Nimbus Cowl
Our Nimbus Cowl puts your head in the clouds with a midway yarn change that creates layers of soft cloud cover and a very dreamy atmosphere!
You knit most of this cowl holding together a strand of light-as-air Tussock with a strand of down-to-earth Line Weight, then the Tussock takes solo flight, forming a fluffy halo up top like a gentle cloud floating by!
This combo of Wheat Flour Line Weight and Cloud Blue Tussock reminds us of the morning sky bursting through a foggy dawn. Use the same pairing with one of our Line Weight + Tussock Bundles (also available in fifteen other pairings). Or make your own color story with just one skein of each yarn… The sky’s the limit!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Laura Ferguson.
Share your progress + connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoNimbusCowl, #PurlSohoLineWeight, and #PurlSohoTussock. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
To knit your own Nimbus Cowl, you’ll need a Line Weight + Tussock Bundle, which includes…
- Yarn A: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Line Weight, 100% merino wool. Each skein is 494 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 255 total yards required. We used the color Wheat Flour.
- Yarn B: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Tussock, 60% super fine kid mohair and 40% silk. Each skein is 328 yards/ 25 grams; approximately 290 total yards required. We used the color Cloud Blue.
You will also need…
- US 4 (3.5 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- Stitch markers, including one unique
Here are some more color ideas, all available as Line Weight + Tussock Bundles (NOTE: some palettes are no longer available, including the one we used for our sample)…
Heirloom White + Heirloom White; Ballet Pink + Pale Orchid
Peony Pink + Pink Fog; Kiln Red + Orange Pekoe
Red Plum + Claret Pink; Lotus Flower + Bright Thistle
Night Blue + Cerulean Sea; Frond Green + Bright Jade
Gauge
28 stitches and 36 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch, holding Yarn A + Yarn B together
Size
Finished Circumference At Top: 19 inches
Finished Circumference At Bottom: 22 inches
Finished Height: 14 inches
Pattern
Holding one strand of Yarn A and one strand of Yarn B, cast on 154 stitches.
Place unique marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Work in stockinette stitch, knitting each round, until piece measures 3 inches from cast-on edge, rolled.
Set-Up Round: K77, place marker, knit to end of round.
Decrease Round: [Knit 2 together, knit to two stitches before next marker, slip slip knit] 2 times. [4 stitches decreased]
Working in stockinette stitch, repeat Decrease Round every 2 inches 3 more times. [138 stitches]
Work evenly in stockinette stitch for 1 inch.
Cut Yarn A.
Work evenly in stockinette stitch for 1 inch.
Repeat Decrease Round. [134 stitches]
Work evenly in stockinette stitch for 3 inches.
Bind off loosely, perhaps using a needle several sizes larger to ensure a nice, relaxed edge!
Weave in ends and gently block.
I am looking forward to knitting this cowl. The line weight sounds great, but I don’t like the feel of mohair–nor do I like to knit with linen. So I’m looking for another soft wool, merino or alpaca, that I could use as my second yarn. Any suggestions?
Hi Nancy,
Thanks for reaching out! In place of Tussock, I would suggest using another stand of Line Weight, Sweetgrass Fine, or even Anzula’s Cloud!
I hope this helps!
Gianna
Hello, what color tussocks would go with Pink Grapefruit (discontinued) and Heather Honey Pink (discontinued)?
Hi Kathryn,
Thanks for reaching out. I think that Tussock in Tea Rose would look lovely with Line Weight in either Pink Grapefruit or Honey Pink! You could also go with Heirloom White in combination with Honey Pink, and Anjou Pear could also work with Pink Grapefruit. Hope this helps you plan your project!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you Lili! I will be placing an order this weekend!
Can I use good wool and coorie for this project?
Hi Marcia!
Thank you for your question! Good Wool would be slightly too thick to use in place of Line Weight for this cowl as written, since Good Wool is a sportweight yarn while Line Weight is a fingering weight yarn. As for the upper portion in Tussock, Coorie would also be a too thick to use in this pattern as written for Tussock.
However, you can certainly make this cowl in a different weight! I suggest knitting a gauge swatch in Good Wool to see how many stitches you will need to cast on based on the amount of stitches per inch you are getting, and then you can adjust the pattern as need to work with your gauge!
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Margaret
I would like to make this for my 3 and 5 year old grandchildren. Can you please suggest how many stitches I should start with? I can figure out the rest. Thank you!
Hi Linda,
Thank you for your question. We’re so excited for you to make these cowls for your grandchildren! The best way to calculate a cast on stitch amount for their cowls is to determine the finished circumference that is needed for their head and neck size, and then use your gauge swatch of stitches per inch to calculate how many stitches to cast on. For an 18″ circumference at gauge, you can cast on 126 stitches, and for a 20″ circumference at gauge, you can cast on 140 stitches, as quick starting points!
I hope this helps, and happy knitting!
All the best,
Margaret
Thank you!
I love this pattern! I read that Posy yarn would be a suitable substitute for Line Weight because it is also a fingering weight yarn (it comes in a color my daughter loves.).
The pattern as written with the Line Weight and Tussock has a 28 sts =4” gauge for the double strand as well as the Tussock alone. I did a test swatch with the Posy and Tussock and the gauge came out to 22 sts=4”.
It is possible to make this with Posy yarn? Can I use a bigger needle for the top part with the Tussock only to get a 22sts=4” gauge? Any other suggestions to make it work? Thank you for any advice.
Hi Linda,
Thank you for writing in! We’re so glad to hear you love this pattern. While the best route to help achieve gauge in this case is to knit a swatch with a smaller size needle, you could also adjust this pattern to suit your specific gauge! To do this, you can use your stitches per inch ratio to calculate that you’ll need to cast on 121 stitches at 5.5 stitches per inch for a 22″ cowl circumference at the base of the cowl. For the set-up round later in the cowl, you will be placing your marker halfway through the round, or after 60 stitches. This way, you can knit the cowl with the gauge you have with Posy and Tussock!
I hope this helps provide some options from here for your project!
All the best,
Margaret
Thanks so much, Margaret!
I am just finishing up the lace columns wrap using 2 strands of Tussock. I am at 70″ and have a full skein of each color left. I’m looking for something to use the two skeins – one of bright verdigris and one cerulean sea. Would this cowl work with 2 strands of tussock rather than 1 tussock, 1 line weight?
Hi Lise,
This pattern would absolutely work for 2 strands of Tussock! The only thing you may want to consider is that the bottom circumference would end up narrower, since Tussock is thinner than Line Weight. But one thing you could do is use larger needles for that section, in order to match the gauge. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi, my swatch with 28 stitches came out to 5” so I tried a #3 needle, even then it was 4.5 “. Usually my gauge isn’t so far off. Should I adjust the number of stitches in this case?
Hi Alison,
Thank you for writing in! It sounds like your gauge for this pattern can be adjusted by going down an additional needle size but you can also check out our gauge tutorial for a more indepth look on how this can be done. Gauge can vary depending on the style of the knitter so we recommend using whatever needle size helps you obtain the same results of the pattern. If you are happy with the fabric you have created while swatching, you can stick to the needle size you have used! I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Hello, could I substitute Linen Quill instead of Line Weight for the Nimbus Cowl?
Hi KT,
Thanks for writing in! You could definitely use Linen Quill in place of Line Weight. We always suggest making a gauge swatch just to make sure you can meet the gauge of the pattern and are happy with the result of the fabric! I hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella