Cowls and hats are two of my favorite items items to design and so I was thrilled to work Levin Cowl for Creative Knitting's Autumn Issue:
This is the easy-peasy item for any gifts or no-brainer knitting while watching tv and movies. The entire cowl is worked in seed stitch and worked with a bit of bling. I had not worked with Crystal Palace Yarns Gold Rush before this and it was an ideal match for this cowl. Bulky weight and 3.5 stitches per inch made for some mighty fast knitting.
I used the colorway Morning Dew. Because I made sure the stripe sequence stayed consistent, if I remember right, I needed 8 balls though only 7 are technically needed for the correct yardage. The flickers of gold added some shimmer which is I almost always heart.
If you don't mind seaming, feel free to use a usual long-tail cast on. I used a provisional cast on so that it could be joined with a three-needle bind off. I twisted one end of the fabric to make it a mobius, but not necessary if you like your cowls straight up.
If you need extra warmth, feel free to double when wearing:
This is one of those designs that's easy to alter for whatever you need. The magazine's cowl is 12 3/4" x 60" but feel free to cut in half or make shorter or longer. Plus, gauge isn't critical which is always a a project I need more often than I care to admit.
Second is a Button Cable Beret from Sixty Quick Luxury Knits:
All of the projects in the book use Cascade Yarn's Venezia line, a heavenly combination of 70% wool and 30% silk. My hat is in Venezia Sport and is worked in the round from beginning to end. 20" is the hat's brim circumference with a diameter of 11" at the widest point. If a smaller hat is desired, simply take out a cable repeat.
I thought extra buttons would be fun, so those were added after the body of the hat is worked.
Happy knitting!