by Julia Farwell-Clay

I have a long standing fondness for the yarn philosophy of Brooke Sinnes whose business, Sincere Sheep, is in Napa, California. Brooke works exclusively with natural dyes, and concentrates on sourcing her yarns domestically and often keeps a yarn to a specific breed, celebrating the distinct character of the wool. This yarn, 100% Targhee wool from the Plains States, milled in North Carolina, and spun in Maine, is exemplary of her work.

As a knitter, I'm in love with the body and the soft squishiness of this yarn, which creates an elastic fabric with a lot of spine, a perfect formula to help this pattern stand up to the cold. I found this cowl to be a lot of fun to play with in the mirror, highlighting one part of the stitch pattern or another depending on how you twist it, but also fuss free if I'm leaving a coffee shop in a dash.

SIZE
One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Width: 8 inches
Circumference: 60 inches

MATERIALS
Yarn
Sincere Sheep Bannock [100% domestic Targhee wool; 280 yds/256m per 4 oz skein]; color: Kung Hey Fat Choi; 2 skeins

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
32-inch US #6/4 mm circular needle
32-inch US #7/4.5 mm circular needle

Notions
cable needle
stitch markers
yarn needle

GAUGE

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

C2/1L: Slip next 2 sts to cable needle and hold in front of work; k1, then k2 from cable needle.
C2/1R: Slip next st to cable needle and hold in back of work; k2, then k1 from cable needle.

Ribbing round: [K2, p2] around.

Work ribbing as set for 6 rounds.

Change to larger needle.

Next round, setup pattern: Work ribbing as set for 20 sts; place marker and work Row 1 of Chart (work first 36 sts, work 8-st repeat 16 times, work final 12 sts of chart); place marker and work ribbing as set to end.

Continue in pattern as set until Chart is complete.

Change to smaller needle.

Upper ribbing: Work rib as established to first marker, remove marker and continue working [k2, p2] to end of round.

Continue rib as set for 5 rounds more.

BO in ribbing.

FINISHING
Weave in ends. Wet block to finished measurements.

Julia Farwell-Clay (juliafc on Ravelry) has been parked in the shade across the street from the yarn shop for week now. The floor of her car's back seat is covered with empty coffee cups and a litter of stitch markers. Clearly, she's sleeping off a wool bender. Someone might want to call her family.

More here.