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| As a Neck Warmer |
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| As a Hood |
Design by Mary Jane Hall
I have always been the kind of designer who says, “What else can I do with this?” I love playing around with a crocheted piece and sometimes my mind just goes crazy. It all started with a design in Crochet That Fits, where I have 6 designs all from the same exact shape.
I didn’t start out planning to do the same with this cowl, but after it was finished, I was not satisfied with just one way to wear it!
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| As a skirt |
My model, 24 yr old Mihaela Vaduva from Romania, so patiently allowed me to manipulate this cowl all over her body.
There are several ways you can wear this cowl, so it's really 7 patterns in one! They are:
1. As a Cowl - neck warmer
2. As a Hood - over your head
3. As a Capelet - around the shoulders
4. As a Skirt
5. As a Tube Top - to wear under a jacket
6. As a Tote Bag
7. As a Throw Pillow
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| As a Capelet |
Of course, if you wear this piece as a skirt, you may need to weave in a chain tie through the waist to help keep it on your hips. And if you use the pattern as a tote bag, you'd need to crochet a rectangle shaped bottom, sew on handles, and add lining and a stabilizer to help keep its shape.
For those of you who are fairly new to crochet, you may look at the stitch pattern and think it looks complicated. But it’s not at all. Believe me, I try not to do real difficult patterns. If I can’t figure out a stitch pattern in a few minutes, I’m done with that one, and go on to try another. I am known to design easy patterns, and this textured cable and aran stitch won’t disappoint you. It’s not the quickest pattern, but well worth your time. The stunning texture resembles knitting from afar. BTW, I would never advise anyone to wear a crochet sweater, such as the one in the photos, with the crochet cowl. I had been taking pictures of Mihaela in crochet pieces I found at the thrift store and was in a hurry! I have started posting "Thrift Store Finds", so be sure to look up those photos here.
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| As a Tote Bag | | |
Each piece you see in the photos is the exact same piece. (the original cowl) My model is a size 4-5, but as a skirt this would also fit a size 1-2.
If you need to make a larger size skirt or capelet, all you'd have to do is add more rows.
For the pillow at right, I sewed up one end, put a pillow form inside, then sewed up the other end on the outside.
Maybe you have another idea of how this pattern can be used, and if so, I'd love to hear about it! The pattern will be for sale soon here on my
Positively Crochet! blog. Please check back. This cowl was featured on the
New Crochet Cowl Scarves blog a few months ago. If you are into making cowls go there to see all the unique patterns by top designers. My designer friend,
Vashti Braha, had a wonderful idea when she started this very popular blog.
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| As a Pillow |
