I’m pretty sure this photo of model Lindsey Wixson in her fur hat and oatmeal cowl is the one that planted the seed for Knit the Look. I remember seeing it on Vanessa’s blog and thinking geez! This is literally Knitting 101 — cast on, knit, bind off. Then seam the ends together to form a loop. If you know the knit stitch — even if you only know the knit stitch — you can make this in no time.

So simulating this one doesn’t require tracking down a similar pattern, and it could be made from any chunky yarn you like. But the key to getting it to look like Lindsey’s is that marl effect, which you could easily achieve by holding three strands of yarn together, such as Cascade Eco Alpaca in Natural, Straw and Silver. To start, calculate what you want the circumference of your cowl to be: Drape a piece of yarn around your neck, estimating how you want the scarf to lay, then measure that length. (For this look, probably something in the range of 36–40 inches.) Cast on 30 stitches on US11/8mm or larger needles. Work back and forth in garter stitch (i.e., knit all stitches), until you have a rectangle whose length equals your desired circumference. Bind off loosely, then use your yarn and tapestry needle to seam the two ends together. Et voilà.

See Vanessa’s recommendations for the hat to go with!

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Street style photo © Vanessa Jackman; used with permission