Glorious Gradients - FREE Cowl Knitting Pattern

Hello!
Sorry that this post is a later than anticipated....I'm blaming a kitchen refurb....oh and COVID.... because COVID gets the blame for most things these days! Well it does in my book! Massively increased workload, increased stress levels....oh the list goes on! But on a serious note, I hope you are all keeping safe and sane. Like most things, this too will pass. 
Today I'm going to share how to make a Glorious Gradients Cowl.

YOU WILL NEED:
Scheepjes Whirl - Fine Art 1 cake in the colour of your choice. I used colour 653 Fauvism.4mm 16" (40cm) circular knitting needles Stitch markerScissorsDarning needle
HOW TO:
This cowl is knitted using Sand Stitch. It's a simple and rhythmic pattern that produces a lovely textured fabric. It's a great first accessory project for a beginner knitter as it's only a combination of knit and purl stitches. I've also linked to a nice cast on video and also a stretchy cast off tutorial.
I managed to make 2 cowls from one cake of yarn using the stitch and row counts detailed below. Please bear in mind that if you make your cowl wider and longer you may not have enough to make 2 cowls!

Cast on 114 stitches using a long tail cast on method (beginner video)Join in the round and place a stitch marker at beginning of round
Be careful not to twist your stitches when joining in the round otherwise you'll end up making a mobius!
Rounds 1 - 4 KnitRound 5 k1,p1 repeat to endRound 6 knitRound 7 p1, k1 repeat to endRound 8 Knit
Repeat rows 5 - 8 until you have worked 104 rounds
Rounds 105 - 108 Knit
Cast off using a stretchy cast off method (video tutorial to my favourite stretchy cast off method)
Weave in your ends and block if desired. Notice I said "if desired"!!!Normally I'm a religious blocker of the highest order....however!!! I don't honestly notice much difference between a blocked and unblocked version using this yarn. So the choice is yours!

Et viola! You have a couple of lovely cowls ready for gifting or just wearing and enjoying!
Hope you enjoy making them!
Right, I had better get back to working on my next project. It's filling me with joy and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you.
Til next time x