Introducing the Perseveration Cowl

October 13, 2022

Sometimes an idea won’t leave your brain. It takes up residence, perhaps rattles around a bit, changing shape, and eventually grows into something else. That’s how the Perseveration cowl came to be.

a woman is wearing the Perseveration cowl, hand-knit in blue and black

I’ve been a bit obsessed lately with mitered squares and color blocking. My brain wanted to play around with different shapes that modular-knit mitered squares could create, and eventually a bandana cowl emerged that I couldn’t stop thinking about. (I may have rushed the previous project off the needles so I could cast on for this one. Shh!)

I love the generous size of it. The extra-generous front makes it practically a shawl — but one that won’t fall off. It’ll offer plenty of warmth under an open-necked coat, but I may be unlikely to tuck it in because I want to show off its pretty colors and patterns.

woman sits on the ground wearing the Perseveration cowl

One of my favorite things about this cowl is the yarn.I first fell in love with Sea Change Fibers yarns at last year’s Wool & Folk. The combination of the high quality of the wool, the richness of the tonal colors, and the local connection to Monterey Bay really spoke to me. But of course it always comes down to feel for me, and one base — Pelagic Worsted — really stood out. Its combination of Merino and Rambouillet is tightly plied and downright bouncy. That means its stitch definition in garter stitch is out of this world. For the sample cowl, I chose Lagoon (the blue) and Odile (the black).

If you’ll be at Rhinebeck this weekend, you’ll have a few chances to see the Perseveration Cowl in person. The sample will be at the Sea Change Fibers booth at Wool & Folk on Friday, and around my neck at Rhineback on Saturday. I hope you’ll take a moment to say hi!

You can purchase the pattern via my Ravelry and Payhip shops, and of course the yarn through Sea Change Fibers’ website.