A Darn Good Cowl

 

 

What makes this cowl Darn Good isn't its design but the yarn. Darn Good Yarn works with women in Nepal and India to empower them to provide for their families....and their yarns are made from fabric factory leftovers which would otherwise end up in a landfill. And its lovely! Check out their website-- darngoodyarn.com-- for a full selection of their products.

I only had one skein, and I wanted enough for a big, chunky cowl, so I combined it with a skein of gray Manos yarn I'd been hoarding (ahem-- saving). This also gave it a bit more warmth, since I want to wear this in the fall and winter. Maybe I'll make one out of only silk for the spring. If you are planning on using only the sari silk yarn, I would recommend two skeins at least.

Materials:

1 skein Recycled Sari Silk Multicolored Ribbon in colorway Tibetan Jewels

1 skein Manos del Uruguay Wool Classica Semi-solid in gray

Disclaimer: I didn't have the yarn tag. I know it's a Manos yarn and I am relatively sure it is Wool Classica. Honestly, any chunky yarn will do.

Needles: size 50
Gauge: Approximately 5 sts and 5 rows per 4 inches

Combine your yarns:

Since the Manos had more yardage than the Sari Silk, I used the following technique for combining my yarn:

• Wind your yarn skeins into individual balls (one ball for Manos, one ball for Sari Silk)
• Holding one strand of Manos and one strand of Sari silk, wind yarn into a new ball until you have reached the end of the Sari Silk. Clip the Manos.
• Holding one stand of Manos and one strand of combined yarn, wind yarn into a new ball until you reach the end of the combined yarn. Clip the Manos.
• Repeat until all the yarn has been combined. Done this way, I believe I ended up with 3-4 strands of Manos and 1 strand of Sari Silk. (Hence the gigantic needles).
• If you want a less bulky yarn, you can stop after the first or second combination.

Cast On 11 stitches.

Knit in stockinette stitch (right side knit, wrong side purl) for 30 rows.

Bind off, leaving long tail for sewing. You will have what looks like a very short scarf.

With wrong sides together, use yarn tail to sew short ends together using the mattress stitch.

Wear it and be happy!