Who doesn’t love the beach? Now you can bring a beach adventure to your own knitting with “Andi’s Beach Adventure”! Like my Magic Crystal hat pattern, there will be a storyline to go along with the knitting. (There are possibly mermaids and pirates involved.)

Buy your yarn from your local yarn shop, and then hang out. Clues will be released on January 3, 6, 10, 17, 20, 24, 31, and Feb. 3 and 7. I’ll be doing a class/knitalong through Stitch Your Art Out.

To make this cowl, you’ll need about 150 yards each of three colors of worsted-weight yarn, in light, medium, and dark. You might want to make the medium color either a variegated or self-striping yarn to add some interest. Yarns such as Malabrigo Rios, Berroco Ultra Alpaca, or Cascade 220 are all good choices. Noro yarns or Berroco Sesame or something similar would make a terrific self-striping addition! I encourage you to buy from your local yarn shop if you possibly can, to see yarns in person and to support local!

The cowl measures about 40” in circumference at the bottom and about 20” or 23” at the neck. (You’ll have your choice of how much to decrease at the neck. Some people like to be warm, others don’t like to feel tight around their necks.) It’s about 13”-15” high. Changes in sizing will be explained as part of the pattern.

You’ll want a longer needle (about 32”) for the bottom of the cowl in a larger and a smaller size, and you’ll want a short needle (16” or 24”) for the top. If you want your cowl to be a bit bigger, use a U.S. 6 (4mm) and 8 (5mm) needle. If you want it to be a bit smaller, use a 5 (3.75mm) and 7 (4.5mm). Gauge and sizing are not essential.