Variegated yarns are so gorgeous, but they can be hard to use in stranded colorwork. Often what looks lovely in the skein ends up rather muddy when knit with a second color in a stranded pattern.

With this cowl, I wanted to celebrate the joy of a vibrant variegated skein by contrasting it against a deep black. The fine lines of black remind me of the intricate tracings in many stained-glass windows.

The cowl’s seemingly intricate stitch pattern is a 16-stitch repeat with no more than 5 stitches of a single color at a time, so there is no need to catch floats. Pick your favorite variegated yarn, find a really strong contrast color with absolutely no overlap with any of the colors in your variegated skein, and cast on with confidence!

Yarn
Miss Babs Yummy 2-Ply
100% Superwash Merino Wool; 400 yd/3.9 oz (365 m/110 g) per skein, 2 skeins, shown in Blackbird (MC) and Sunrise Swim (CC)
Or approximately 330 yards/302 meters of MC and 285 yards/261 meters of CC in fingering weight yarn.

Finished Measurements
Circumference: 43”/107.5 cm
Height: 8 1/4”/20.5 cm

Needles
US 2 2.75 mm circular needle, 24”/60 cm long, or
size to obtain gauge

Gauge
Blocked: 33 stitches and 38 rounds = 4”/10 cm square in
stranded colorwork.

This pattern has been professionally tech edited and test knit.