Choosing Yarns: Floating Clouds Cowl
I feel like I have one foot in New Zealand and one foot in the UK, as I have alternated between living in the two countries so many times now. So I understand what it feels like to struggle to buy a recommended yarn because of distance.
So for all of you who feel similarly I have created a free worksheet to accompany my Floating Clouds Cowl pattern so you can get some advice on swatching and substituting yarns for this pattern.
Click here for free Swatching and Substituting Yarns Worksheet
I absolutely love the Woollenflower Plant Dyed Alpaca, Linen, Silk plant dyed yarn. Its a sensory delight, and the linen makes it perfect for a summer knit. But if you can't get your hands on some easily I've found somewhat of a substitute in BC Garn's Silkbloom Extra Fino yarn. It is similar to Woollenflower's Alpaca, Linen, Silk yarn in that it is 2 plied and has some silk. But it knits slightly smaller and doesn't have either linen or alpaca.
So I have swatched it, and measured the width of 4 repeats (40sts) as 12.5cm.
And I measured half the height as 9 cm.
Going through the worksheet, if I knit the pattern without adjustment the cowl would end up measuring:
441 sts x 12.5 cm ÷ 40 sts = 138 cm long
9 cm x 2 = 18 cm high
I like to wrap the cowl around my head 3 times, so using a tape measure wrapped 3 times around I can see that I need at least 150cm.
So I'm going to adjust the pattern, as per my worksheet:
160cm x 40 sts ÷12.5 cm = 512 sts
I am going to round down as I find a tend to knit looser on larger pieces, so 510 ÷ 4 = 127.5 is not a whole number (which will mean the increases after the rolled edge won't work) so down 10 more sts to 500 ÷ 4 = 125, success.
Add 1 st to this to get:
New Twist & Cable Rnd St Count = 501sts
And the Cast On St Count = (501 sts - 1 st) x 0.75 = 375 sts
So how much yarn do I need to buy?
(501 sts ÷ 441 sts) x 516 m = 586 m
There are 300 m in every skein of BC Garn so I need to buy 2 of them.
Clear as mud? Just get in touch if you are stuck, and perhaps you will help another confused person when you do.
Click here to go to Floating Clouds Cowl page