Use knitting expert Laura Nelkin's design worksheet along with any of twelve templates to build your own cowl designs with little to no math. You'll even be able to write publishable patterns. Laura will help you choose yarn, stitch patterns, borders and edgings before guiding you step-by-step through bringing a unique cowl to life. Design a cute, cozy round cowl, a sophisticated Möbius cowl or a fabulous flat cowl you can seam or connect with buttons. Along with all the tips and tricks you need to succeed at designing and knitting original cowls, this class also includes three of Laura's finished cowl patterns! Sign up today and radiate eye-catching style in custom cowls you can call your own.
Class Sessions
What Is a Cowl?
23:56
Meet your instructor, Laura Nelkin, and begin to consider what design elements you want your cowl to have. A design worksheet included with your class materials will help you keep track of your choices and choose the best design template for your pattern.
More Design Decisions
27:23
Choosing the right yarn for your project means you get to shop in your stash or try out new fibers! Find joy in your swatching and blocking as you determine just the right stitch patterns and borders for your cowl.
Designing a Round Cowl
30:38
Laura includes six different design templates for cowls that are knitted in the round. She walks you through the steps for calculating your cast-on, body stitches and edging for round cowls that are not twisted, using her Red Cowl as an example.
Designing a Mobius Cowl
22:03
Twisted, or Möbius, cowls are round cowls that are knitted from the center out. Laura gives an overview of the basic Möbius design calculations, then demonstrates with her Lapso Cowl. You'll learn how you can move beyond the template boundaries to add your own twists to the base design.
Designing a Flat Cowl
34:28
Laura discusses the many ways you can design a flat-knitted cowl using the six provided templates. Even a simple rectangle with buttons can be a stunning accessory when you choose an interesting stitch pattern and add handmade buttons. See how Laura's Ojo Cowl was calculated by following along on the design template.
Tips & Tricks
28:02
Your new favorite stretchy cast-on and bind-off might be the ones you learn in this lesson. Laura also demonstrates the Möbius cast-on and provisional cast-on and shares some cowl-blocking tricks.
Designing Extras
14:51
If you plan to start designing cowl patterns to share or sell, you'll want Laura's professional tips. These include calculating yarn amounts, getting your pattern written out and charted correctly, and having your pattern edited and photographed. Soon you'll be crafting patterns designed to delight!
Your Instructor
Laura Nelkin
Laura Nelkin lives in upstate New York, where the sunny season is short, leaving plenty of time for knitting indoors. Though she has a degree in apparel design, she took to knitting years ago and hasn't looked back. Today, she finds herself fascinated with beads and lace. Laura teaches all over the country, runs mystery knit-alongs and has her own line of knitting kits and self-published patterns. You can find them online, as well as in her book, "Knockout Knits."
Bonus Material
Design Your Own Cowl - Design Worksheet
Design Your Own Cowl - Round Cowl Templates
Design Your Own Cowl - Flat Cowl Templates
Design Your Own Cowl - Red Cowl Pattern
Design Your Own Cowl - Lapso Cowl Pattern
Design Your Own Cowl - Ojo Cowl Pattern
Bonus Materials available for download after purchase.
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