 cm, but at 36.5 rnds to 4 in/10 cm instead of 32 rnds.