White Caps Cowl | Purl Soho

My mom lives an urban life in a landlocked city, but I’ve always felt she belongs in a small town by the water. It’s so easy to picture her hopping on a boat or walking along the shore, her salt and pepper hair mussed by the sea air, her sneakers tattered, her jeans old and worn, but her sweater a chic slip of linen or cashmere.

White Caps Cowl | Purl Soho

Have you ever known someone who so throughly embodies a duality that you can hardly describe her? That’s how I feel about my mom, but one thing I can say for sure is that my mother’s elegance depends on her rustic nature. You’d never see her in make-up, but that is precisely what makes her beautiful. Whether I knew it or not, when I started this cowl, I was knitting with her in mind. It, like she, pairs unlikely opposites that together create a one-of-a-kind amalgam, radiant with depth and beauty!

White Caps Cowl | Purl Soho

I knit this cowl primarily with Habu’s thick-and-thin Cotton Nerimaki Slub. It creates a decadent, cloud-like fabric that is both hearty and ethereal. And set against the cotton are thin stripes of Alchemy’s Silken Straw, a meticulous, flat silk ribbon with a crisp finish and pearly shine. Together, these yarns form a graceful and surprising union, each complementing the other!

White Caps Cowl | Purl Soho

We named this the White Caps Cowl because the cotton captures the feeling of frothy caps on ocean waves while the silk shimmers amidst the cowl’s folds and drapes, like light dancing across the sea’s surface. To add some duality to your life, you can get the full pattern for the White Caps Cowl here! -Laura

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Laura Ferguson.

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoWhiteCapsCowl. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

White Caps Cowl | Purl Soho

To knit your very own White Caps Cowl, you will need…

  • Contrast Color (CC): 1 skein of Alchemy’s Silken Straw, 100% silk. Each skein is 236 yards/ 40 grams; approximately 236 yards required. This color is Platinum.
  • Main Color (MC): 2 skeins of Habu’s Cotton Nerimaki Slub, 100% cotton. Each skein is 158 yards/ 24 grams; approximately 316 yards required.
  • in the color Undyed.
  • US 4 (3.5 mm), 16-inch circular needle
  • 8 stitch markers

Gauge

32 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch using Silken Straw

Size

Finished Circumference at the Top: 17 inches

Finished Circumference at the Bottom: 23 inches

Finished Length: 21 inches

Notes

Knit the first stitch of each row (not including the first and last 6 rows) with both yarns held together. This creates a handsome faux seam that runs vertically and adds a bit of structure and also eliminates the number of tails you would have to weave in.

Pattern

Begin at the Bottom Rolled Edge

With the Contrast Color (CC), cast on 184 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Place a marker and join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.

Knit 6 rounds.

Change to the Main Color (MC).

NOTE: Do not cut yarn. As you continue, knit the first stitch of each following round with both yarns held together.

White Caps Cowl | Purl Soho

Purl 1 round.

**With MC, knit 12 rounds.

Change to CC, knit 4 rounds.

Repeat from ** 9 more times.

Shape the Top

With MC, knit 2 rounds.

Next Round: *K23, place marker, repeat from * to end of round.

Decrease Round: *Knit to 2 stitches before next marker, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (176 stitches)

Knit 3 rounds evenly.

Repeat Decrease Round. (168 stitches)

Knit 3 rounds evenly.

Repeat Decrease Round. (160 stitches)

With CC, knit 4 rounds.

With MC, Knit 3 rounds evenly.

Repeat Decrease Round. (152 stitches)

Knit 3 rounds evenly.

Repeat Decrease Round. (144 stitches)

Knit 3 rounds evenly.

Repeat Decrease Round, removing makers as you go. (136 stitches)

Finish with the Top Rolled Edge

Still with MC, purl one round.

NOTE: Cut the MC yarn, you will no longer be knitting the first stitch of each row with both yarns held together.

With CC, knit 6 rounds.

Bind off loosely, weave in your ends and block!

White Caps Cowl | Purl Soho