Howard Neckerchief

This has been such a fun knit. I am completely addicted to it and keep planning the next one! I used two gorgeously luxurious yarns – Cashmere and Cumulus, which is an alpaca and silk mix. Oh my, it was like knitting with clouds! We’ve also used Bluefaced Leicester DK mixed with Cumulus. We chose a strong pink with a delicate pink to create a marl effect. Mixing the two strands together creates a chunky gauge, so while these fibres make a light and airy neckerchief, one strand of a chunky yarn – like the colourful Retreat Twist or Soft Donegal Chunky – would create a totally different look. This is when it becomes addictive! There are so many yarns to try, though I will always come back to the Cashmere and Cumulus. It feels light and delicate around the neck, and it’s such a treat for the fingers – the joy of these luxurious fibres never gets old. The neckerchief increases to its full width, then you knit for a bit before decreasing again. A lovely, simple knit. I added the ribbed edging to make it a bit more interesting to knit, but not too much – I still like mindless knitting. Once you get used to the pattern, you can definitely switch off and relax. The perfect combination: gorgeous yarn and a simple-to-knit pattern. I have a reason behind all the names of Purl &Jane patterns, and this one is called Howard after Luke Howard, the person who named the clouds. The Cumulus yarn used here shares the name of one of the clouds he named – a little homage to the sky! Read more on the [Purl &Jane blog][1] **CONSTRUCTION** Knitted flat from the bottom up in one piece. **TECHNIQUES USED** Cast on, knit, purl, simple increase, simple decrease, cast off. **YARN** One 25g ball of Lang Cashmere in shade A 100% cashmere, 115m/125yds per 25g AND one 25g ball of Cumulus in shade B 74% baby suri alpaca & 26% mulberry silk, 150m/164yds per 25g **SUGGESTED NEEDLES** 5.5mm **GAUGE (tension)** 16 stitches and 21 rows to 10cm square over stocking stitch. I obtained this gauge with 5.5mm needles. It is important to obtain gauge so do swatch and change your needle size to achieve the correct gauge if you need to. **FINISHED MEASUREMENTS** approx. 14cm (at widest part) x 120cm. **NEED HELP?** I am here for you! Pop into the Skipton studio, send an email, or check out the [Purl &Jane YouTube channel][2] for tips, inspiration and guidance including handy resources like gauge (tension) guides and how to tutorials. [1]: https://www.purlandjane.co.uk/introducing-the-howard-neckerchief/ [2]: https://www.youtube.com/user/purlandjane