There are some patterns on Ravelry that stand the test of time and remain ever popular. About four years ago GAP-tastic Cowl by Jen Geigley hit the top of the charts and keeps popping up. This is a FREE download on Ravelry and very simple pattern. The charm for most about Gap-tastic is it's simplicity and use of bulky yarn... yes bulky.Andrea recently bound off several GAP-tastics for gifts. She says she likes to cast on around 105 stitches instead of the recommended 131. Some others like to cast on more. The pattern is worked in seed stitch (k1, p1) for a certain number of inches... again this is totally adjustable!
For the yarn we recommend using something very soft and luxurious. Alpaca is warmer than wool and softer than clouds! We have some Misti Alpaca Hand Paint Chunky that just came in. You would need two skeins of this for one GAP-tastic using Andrea's pattern revisions. Pick up three skeins to make a long cowl like the original pattern calls for. There are many other choices for yarn at The Yarn Club as well. Other popular choices are Mecha by Malabrigo, ASAP by Madelinetosh and the always fantastic, Rasta.
So go ahead and cast on a classic simple cowl and enjoy your holiday knitting for once!
