Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Knitting: Color Blocked Arm Knit Cowl (Tutorial)


Because my brain has this compulsion to keep iterating on an idea... even though I should have checked off the Arm Knit Infinity Cowl and moved on to the other things waiting for me I couldn't help but try a variation: color blocking.


I love it on sweaters and other apparel. Why not this cowl?


So I tried it in a couple of my favorite neutrals, grey and taupe. Very wearable, for me anyway.


And I tried it in charcoal and red. Kind of a lumberjack look. Reds are tricky. This is a bit too bright for me. Or maybe I just haven't found the right thing to wear it with.



But wouldn't this be fun in neon + grey? Or white + black?


Would you make one?  What colors?

Click through for the how-to.

P.S. **Do you crochet? I'm looking for testers for an earflap hat pattern in the works. If you are interested please email me with the subject "crochet tester" Thanks! ** 

COLOR-BLOCKED ARM KNIT COWL

You'll Need:
  • 2 skeins COLOR 1 yarn
  • 2 skeins COLOR 2 yarn
  • Your bare arms
  • My original tutorial
To make: follow my original Arm Knit Infinity Cowl tutorial  BUT switch your yarn color half way through. The pattern looks like this:

Color-Blocked Arm Knit Cowl Pattern
  1. Working with COLOR 1, hold two strands together and cast on 12 stitches.
  2. Knit every row for 10 rows.
  3. Cut a long tail (about 20 inches) and switch to COLOR 2. Knit 10 rows.
  4. Bind off all stitches
  5. Seam cast-on and bound-off edges together to form a giant loop.
  6. Weave in ends.
Here are a few photos for extra explanation:


After arm-knitting 10 rows with your COLOR 1 yarn (mine is charcoal grey in this example), cut a long tail (I like mine long enough to weave down the length to one of the ends so I can bury it in the seam when finishing), and then switch to COLOR 2. 

You can simply leave the tail of COLOR 1 hanging and then grab COLOR 2 and go to work, or you can tie the tail of COLOR 1 to what will be the tail of COLOR 2 and then start arm-knitting. I've tied a knot below:


After arm-knitting the 11th row your project will look like this:


Keep going and bind off, seam and weave in the ends as usual. Enjoy!


7 comments:

  1. LOVE the neutrals!!! The red is cool too... Perhaps it could look good with taupe as well. I think I'll have to give it a go as the colder weather approaches (although we don't get the snow that you do).

    Sheree xo

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  2. Ooooooh - lovely! They look so soft and warm. I have to say that I like the red and grey best. Grey and yellow (or grey and lime green) would look wonderful too, I think.
    Carly
    x

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  3. I can see how this arm knitting could quickly become addictive! I made a cowl yesterday while the baby was sleeping...I'm inspired to try a colour blocked one next:)

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  4. Oh that's fun, I especially like the grey taupe one. About crochet-I could totally test a pattern for you if you want a total novice :)

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  5. I love these but felt a bit intimidated by it. I have seen them demoed before, but now I think I will give it try. I would love it in brown and taupe or black and white.

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  6. The cowl is gorgeous, but I swear you could make a paper bag look glamorous.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

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