Do not be shocked - two posts in one week!
You all have been so helpful in suggesting cowl sweater patterns that I have compiled here some of your suggestions as a helpful reference for those seeking a hiding place in their pullovers:
Francis Revisited
Cowl Pullover
#20 Cowl Neck Sweater
Trumpet
Mohair Cowl Pullover
Heart
I'm still mulling what to do. The sweater I envision is based loosely on an old sweater of mine, where the cowl tilted perfectly forward - not floppily but just enough to leave neck and collarbones exposed. This was accomplished, I think, by a curved neck at the base of the cowl. It was similar, in that respect, to Simply Marilyn, a sweater that gets a lot of flack from folks who've made it, but which I actually wear a lot. Marilyn's neck shaping is achieved with short rows. The neck opening here would be narrower, but the cowl would tilt forward in the same fetching way.
Trouble is, I do not do seamed sweaters much anymore, and I do not pretend to be able to design one. Ideally this sweater would be a seamless or even top-down raglan, but it is not clear how to engineer the crucial neck-shaping in the right way in the round. The Francis Revisited pattern has the simplicity I seek, and I suspect the #20 Cowl does too, but I do not think they have the requisite neck. Maybe the stitches could just be split when it's time for the neck, as with a sock, but would that affect the raglan lines? Hmm. I need to think it over some more.
In other news, I have been on a quinoa kick lately. Guess that doesn't really qualify as "news" (but if the fact that Sarah Palin's favorite food is moose burgers is news, then maybe this is too).
On the left is a Quinoa Curry Cucumber Salad that's become a new staple Chez Fig + Plum. It's a modified version of a Martha Stewart recipe. I threw some leftover chicken into the version above, but it's totally unnecessary and the recipe is otherwise vegan. On the right is Pineapple Cashew Quinoa Stir-Fry, a recipe from Veganomicon which was passed on by the incomparable Virginia. Like Virg I made it without the pineapple juice, and it was a total grand slam. One of the reasons I'm partial to quinoa is not its merits as a superfood, although they are many, but the utility of its leftovers. It's the perfect thing to bring to work for lunch.
Well, I'll be sure to keep you abreast of developments in the cowl-neck arena. Rhinebeck looms!
Posted by jess at August 30, 2008 3:00 PM | TrackBacklove that you stuck all those patterns in one place. cowls are hot, so flattering on all face shapes. i committed knitting sin and bought a very cute one from the gap yesterday:
http://yes-overanalyzer.blogspot.com/
Ok Jessica, have you checked out 'Ingenue' in the new Wendy Bernard book 'Custom Knits'? It sort of sounds like what you're talking about...
Posted by: Heather at August 30, 2008 7:42 PMyou draw pretty.
Posted by: Sandra at August 30, 2008 8:09 PMWell, since your quest begain, I have seen your interest in #20 and Francis Revisited in my friend activity. Both have been added to my queue, particularly FR. Thanks for sparking idea!
Posted by: Lisa at August 30, 2008 8:18 PMHave you seen the Shopping Tunic by Wenlan Chia (Twinkle)? It's got a HUGE cozy cowl, made with bulky yarn which might not be what you're looking for, but it might be useful as a design reference. It's in Twinkle's Big City Knits as well as VK Holiday 2005.
Posted by: Chloe at August 30, 2008 10:19 PMomg - addknitter beat me to it! I was also thinking Ingenue (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/ingenue) - not quite a cowl, but it has a great neckline.
Posted by: Jennifer at August 30, 2008 10:30 PMcould you knit the body of the sweater as a raglan and then go back and pick up stitches for the cowl? I've never knit a cowl neck sweater before, so I'm not sure how it's usually knit, but in my head, it seems like that might work. :)
Posted by: susan at August 30, 2008 10:38 PMNice compendium of cowls.
In my hasty reading I expected Quinoa to be a new and even MORE exotic type of fiber. Had to laugh as food generally commands my attention!
I was just about to say the same thing as Susan: you could knit a raglan, from the bottom up, and bind off sts for the front neckline, so that it is lower than the back neckline. Does that make sense? So, you'd be knitting back and forth instead of in the round, but only for a few rows!
I'm impressed by your extensive research :)
Perhaps you could combine some binding off along the front neckline with some short rows along the the back of the neck to gently raise it up, and then you'll just have to pick up stitches along the front.
Posted by: klotho at September 1, 2008 8:31 PMGod, I haven't made that in forever, and I just stumbled upon some quinoa in the cupboard this morning looking for oatmeal. I think I know what's for dinner!!
Quinoa rocks. I wonder if it's on Stuff White People Like?
Posted by: Craptina at September 2, 2008 12:09 PMThis has a lace cowl, but maybe you'll be inspired!
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/samantha-3
It looks like I'm late to chime in, but thought I'd leave my two cents anyway. I made the #20 (the ivory/light tan one on Ravelry is me!), and it does indeed have you bind off some stitches at the front neck, and then work back and forth for a few rows, so that the front neck is rounded. I think it would be fairly easy to adapt the bind off/decreases for the front neck, if you wanted a wider or deeper neck. I hope you end up with the cowl of your dreams! :)
Posted by: Sarah at September 20, 2008 7:48 PMIt might be a little to late to ask...but where can I find the recipe for the Curry-Cucumber Quinoa? Thanks!!