Cowl, hood, shawl… long or short; up or down; whatever you call it and however you wear it, this multi-purpose garment will keep you cozy and cute. A little bit romantic and a little bit avant-garde, it will fit right in amongst any modern fairy princess’s wardrobe basics. Find an especially lovely, soft yarn you’ve been coveting and knit away with your head in the clouds and your eyes on sunny days ahead.

Note: Gauge is not crucial, but it will affect finished size. Your fabric should be pleasantly loose and drapey so that the cowl flows easily; you will likely want a looser gauge than suggested for your yarn. Note that a yarn’s drape can significantly affect yardage used! Both the gray and purple cowls shown used around 500 yards, but the gray one (merino/silk, very flowing) wrapped three times, while the purple one (wool/cotton, bouncier and firmer) only wrapped twice.

Skill level: Intermediate (skills: cabling, short row shaping, Kitchener Stitch).

Updates: pattern was released 7/5/12. Updated 7/27/12 with small errata. Updated 1/29/2014 with schematic.