Cowl in a chunky textured yarn with rows of pronounced eyelets contrasting with rows of stockinette.

Fluffy Alpaca Cowl by April Garbat Vaughn

April has made a large print version of this for knitters with low vision. If you have trouble with the large print version, please let her know and she will make adjustments. If you want the accessible version, be sure to download the file labeled “large print”. It is in black on white text, size 22 – 24 Calibri (no serifs), no italics, no charts, and in a single column of text.

“I have 9 rescue alpacas on a small farm in north east Arkansas. Before I learned how to spin, I bought this fluffy alpaca boucle yarn at a small yarn shop, because I wanted to use alpaca yarn. I made a scarf with it but didn’t like it, so I sadly frogged the scarf and waited.

Over 900 hours of knitting other things later, I decided to write my own pattern for a cowl! This is that cowl. It is mostly stockinette with purl ridges and yarn over details.

It is one size, about 28 inches in circumference so that it keeps your neck nice and cozy (versus being more decorative and draped down your chest).

You will need about 110 yards of medium bulky yarn (5 or 6). You could make it with worsted weight but then it would be very airy and not as cozy.

This pattern may require playing “yarn chicken”. I suggest weighing your yarn before you start. Then, after you’ve cast on and knit one row, weight it again. The amount used is how much it will take to do the last row and cast off…so keep track of that so you don’t run out and have to frog back twice like I did when writing the pattern. “

Link to pattern on Ravelry. This is a free pattern.