A lady on Ravelry remarked that the Herringbone Parallelogram Scarf would make a great cowl.
Herringbone Parallelogram Scarf in Manos silky wool long view Now that I have the Stitchmastery program, turning a pattern over 180 is not so hard. I used to graph patterns on acetate in sharpie marker so I could flip them. But Stitchmaster not only flips the chart, it writes the instructions for me ;-).

Once I had the ratio of increases/decreases to get a truly flat edge in rib and welt diagnols, I thought the cowl would be easy. But if I wanted to graft the short edges to make it invisibly joined, I needed a “resting row,” where all you do is knit the knits and purl the purls without shaping. So I doubled up the increases and decreases, which gave me a stair step effect. No more self finished edge.

Some i-cord worked twice for every right side row fixed that problem!
Herringbone Cowl worn as a headband
My Mom saw my photographic sample and hinted broadly that she wanted one for Christmas. The model asked to buy it after she wore it.

Meanwhile, my husband noticed how well it fit over my head like a headband, and suggested I work it up as a hat. Now that was some interesting construction – and the hat pattern is coming soon!
Herringbone cowl and hat