Make It: Seed Stitch Cowl

A couple weeks ago I decided it was time to put a little knitting back in my life. I learned how to knit years ago thanks to my Grandma. She's also the one who taught me how to sew. These skills will last me a lifetime and I'm so grateful to have had a wonderful teacher to impart such wisdom.

While at my Mecca (aka Joann's) I stumbled upon a skein of Lion Brand wool yarn in the clearance bin for a dollar. ONE DOLLAR! It's taupe so it should be pretty versatile and oh yeah, it only cost me a buck. I have lots of scarves but no knit cowls. I was inspired by Luvin' the Mommyhood's cowl knit along. I couldn't get my act together to participate by the deadline but I'm proud of my cowl all the same. Crafting on a schedule isn't my forte. Sometimes I'm feelin' it, sometimes not.

If I do say so myself, I got pretty fancy with this cowl and broadened my knitting horizons. Having never attempted a seed stitch before, I thought this bargain cowl was a good project to give it a shot. For you non-knitters, seed stitch is a knit one, purl one alternating stitch for each row, beginning with the opposite (knit or purl) on each row you start. I thought I would have a lot of trouble trying to figure out which to start with as I'm not a fancy enough knitter to look at a row and know whether I knitted or purled last. I finally figured all that out though and came across a helpful tip, whatever you ended your previous row with, also starts your next row. So, if you ended on a purl, when you turn your knitting over, you start with a purl. Got it? Easy peasy lemon squeezey. I only messed up on 2 rows. I thought that was pretty good for my first seeding.

I didn't use a pattern for this, just cast on 14 stitches and went to town. When my desired length was reached, I stitched the two ends together. If I do this kind of cowl again, I'd probably only cast on 10 or 12 stitches. It could be a bit narrower. What I like most about the seed stitch is that it's tight and doesn't stretch too much (like garter) or curl (like stockinette). I also like the pattern all the little seeds create. I am definitely seeding again in the future.

So, that's my cowl! I can wear it loose, or doubled. I prefer the doubled look. I think it's going to look great with my cream winter coat.