Is there anything better than a yarny advent calendar? Mystery colors, cute mini skeins, pretty packaging…it’s the best present you can gift yourself during the crazy holiday season. I also really like the recent trend of October spooky season advents. On top of the myriad of advents I’ve purchased, I also just really like buying mini skein sets and single mini skeins…but I hardly ever use them! I’ve never made an advent/mini skein pattern from another designer, and I hadn’t designed one myself. 

Last year, I got a few advents/mini skein boxes, and tucked them away with all my other minis. Until I opened the Suburban Stitcher Quiet Voices advent in late November. First let me say that I don’t do advents the “right” way. I am NOT patient enough to open them daily, plus I’m forgetful. So I always open them all right when they’re delivered to me. Typically it’s not an issue, but this year it backfired on me when I later had to try to get the colors back in the correct order to work on this pattern. Thankfully another designer had designed a knit shawl pattern using this advent and she was posting a daily IG story with the color of that day, so I used that as my guide. So I would recommend if you’re like me and want to open the whole thing up right when you get it…keep them in order as you open them and take a well-lit photo of them in order in case you want to use them in the intended order later. But I also encourage you to put them in your own arrangement…there’s no right way to use pretty yarn. 

Anyway, when I opened Dianne’s gorgeous advent up, my designer brain had been trying so hard to figure out how best to re-work an older pattern. A few years ago I released the Somewhere Rainbow Wrap, which was a worsted weight scarf that used Caron Cakes color changing yarn. I liked it, but I felt like I could do it better, and I wanted to do a fingering weight version. I did remake it in a couple different fingering weight yarns, and again, I liked it but didn’t love it…but I was determined to take the pattern and make it something I love. A few days after opening this advent, I had it. Make it an infinity scarf (one of my very favorite things to wear) and make it with minis. And here we are, with the Simple Wish Cowl. 

If you’ve got advents, random mini skeins, or scraps to use up, this is the perfect pattern for you! Each color section uses about 6g of fingering weight yarn, so you could easily use this for stashbusting. The pattern is best worked with an even number of mini skeins – 12 or 24 minis is optimal. My original sample used 24 colors, 1 pattern section of each color. If you use 12 minis, you’d need to complete 2 pattern sections in each color, either by working 2 sections in a row in the same color, or working single sections for each color and then repeating each color a 2nd time. 

Simple Wish Cowl

YARN – 24* 20g mini skeins
You’ll use about 6g for each stripe, for a total of 144g used
*You could also use 12 20g mini skeins and use each color twice.

HOOK – US H/5mm
OTHER NOTIONS – Scissors, tapestry needle

FINISHED SIZE – 10 inches (25cm) wide x 52 inches (132cm) long before joining
GAUGE – 13 (sc, ch 1) repeats, as in Section A below = 4 inches (10cm)
Row gauge is not super important; each color section measures about 2 1/4 inches (5.7cm) along the straight edge of the work.

• ch(s) – chain(s)
• ch-sp(s) – chain space(s)
• dc – double crochet
• dc2tog – dc 2 sts together
• sc – single crochet
• sc2tog – sc 2 sts together
• sk – skip
• sp(s) – space(s)
• st(s) – stitch(es)

NOTES

• Chain 1 at beginning of row does NOT count as a stitch.
• To adjust the width, chain an odd number to start, so your stitch count is an even number of stitches on your first row. To adjust the length, simply add rows to each section, or add more sections.
• When you’re measuring your piece, measure along the straight edges.
• If the edges of your double crochet sections bow out, tighten up your tension on the double crochets a little to straighten it out.

PATTERN INSTRUCTIONS

Setup Section 1
CH 85.
Row 1 – 2 sc in 2nd ch from your hook. *Ch 1, sk next st, sc in next st.* Repeat across until there are 2 sts left. Ch 1, sc2tog in last 2 sts.
Row 2 – Ch 1, sc2tog in first 2 sts, ch 1, *sc in ch-sp from row below, ch 1.* Repeat across until there are 2 sts left, sk next st, 2 sc in last st.
Row 3 – Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, ch 1, *sc in ch-sp from row below, ch 1. Repeat across until there are 3 sts left, sk next st, sc2tog over last ch-sp and last st.
Row 4 – Ch 1, sc2tog in first 2 sts, ch 1, *sc in ch-sp from row below, ch 1.* Repeat across until there are 2 sts left, sk next st, 2 sc in last st.
Rows 5-10 – Repeat rows 3 & 4.

Section 2
Row 1 – Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, ch 1, *sc in ch-sp from row below, ch 1.* Repeat across until there are 3 sts left, sk next st, sc2tog over last ch-sp and last st.
Row 2 – Ch 1, dc2tog in first 2 sts, ch 1,*dc in ch-sp from row below, ch 1.* Repeat across until there are 2 sts left, sk next st, 2 dc in last st.
Rows 3-6 – Repeat rows 1 & 2.

Section A*
Row 1 – Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, ch 1, *sc in ch-sp from row below, ch 1. Repeat across until there are 3 sts left, sk next st, sc2tog over last ch-sp and last st.
Row 2 – Ch 1, sc2tog in first 2 sts, ch 1, *sc in ch-sp from row below, ch 1.* Repeat across until there are 2 sts left, sk next st, 2 sc in last st.
Rows 3-10 – Repeat rows 1 & 2.

Section B*
Row 1 – Ch 1, 2 sc in first st, ch 1, *sc in ch-sp from row below, ch 1.* Repeat across until there are 3 sts left, sk next st, sc2tog over last ch-sp and last st.
Row 2 – Ch 1, dc2tog in first 2 sts, ch 1,*dc in ch-sp from row below, ch 1.* Repeat across until there are 2 sts left, sk next st, 2 dc in last st.
Rows 3-6 – Repeat rows 1 & 2.

Repeat Section A* and Section B* until you’ve completed 24 total sections/color blocks. Change colors each time you start a new section.
Fasten off and weave in all ends.
To seam ends together : Line up the ends, with the right sides together; whip stitch to join.