Pattern Testing Winter Whispers Cowl (matches hat)
Finished
November 13, 2017
November 15, 2017

Pattern Testing Winter Whispers Cowl (matches hat)

Project info
Winter Whispers Hat And Cowl by Kerry Jayne Designs
Crochet
Neck / TorsoCowl
Pattern Testing for Kerry / Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Appeal
KerryJayneDesigns on ravelry
Standard
Hooks & yarn
7.0 mm
133 yards
James C. Brett Flutterby Chunky
0 yards in stash
0.13 skeins = 25.0 yards (22.9 meters), 13 grams
B1
1215
White
October 2017
Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky
82 yards in stash
0.65 skeins = 96.8 yards (88.5 meters), 65 grams
615365
Pink
November 2017
Paintbox Yarns Simply Chunky
2 yards in stash
0.08 skeins = 11.9 yards (10.9 meters), 8 grams
615987
Gray
October 2017
Notes

Pattern Testing this cowl which matches the hat I just made, for the designer Kerry. Here is a link to the hat pattern you see in these photos.

Top Tip To Remember

When using the chenille yarn don’t forget to add a knot to the cut end of the Yarn, this will stop the fluff falling off and keep you and your working space fluff free :-). You want to do this to your yarn ends only, not the yarn part your working with. Obviously when you’ve finished using the chenille yarn for that round(s) you do want to tie a knot to the end of that strand too. When you tie the knot you might find you have some of the yarn end still, if so it will only shed the fluff up to the knot. I tend to do my knot and then cut fairly close to it to stop fluff going everywhere. I hope this helps, it’s a step you really don’t want to skip as then you have nothing stopping the yarn material (fluff) coming off.

Pattern Notes

Started with a 6mm hook which matches the gauge when making the hat. After I did the first row after chaining I checked for size. I was getting 14 stitches to 4 inches when the gauge should mean I have 12. The length of this row was between 16 1/2” to 17” and I knew this wasn’t right, that it would be too small to fit over the head. I checked with the designer what the length should be and this confirmed that it was too small like I thought. (Included photos of this first try)

I frogged what I’d done and started again, this time using a 6.5mm hook. Much better results this time as when I checked the gauge I had 12 stitches to 4” which was perfect. The over all length/circumference would be approx 20” as I measured the row after I joined it and one side was 10” as you’ll see from the photos. I even laid it on the hat as the designer mentioned hers was slightly bigger than the width of the hat, which mine was. I was still a bit worried about size though.

I decided although the gauge matched that I would increase my hook one more time and see what those results were. I used a 7mm hook and did the same again. This time I got 11 stitches to 4” so only one stitch short. My overall length was approx 21” and I was much happier with this size, I even tried slipping it over my head to get an idea. I decided based on this I’d stick with the 7mm hook even though the gauge wasn’t a complete match (my 6.5mm hook was as mentioned above) as I felt more confident about the overall size the cowl would be, as I was aware as I made it I could loose a little width/length. This is my personal choice and if you make this cowl and get the same results it’s up to you whether you use the 6.5mm hook or the 7mm hook as either will work well for this pattern.

After this the pattern went smoothly and I loved making it. I thought the finishing step of adding the chenille yarn to the top and bottom of the cowl was the perfect finishing touch. I really love how it looks and it’s a lovely matching accessory to the hat.

As for the making of the chain cord and pom poms to truly complete the cowl, I followed the instructions. I did make a slight change to how the designer had hers, this was by accident though. I forgot that she didn’t have her chain coming out from the same section, it was actually apart so the chain cord didn’t meet. I did everything else though so I weaved the chain as she suggested :-) and as for the slight change of where the cords dangle for the pom poms well I’d say do the look you personally prefer.

Top Tip: For the chain cord I did the size I thought I’d need (so don’t cut the yarn yet), I then threaded my needle to the other end where I started my chain and weaved in throughout the cowl as per instructions. By doing it this way I could check I was happy with the size and the amount of cord I had hanging before cutting the yarn. It means should it not be long enough you can chain more or if it’s too long you can undo your chains till it’s how you like it.

I used clover pom pom maker for my cowl, first I started with my 65mm pom pom maker thinking this would be the right size but it was definitely too big. I looked at what other sizes I had and the next biggest I had that was smaller was 35mm. I knew it might be too small but I had nothing to loose but to try, it actually turned out to be the perfect size :-) and I knew two of them would finish of the cowl nicely. So I made another of the same size…actually I ended up making another as it didn’t quite match my first in size despite using the same pom pom maker. I ended up with two that matched well from the smaller pom pom maker and all I did was attach them securely to the chain cord :-).

Oh I almost forgot, after doing this I took some of the grey yarn I had cut (same yarn colour as the chain cord) and used this to secure the chain cord to the cowl like the pattern asked. This is for safety so they cannot be used to pull the chain around the neck as this part of the design is purely for look. As I had my chain cord coming from the same opening I decided to the the cords together first and then once I was happy that my chain was sitting well on the cowl (without any pull to it) I started to sew into place. I did this from the inside of the cowl, so the back of the first side where I tied my cord chains together. By using the same grey yarn it meant I could disguise sewing into place and by doing it from the back (inside) it meant you’d never see anything either. I’m really happy with the finish I got and to be honest it would be hard to tell I even sewed it in place which is what I like.

I will add the finished measurements of my cowl below :-) bare in mind this is based on me making mine with a 7mm hook which didn’t quite match the gauge and I didn’t worry about being the height requirement of the gauge as I knew it didn’t matter as much as the hat.

Cowl Width: 10.8” / 27.5cm
Cowl Circumference: 21.6” / 55cm
Cowl height: 5.3” / 13.5cm

Oh and I choose not to add extra height to the cowl like the pattern mentioned you could for adults, so it’s exactly as the pattern is written. The choose to make this desicion for two reasons; firstly as I was pattern testing I thought it best to do the standard size and secondly as I planned on this going inside a charity Christmas shoebox appeal I wanted to keep the bulk down :-). If I wasn’t planning on the cowl being for this purpose then most likely I would of added height as the pattern suggested.

Hope this helps but any questions please ask!

Yarn Amounts

Candyfloss Pink Yarn: 45g used for Cowl with the two small pom poms attached.

Above says 65g, this is incorrect but I needed to log it so my yarn totals would be correct. See notes below;

I used 20g approx on another two pom poms I didn’t use for this pattern. First one I made was too big, second one was the right size but didn’t match the next one I made so had to make another. So I have 2 pom poms left that I’ve not used that weigh 20g. This means I only used 45g for this cowl with two pom poms.

viewed 15 times
Finished
November 13, 2017
November 15, 2017
About this pattern
7 projects, in 2 queues
bedcrafter's overall rating
bedcrafter's clarity rating
bedcrafter's difficulty rating
About this yarn
by James C. Brett
Bulky
100% Polyester
192 yards / 100 grams

1788 projects

stashed 1245 times

bedcrafter's star rating
About this yarn
by Paintbox Yarns
Bulky
100% Acrylic
149 yards / 100 grams

2530 projects

stashed 2309 times

bedcrafter's star rating
  • Project created: November 16, 2017
  • Finished: November 16, 2017
  • Updated: September 15, 2018