One of the many wonderfully liberating aspects of short rows is that they can take you in unexpected directions, allowing you to shape, curve, and stream color at will, at any point in your project. Now that I’ve thoroughly embedded short rows into my knitting vocabulary, I just can’t seem to design without them.

Here’s a cowl that’s long enough to form a hooded capelet that incorporates free-range short rows to curve color elements around the circumference. Knit on circular needles but not joined initially, it begins as a wrap similar to the Color Streams Wrap pattern, a design I’ve made and taught many times. When I began envisioning this as a cowl fashioned around a different construction method, interesting variations took shape. Small organic island shapes worked in intarsia punctuate the design with color interest with long streams of open work and garter stitch enhancing movement around the design.

Pattern is available as a back issue of the 2014 Inspired Knitters Club or as a single pattern for sale here on Ravelry. Check out the knitalong in my group.