One of my more lasting hobbies is knitting. My mom taught me how to knit about 8 years ago and after a rough go at it I decided I wasn’t into it. It took a couple of years after that for me to renew my interest in knitting. I had been waiting for my mom to knit me a scarf for about that same amount of time and figured even if I basically had to start from scratch I would get it done before her. And I did and I have not looked back since.

For me it’s the perfect craft. I find endless inspiration in it, it fills my time, I feel more productive if I’m knitting and watching movies, and my projects are quite useful. I’m even more excited about knitting currently since I again live in a place I can wear all my knitted items most of the year.

Recently I made a quick and easy cowl with some leftover yarn from a Christmas gift for my brother. I loved the texture and color of the yarn but only had enough for a small project. I’m a fanatic for cowls and figured this would be the perfect thing to make with my scrap yarn. It’s a great beginner project because it’s a little more interesting than dish clothes or a straight scarf but it’s also pretty simple and looks really great on.

To make this cowl you will need:

-About 160 yards of bulky yarn-more of less depending on how large you’d like your cowl (I used cascade ecological wool)

-1 set of circular needles (I used a size 13 but you could use smaller ones for a tighter knit or larger ones for a looser knit-although I wouldn’t go too much larger)

-1 stitch marker to mark the beginning of each round

Cast on 84 stitches and join to work in the round making sure to not twist your stitches.

Knit 25 rows

Next row: *knit 10, k2together* repeat all the way around (you will now have 77 sts)

Knit 8 rows

Next row: *knit 9, k2together* (you will now have 70 sts)

Knit 7 rows

Bind off loosly

{As you can see there is a lot of room for experimentation here. You can use larger or smaller needles, cast on more or less stitches, spread out the decrease rows or eliminate them all together. Have fun with it and make it your own. It’s quite rewarding and you’ll be glad you did it!}

-I’d be happy to answer any questions you have so feel free to ask in the comments.