Free pattern: Elanor Cowl

(This free pattern has been available on my old blog for some time, so I thought it would be a good idea to move it to the new one. Enjoy!)

Supplies:

• Yarn: Rowan Purelife Organic Cotton, two skeins; or 300 yards of a similar fingering weight yarn. I used colourway Chlorophyll.
• Needles: size 4 / 3.5mm.
• 8 buttons, the kind with little loops on the back, not holes through the center.
• Crochet hook with a small enough tip to put through the loops of the buttons.
• Tapestry needle.

Gauge: 

• Doesn’t really matter for this project. It’s knit longways so you can test out the length as you go. To increase the width,  add a multiple of 6 stitches.

Instructions:

1. Cast on 56 stitches.
2. (RS) K2, *p1, yo, k2tog through the back loop, p1, k2* to the end.
3. (WS) P2, *k1, p2* to the end.
4. K2, *p1, k2tog, yo, p1, k2* to the end.
5. P2, *k1, p2* to the end.
6. Repeat these four rows until you reach an agreeable length.
7. On a WS row, add your buttons: p2, k1, p2, k1, then on the next p, use your crochet hook to pull the loop off the left-hand needle and through the back of your button. Replace the loop on the left, make sure your button is facing the RS, and continue your p2, k1. Put a button on the first purl of every other ‘p2, k1’ segment. (Note, I didn’t put buttons at the very corners.
8. As step 2 or 4, depending on which WS row you put the buttons on.
9. Cast off and sew in your ends!

And the clever thing is, the openings in the lace double as buttonholes. Keep this in mind when picking buttons, they’ll need to squeeze through! I also left my cowl unblocked, as the cotton stays smooshier that way.