CAL :: Start Your Engines! (. . . errr . . . cowls . . . )

(I've emailed our 10 winners of the Crochet Decoder iPhone App, so check your inbox to see if you won! And if you didn't, don't despair--the app is very affordable, and you can purchase it right over here if you'd like!)

Here's the moment we've all been waiting for in our Crochet Along: we're starting our cowls today!

If you haven't done so already, head over to Lion Brand Yarn to print out your pattern. I'll walk you through rows 1 and 2 of the pattern today and show you every little step along the way, then you can take off from here and your goal is to have at least 12 inches completed by Friday. Got it? 

As always, if you have any questions, ask them in the comments (I'll answer in the comments, too, so check back in for a response!), or shoot me an email. If we need to, we'll have a little Q&A session on Wednesday, so don't be shy; ask away!

For the pictures demonstrating the pattern steps, I'll be using worsted weight yarn and a size H hook, just like I have been in all the how-to posts, just so everything is easier to see. I took a few pictures while working with my chunky yarn and it was almost impossible to figure out what was happening in the photos, so just remember, even though the pictures show a practice yarn and a smaller hook, use your chunky project yarn and size N(ish) hook, as the pattern calls for.

From the Time Out Cowl pattern . . . our first step is:

Ch 30.

Easy enough! (If you need to refer back to the pattern-reading how-to post, click here.) This just means to make 30 chain stitches (for a reminder on how to make a chain, click here).

The next step in our pattern says:

Row 1: (Dc, ch 2, dc) in 6th ch from hook (V-st made), *sk next 2 ch, (dc, ch 2, dc) in next ch; rep from * across to last 3 ch, sk next 2 ch, dc in last ch – 8 V-sts at the end of this row. 

That looks a little daunting; let's break it down. 

Our first instruction is "(dc, ch 2, dc) in 6th ch from hook". That means that everything within the parentheses (one double crochet, two chain stitches, and another double crochet) needs to be worked into the 6th chain away from the hook, which is the one marked by the needle in this photo (remember that when counting chains, you don't count the loop currently on your hook):

Working through just the back loop of the 6th chain, make one double crochet (for a reminder, click here):

Now make 2 chain stitches:

And work another double crochet into the 6th chain from the hook again--the same space that you placed your first double crochet:

 Awesome! You've just completed the first part of the first row--"(Dc, ch 2, dc) in 6th ch from hook." The next part of the instructions says, "V-st made." Do you remember when we talked about this during the 'read a crochet pattern' post? Sometimes when a pattern requires a special stitch, they'll just have you do it and then tell you, "Woohoo! You made the special stitch!" That's exactly what's happening here--the (dc, ch 2, dc) sequence creates a V-stitch, and they're letting us know we made the first one. Do you see why it has that name?

The 2 double crochets with a chain 2 space in the middle form a little V. We're in luck--now that you know how to make a V-stitch, you're set for the entire cowl . . . all it is, really, is a repetition of the V-stitch.

Let's move on with our row 1 instructions. The next part says: "*sk next 2 ch, (dc, ch 2, dc) in next ch; rep from * across to last 3 ch". We talked about the asterisks in the read-a-pattern post as well--they mean that you'll repeat the steps inside the asterisks across the row. 

So start by skipping the next two chains; we'll be making our next V-stitch into the chain marked by the needle:

Then work one double crochet, 2 chain stitches, and another double crochet (a V-stitch!) into the back loop of the chain:

Now you have 2 nice V-stitches! You'll repeat what was in the asterisks again--skip the next 2 chains and work one double crochet, 2 chains, and another double crochet into the following chain--until you reach the last 3 chains in the row, as the pattern instructs:

 The pattern tells us: "rep from * across to last 3 ch, sk next 2 ch, dc in last ch". All right, we've repeated the whole way across, and now there are 3 chains left in the row. Now we stop repeating what's in the asterisks and just follow the instructions. We need to skip the next 2 chains and work one double crochet into the last chain (the one marked by the needle in the picture above):

Yay! You just finished the first row of your cowl! The final piece of information in the first row says, "8 V-sts at the end of this row." I told you earlier that patterns usually include a stitch count at the end of each row of instructions so you can check your work--this is our stitch count. We should have 8 V-stitches, as well as (although it doesn't tell us this, shame on you, pattern) our starting chain (the 5 extra chains at the start that were left over when we worked into the 6th chain) and that last double crochet into the final chain. Count 'em up--are you on track?

 Let's move on to row 2 . . . it says: 

Row 2: Ch 3, turn, (dc, ch 2, dc) in each ch-2 sp across, dc in top of turning ch. 

 Okay. So we start by making 3 chain stitches (in order to be tall enough to work double crochets in the second row) and turning our work:

The next step is: "(dc, ch 2, dc) in each ch-2 sp across" We already know from the first row that the (dc, ch 2, dc) makes our V-stitch. You just have to work it into each chain 2 space across the row. Looking at your work, can you identify the chain 2 spaces from the previous row? If you need a hint, they're the top of each V:

Instead of working into the loops of a specific stitch of the previous row (as you normally do, and have done in your practicing), you'll be working your stitches into the space created by the chains of the previous row. This means that you'll yarn over for your first double crochet and insert your hook into the opening of the V--not through any specific loops or stitches, just into the space that your earlier chains created:

Then finish your double crochet (do you see how it's worked into the space of the V-stitch below?):

Chain 2, and work another double crochet into the same space:

(If working into the chain space doesn't make sense, here's a video showing how it's done--mind you, she's using a different number of chains between her double crochets, but just pay attention to where she inserts her hook. Here's a post with a better picture than I was able to get of working into a chain space.)

Now just continue making V-stitches in each chain-2 space across your row. Make sure you're working in the ch-2 spaces only.

Our last instruction for row 2 is "dc in top of turning ch." This means we need to work one double crochet into the top of the chain from the previous row, which you can see way over on the bottom left of the above picture. If you'd like, you can work into a loop of this chain, or you can simply work a double crochet into the space created by that chain--either way is fine:

Row 2 is now done! 

The next instruction in our pattern is simply to repeat row 2 until our piece is 52 inches long. How simple is that? Just keep on working row 2 until it's long enough, then we'll handstitch the short ends together to make a big long loopy cowl.

Also, I decided to start a Maybe Matilda Flickr Group--if you'd like to share pictures of your cowl in progress (or photos of anything you've made from my blog), feel free to join in and add your pictures (if you do, and if you blog about it, please also include a link so we can visit you)! 

I'd love to see your progress!

Let me know if you have any questions, and have fun making your adorable winter cowl! Try to have 12 inches (or more!) done by Friday to stay on track.