Head in the Clouds Cowl (see below for pattern!) 

You may have seen that Scheepjes recently released a new yarn called Eliza. I was sent a ball to play with and see how I like it, and I thought I’d give you a bit of a closer look! Once I felt this yarn, I knew what I wanted to use it for. There was a stitch I saw on a poncho while out shopping one day a few months ago and I had no idea what it was. I took a photo and posted it to the Scheepjes Bloggers and Sarah from Crafts from the Cwtch came to my rescue, it was the Honeycomb Brioche!

I’d been waiting for the right yarn to come along and had researched the stitch, but could only find patterns for it knitted flat, which didn’t work. I wanted to make this into a cowl and was determined to knit it in the round. Thankfully I came across this post by Knitica which was exactly what I was looking for and saved me from figuring out the conversion. Sweet!

Before I get into the pattern, let’s have a closer look at the yarn.

Scheepjes Eliza in Turquoise Gem (222)

Eliza is 100% polyester, but for those whose first instinct is to stop reading here, please don’t let that put you off. If you just simply prefer natural fibers, I get it, but if you shy away from acrylic, polyester, etc because you don’t like the feel, that will not be an issue here. I don’t really choose yarns by fiber, but just how they feel in my hands. I’ve held acrylic that I wanted to kill with fire because of the squeak, and I’ve held super popular 100% wool that I immediately dropped because it was like holding a prickly ball of twine. I’ve also felt various versions of each that I wanted to wrap myself in like a cocoon and stay there forever… so it really does come down to the feel rather than the fiber for me, and this one was a win.

Scheepjes advertised this as “Softer than Silk” and that’s true in a way, but this isn’t a silky yarn as such, more of a fluffy kind of soft than a sleek or silky soft. You know, like a cloud! See where I am going with this?  You can see what I mean in this close up photo.

It is a slightly fuzzy yarn that is incredibly soft to the touch, sort of like a really soft teddy bear, only not quite that fluffy. I think you have to get your hands on it to understand but I think the photos give a good representation of how the yarn feels. It is, indeed, softer than silk, it’s just not the same as silk, if you get what I mean.

The yarn comes in a load of really pretty colours that match the softness of this yarn quite nicely. There are a few bold colours, but for the most part I find they have kept the palate quite delicate, so far, which I feel suits the feel of the yarn. Have a look:

I was randomly sent the Turquoise Gem (222) colour, which worked out pretty well for me, as it’s probably one I would have chosen anyway. I think my second choice would be Minty Fresh (213). I have another project in mind and have just received Rosy Red (226), Lime Slice (211) and Birdhouse Grey (221) as well and they are also quite nice. Have you tried the Eliza yarn already? If so, I’d love to hear your opinion on it. What colours do you like?

So, on to the pattern! The cowl is very simple and uses just the one ball. I basically cast on and knit until the ball was almost finished, played yarn chicken and lost, tinked back a bunch of rows and tried again. I seem to have terrible luck when it comes to yarn chicken, but anyway…

As you can see, I didn’t complicate it by adding any other pattern aspects, as I wanted the yarn plus the honeycomb stitch to be the hero. It really didn’t need anything more complicated than this, in my opinion. This combination of the brioche stitch and the soft yarn really does create a squishy, cloud like fiber that is perfect for a cowl.

The pattern doesn’t continue seamlessly when knitting in the round, but I honestly didn’t trouble myself with it. If it had looked really ugly or like a dog’s breakfast, I’d have given it a go, but it’s actually quite subtle when looking at the cowl normally. I always put the joins at the back of my neck anyway. Here’s a close up photo:

As far as joins go, this one doesn’t really bother me, which says a lot as I’m generally the type that will tear something apart if one mistake or wonky bit gets on my nerves. Otherwise, I may have tried to see if there was a way to work it out to be seamless, but I’m ok with it like as it is.

The honeycomb brioche is such an interesting stitch. I made a few mistakes as I was knitting along, but fortunately they aren’t that visible and blended in nicely. This stitch seems to hide your sins quite well! haha It’s a very easy four round repeat which makes this a fun and quick knit that looks more difficult than it really is. This knits up in no time and makes for a great, interesting looking project for yourself or a gift for a friend or loved one.

Ok, enough chit chat, let’s get down to the pattern, shall we?!

Head in the Clouds Cowl

Materials

Scheepjes Eliza x 1 ball
4mm / 40cm circular needle (or 80cm for magic loop)
Stitch Marker
Darning needle for weaving in ends

Measurements

31cm wide x 25cm high (laid flat)

Abbreviations

st/s stitch/es
k knit
p purl
sl1 wyif slip one with yarn in front
sl1 wyib slip one with yarn in back
yo yarn over
p2tog purl two stitches together

PATTERN

Using 4mm needles, loosely cast on 100 stitches and join in the round, placing stitch marker to mark beginning of round.

Bottom Garter Band

Round 1 purl
Round 2 knit
Round 3 purl
Round 4 knit
Round 5 purl

Body (Honeycomb Pattern) 

Setup Round (p1, sl1 wyif, yo) to end
Round 1 (k2, sl1 wyib) repeat to end
Round 2 (sl1 wyif, yo, p2tog) repeat to end
Round 3 (k1, sl1 wyib, k1) repeat to end
Round 4 (p2tog, sl1 wyif, yo) repeat to end

Repeat rounds 1 – 4 until piece measures approximately 22cm in length ending final repeat on round 3. See pattern notes on how to calculate your repeats more accurately for optimal use of your yarn.

Final pattern round (p2tog, p1) repeat to end

Top Garter Band

Round 1 knit
Round 2 purl
Round 3 knit
Round 4 purl
Round 5 knit

Finishing

Loosely cast off all stitches and weave in ends.

As usual , don’t forget tag me on Facebook or Instagram if you make the cowl as I would really love to see it.  If you are looking for Eliza, it is available worldwide via WoolWarehouse *, you can also find a list of retailers here on the Scheepjes website.

This post was made in coordination with Scheepjes. All work, photos, thoughts and opinions are my own.

*Affiliate Link