Howdy, knitting friends! I bet some of you thought that after over three years without an update, I might not be coming back to this blog. Well, it was never my intent to abandon the blog. I just ended up focusing more of my online knitting work on the Unraveling Podcast. The podcast is a lot of fun, and I’m proud of the work Pam and I are doing over there.
But what encouraged me to finally come back to the blog is that I have an exciting announcement about a new pattern release! It’s called Tiger Owl. Take a look at it!
But that’s not all. I’m not just publishing a pattern. I’m super-excited to announce that Tiger Owl is the official knit design for the 2020 Carolina FiberFest craft-along! It’s a free download and I would be thrilled if you downloaded it and started knitting it right away. There’s a Ravelry thread in the Carolina FiberFest group for people participating in the craft-along and I’d love to chat with you about my new design there. (You don’t need to be planning to go to the Carolina FiberFest to participate in the craft-along.) While you’re downloading the pattern, be sure to check out the interview that the Carolina FiberFest had with me. I talk about the inspiration for the Tiger Owl pattern and what some of my favorite things about the Carolina FiberFest are.
The great horned owl (also called the tiger owl) is the largest species of owl in the Carolinas. When I found the “tiger eye” stitch pattern in Barbara Walker’s A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, I immediately saw this beloved owl looking back at me and knew it would make a perfect cowl for the Carolina Fiber Fest 2020 KAL.
Knitted in sport weight, this cowl is easily adaptable to other yarn weights. The size of the cowl can be adjusted (both in the height and the circumference) by modifying the number of tiger owl motifs that are knit. Knit the pattern as written for a loose neck cowl, or modify it to make the cowl completely your own. Modifications will, of course, affect your yarn requirements. Yarns in solid or tonal colorways will work best to show off the cowl’s lace; wildly variegated yarns will not.
This pattern is appropriate for an adventurous beginner while remaining interesting for more advanced knitters.
Skills Required
- Knit & purl, cast on & bind off
- Increases (yarn over)
- Decreases (k2tog, ask, k3tog, sk2p)
- Cables (instructions included)
- Working from charts (optional)
Notions
- 4 stitch markers
- Yarn needle for weaving in ends
Finished Measurements
Circumference: 28 inches (71.1 cm)
Height: 11 inches (27.9 cm)
Designing this cowl was a lot of fun. Working with the Carolina FiberFest to get ready for the craft-along has been super-exciting! Now that the pattern is available, I’m thrilled to be heading over to the craft-along thread on Ravelry to see what yarn you choose for knitting the cowl. I’ll be hanging out in the thread to answer any questions, provide support, and just generally cheer everyone on. And, of course, I’m looking forward to seeing lots of people wearing their Tiger Owl cowl at the Carolina FiberFest next spring!
Keep an eye on my Instagram feed for the next few days. I’m going to be sharing pictures and telling stories about Tiger Owl. When you share Tiger Owl pictures on social media, I’d love it if you used the #TigerOwlCowl hashtag so it will be easy to find all the awesome cowl photos.
In addition to being excited about my new pattern, I’m thrilled to be attending the Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair (SAFF) in a couple of weeks. I’ll be out there Friday and Saturday (October 25-26), so be sure to look for me if you’re there, too. SAFF is a great place to go yarn shopping for the perfect yarn to knit your Tiger Owl cowl in. I’m grateful for the yarn support that Natasha at Unplanned Peacock gave me in designing the pattern. She’s going to be at SAFF, and I highly recommend you stop by her booth to check out the beautiful yarn she has.
Until next time, keep on knitting for the ones you love!
-greg
Email: greg@KnittingDaddy.com
Blog: KnittingDaddy.com
Twitter: @KnittingDaddy
Instagram: @KnittingDaddy
Ravelry: KnittingDaddy
Ravelry Group: Knitting Daddy Designs
Greg, this is a most beautiful cowl! Congratulations.
Thanks! It’s really fun to knit, too!