Cowl Collars

Main Bed “Cowl” For Any Neckline

This technique is quite adaptable to any existing neckline, regardless of its shape. Boat necks, and Vee necks can instantly transform from “run-of-the-mill” into something highly dramatic. Even your favorite Crew neck pattern can benefit. The secret “trick” relies on its use of tension shaping.

How A Cowl Works

In fabric, a Cowl is bias cut, and folded twice, allowing the fabric to stretch at the outermost folded edge. In Ks, however, the entire fabric is stretchable. This means some intervention is necessary to allow the outermost fold to stretch more than the remaining K.

Step 1:
Play with your yarn to determine its tightest (smallest) tension setting. For yarns whose stockinet setting is 6, the tightest tension is about 3. This allows the carriage to still move smoothly across your knitting. Once you have determined this tension, the remainder of the Cowl is simply a matter of adjusting the tension as you K.

Step 2:
Determine the finished height of your Cowl. This is purely a matter of personal choice. There are some guidelines to assist you in creating a beautiful rather than a merely acceptable Cowl. All bodies differ, which makes this intrinsically difficult to set down absolutes. Nevertheless, when fashioning your Cowl, keep in mind the following points.

A). The depth of your back neckline: Because the back of your head will naturally cause the Cowl to crunch, or fold more than required, this is the most crucial element when designing your Cowl. The finished height, after the double fold, should not be more than 5 inches. This takes into account the normal ½–1 inch dip in the back neckline, and the tendency for the Cowl to spread, shortening the actual height to 3–3½ inches.

B). The depth of your front neckline: Depending on the neckline, the Cowl may droop too low, covering your strategically placed motif. To avoid this problem, do not place any important design element above 3 inches below the lowest point of your neckline.

C). The style of the finished garment: Knitted Cowls have a natural ability to spread at the outermost folded edge. If you are designing a garment that’s worn under a jacket, the jacket may bunch the Cowl at the sides of your neck. The usual remedy is to tug on the front of the Cowl, forcing it into an elliptical shape. This also raises the height of the Cowl on the sides of your neck.

Creating The Cowl

Use the stockinet row gauge from your garment to determine the number of Rs needed to K your Cowl. The example uses a gauge of 10 Rs=1 inch and the tension settings are based upon a yarn whose stockinet K best at T6. The finished height was 5 inches. Multiply the finished height by 4. (5x4=20). Convert this answer to Rs using your gauge. (20x10=200). In the middle of your Cowl, there is a turning row. (RC 101). This turning row is the outermost folded edge of the Cowl. Think of how a turtleneck folds over itself (as in the diagram above).

Neckline Consideration

For some deep Vee necks, some adjustments might be necessary either to the neckline or to the Cowl itself. The deeper the Vee, the more Sts required. This may cause you alarm if you run out of Ndls. Boat necks generally run into this problem, as well. In either case, the remedy is the same. Create 2 Cowls, one for the front, and another for the back. Instead of one seam on the left side of the Cowl, you have two seams, one at each shoulder.

The Basic Procedure

Join the right shoulder. Hang the entire neckline. At MT+1, with MC, K 1 R. Shape the Cowl by Knitting 1 inch at the tightest tension. Inc. the tension by 2 clicks and K another inch. Continue to INC tension and K 1 inch until you reach exactly ½ of the required number of Rs. INC the tension by 1 whole number (if possible), and K 1 turning row. Return to the previous tension, and K 1 inch. Continue to DEC the tension and K 1 inch until you reach the beginning tension. K 1 final inch.

Re-hang the original neckline Sts, forming a fold in the Cowl. Pull all Ndls to “E” position. At MT+1, K 1 R. Bind off. Mattress stitch the Cowl seam.