Summer nights here on Lake Michigan can be a bit chilly. We often find ourselves with pizza, wine, juice boxes and some sand toys sitting on the beach on Friday or Saturday nights here. As the sun goes down, and the cooler air comes in off the lake, I’m often looking for another layer to put on over my shirt or sweater. My love of cowls immediately took over and I started thinking about the perfect summer cowl to add to my weekend beach night outfit. I’ve made many cowls in my life but had yet to come up with a lighter weight summer cowl that I would actually wear. I went to work and came up with this design that’s cool enough to wear in the summer but it gives you just enough coverage to keep you a little warmer on those crisp summer nights.

This very versatile cowl is great using a lighter blend yarn for spring and summer but can easily be made for winter as well using a wool blend yarn. It’s knit in the round with a striped pattern and can be easily adjusted.