Simple Fair Isle Cowl by Jean Elizabeth Studio

Simple Fair Isle Cowl

Knitting
February 2022
Fingering (14 wpi) ?
29 stitches and 29 rows = 4 inches
in Stranded Colorwork
US 2½ - 3.0 mm
300 - 345 yards (274 - 315 m)
25" circ by 9" high
English
This pattern is available for free.

This is a simple Fair Isle Cowl pattern I designed to knit for The Woolly Thistle‘s 2022 Colorwork Accessory Knit-a-long. Though this chart has a couple of nine-stitch stretches, it’s a good learning project for catching floats without being overwhelming as most of the other rounds have five or less stitches of one color in a round.
A cowl is a great first project for knitters new to stranded colorwork. There is no shaping to worry about and it’s a fairly quick project. They also make a great “swatch” when trying new yarns or if you want to sample an old favorite on a new needle size as I did here. I usually knit Jamieson and Smith on 2.75mm, but wanted to try 3mm needles. I’m glad I did. I like the fabric very much. I may go a step further and try on 3.25 in another cowl.