Left Photo Cred: Amanda of PrettyModern
First off – if you’d like a refresher, or an intro to loom knitting, visit my WTF Am I Doing?! Loom Knitting Edition post – it may or may not help you avoid unnecessary frustration :)
Casting On & Knitting
I used a simple e-wrap stitch – I told myself that since the cowl should have a little “give” and slouch, I should try a more loose approach to the stitch (did it help? I have no idea – but the cowls turned out the way I wanted, so I can’t complain), what I wound up doing was after doing a regular cast-on, I stitched the body of the cowl by skipping one peg in between stitches, and alternating rows.
Example:
Keeping Ends From Curling
At each end of the cowl (start and finish) I did two rows of cast on e-wrap stitches, followed by two rows of knit stitch, and then one more row of e-wrap stitch – this seems to keep the edges from curling under too much. So far, in my attempts, I’ve noticed it doesn’t matter too much which stitches I alternate, it’s just the alternating of stitches in a couple of rows that seems to keep them from curling (so feel free to use any stitches you’d like!).
Here are some helpful videos:
1. Casting on (using e-wrap stitch): How To Cast On/ Knit Using a Circular Loom
2. Here’s how to do the knit stitch: Knit Stitch on a Knitting Loom
Changing Colors
I did a very rudimentary color transition by just casting on the other color once I felt a row of color 1 was the desired thickness – next time, I’m going to be smart and look it up like I’m doing right now for the sake of this tutorial. Why? Because it got the job done at the time, but blending the snipped off ends of each color into the cowl at the end was… interesting and could have been more streamlined.
Here’s an easy video tutorial by Pam Loomer on Changing Colors: LINK
Twists
Try different types of yarn – for example, this whole cowl thing started when I decided to make one to use on my outdoor runs on days when the temperature drops. I needed warmth + some degree of breathability and sweat-wicking, so I mixed my yarn (I believe it was a wool/ acrylic blend, but don’t quote me on that) with some t-shirt yarn I made (here’s a tutorial on how to make t-shirt yarn).
How many rows should I knit?
That’s entirely up to you – in the grand tradition of jumping into things blindly, I just kept knitting & checking length. I even stuck my head through the round loom on impulse, to see if I could gauge length – that somewhat worked, I think. Each person has a different idea of what they’d like their finished piece to look like, so just keep knitting and checking.
You could also take a tape measure, decide how long you’d like the cowl to be – and just use that as a gauge when you knit.
Cast off & Finish
Once you’re at your desired length, it’s time to cast off – here’s my favorite casting off tutorial, from The Crochet Crowd’s YouTube feed:
Loom Knit – Cast Off Bind Off Circular Loom
& you’re done!
(it’s ridiculously easy, and I had no idea what I was doing)
Coxal Collaborative 