In a three-act play, the first act sets the scene and introduces you to the characters, the second act allows the plot to unspool, and the third act winds up the story line with a tidy ending. Third Act Resolution is a cowl that tells a story of beautiful yarn, soothing knitting, and a couple of interesting twists.

This pattern arose when I was working as a stage manager and I had occasional opportunity to knit, but it was backstage and in the dark, so I needed a project that worked in the round on needles that were larger than for socks.

Like many good plays, it seems simple on the surface but offers lots of opportunity for interpretation and uses materials often already at hand.

Act I starts with a provisional cast-on and has you work through the first edge. Act II allows you to tell your story at leisure, working soothing stockinette in the round with easy-to-see stitches. Act III brings everything to a conclusion that neatly matches the beginning.

You will need one skein of a fingering weight yarn that is soft for next-to-skin wear, has good stretch and recall and has some drape. This is a good application to use a strongly variegated yarn (yardage 360-420 y/330-385 m). You’ll also need a small amount of a solid, contrast colour (yardage 30-35 y/27-32 m).

This pattern works best with a weight scale that measures in grams. You’l also need a stitch marker, a small cable needle, a crochet hook US G-6/4 mm and some smooth high-contrast waste yarn to work a provisional cast-on.

Finished size from a single skein of MC is 46 in/117 cm in diameter, where the centre is slightly fuller at 52 in/132 cm and the height varies with the yardage of the skein used but averages 7 in/18cm. This length is sufficient for most to be able to wear it snugly double-wrapped around the neck. If more length is desired it can be done by adding 6 stitch increments, while noting that greater length will use more yardage, or will result in a slightly thinner scarf at a fixed yardage.