Through the Cracks Cowl

I made this cowl quite a while ago and have been meaning to get it posted on here but with all of the holiday projects I was trying to get up it just had to wait. I got the idea for it just looking through my stash of yarn that was leftover from other projects and saw a small ball of Red Heart Unforgettable that  was left over from my Spring Colors Scarf. I really like the colors of that yarn but there was just a small amount left and I wasn't sure what I could with it. 

I got the idea to combine it with another yarn and I thought a gray yarn would be a nice contrast to the colors in the Unforgettable. I found some Red Heart with Love in pewter and thought that would work perfectly. I decided to go really simple on the stitch. Sometimes it is really nice to try new stitches and complicated patterns but sometimes just using simple stitches can create a really cool effect too. I decided to use half double crochet, working in the back loop only. This gave it a ribbed effect which almost made it seem like the colors were a little sunken in and just peeking out through the cracks of the gray. Using a simple stitch makes for an easy, kind of mindless project which is really nice sometimes. Also, it makes it really simple to adjust both the length and the width to whatever you want.

How to Crochet a Through the Cracks Cowl

You will need:

• Red Heart Unforgettable, Candied
• Red Heart with Love, Pewter
• I crochet hook
• yarn needle
• scissors

Instructions:

You will be changing colors every row and because I didn't want to weave in a bunch of ends I just carried my yarn under the stitches I was working then switched to the new color at the end of each row. Sometimes you may need to pull it just a little at the end of the row to make sure it is laying flat underneath and there aren't any little loops of yarn stitcking out. 

You can adjust the width by simply chaining more or less and the length by the number of rows you do.

Beginning ch 2 doesn not count as a stitch

with gray yarn, ch 26

Row 1: hdc in 3rd chain from the hook and each ch across, switch to colored yarn (24 hdc)

Row 2: ch 2, turn, hdc in blo in each stitch across carrying the gray yarn under your stitches, switch to gray (24 hdc)

Row 3: ch 2, turn, hdc in blo in each stitch across carrying the colored yarn under your stitches, switch to color (24 hdc)

Continue repeating rows 2 and 3 until you reach the desired length. I did a total of 68 rows. 

When you reach the desired length, ending with a colored row, cut the yarn leaving a long end for sewing and stitch the two ends together to form the cowl. Weave in all of your ends

If you want to find more great projects you can make for yourself check out the "Make it for me" series on Elk Studio.