The last yard

The Last Yard Striped Cowl by Fiona Hamilton-MacLaren

Project Overview

The Last Yard is a knitted cowl designed by independent designer Fiona Hamilton-MacLaren as a practical and creative solution for using up yarn scraps from completed projects. This striped cowl pattern transforms leftover double knit weight yarns into a finished accessory, making it an excellent choice for sustainable crafting and stash management.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a cowl—a tubular neckwear accessory—with a finished circumference of approximately 50 cm (19½ inches) and a height of 11 cm. The cowl features evenly spaced stripes in the sample shown, though crafters are encouraged to customize stripe widths based on available yarn lengths. The design is flexible, allowing you to create a unique, one-of-a-kind piece by varying how you use your yarn scraps.

Knitting Techniques

This beginner-friendly pattern incorporates several fundamental knitting techniques that make it accessible to newer knitters while offering optional advanced methods for those with more experience:

• Provisional Cast On (optional): An advanced technique that allows you to pick up live stitches later, useful for seamless construction or grafting the cowl closed
• Knit Stitch: The primary stitch used throughout the project
• Garter Stitch: Created by knitting every row, producing a textured, reversible fabric
• Grafting (optional): A technique for joining two sets of live stitches invisibly, creating a seamless finish
• Weaving in Ends: The essential finishing skill for securing yarn tails throughout the striped design

Materials and Tools

Yarn: The pattern requires a total of 60 grams of double knit (DK) weight yarn, approximately 220 meters per 100 grams. The design accommodates a variety of colors and yarn sources—the sample shown uses scraps from the Carpe lanam pattern collection, combining DK weights and 4-ply yarns held double. Each stripe in the sample uses approximately 3 grams, though you can adjust stripe widths to accommodate whatever yarn lengths you have available.

Needles and Notions: You will need 4.0 mm (US 6) needles for working flat. Additional supplies include a tapestry needle for weaving in ends and grafting, waste yarn, and a crochet hook if you choose to use the optional provisional cast on method.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern specifies a gauge of 20 stitches and 40 rows over 10 cm (4 inches) in garter stitch, measured unstretched. However, gauge is noted as non-critical for this project—different gauges will primarily affect the yardage requirements and final size of the cowl rather than the success of the finished piece. This flexibility makes the pattern particularly forgiving for stash-busting projects where exact yarn weights may vary.

Skill Level and Accessibility

Rated as a beginner project, The Last Yard is ideal for knitters developing foundational skills. The straightforward garter stitch construction and simple stripe pattern make it an excellent introduction to working with multiple yarn colors and managing yarn changes. Optional techniques like provisional cast on and grafting allow intermediate knitters to add complexity if desired, making the pattern scalable to different experience levels.