Earlier this year, I was gifted some beautiful Fitzgerald merino and cashmere blended yarn from a group of The Yarny Ewes, who were touring Scotland with the two Ewes of Olive & Two Ewe Studios in Florida, USA. The colourway was called ‘Into The Highlands’ and it spoke to me of Highland hills and heather. I knew I had to use it alongside some supersoft Scottish lambswool and waited for inspiration to come.

Travelling through the Highlands of Scotland, you cannot fail to be awed by the number of beautiful churches you pass along the way. Many now stand deserted, though retain their ancient splendour, some with simple and some with elaborate architecture and many with stunning stained glass windows. Stained glass windows to the medieval mind were not merely illustrations of biblical stories or depictions of Christ and his saints though. Their primary purpose was to transform a building into a kaleidoscope of coloured light – a vision of a ‘new Heaven and a new Earth’. Windows were not merely openings in a wall, but a rainbow bridge of precious jewels, unifying the entire building and designed to lead the God-fearing Scots to a greater awareness of the living God.

‘A Highland Kirk Window’ Beanie and Cowl reflect my idea of looking out through one of these lovely windows, with the greens and purples of the Highland heather-covered landscape beyond, framed by the black lead and darkness of the inside of an old kirk and backlit by the sunlight of a summer’s day.

In the churchyards surrounding these historic kirks are many Celtic crosses, erected in memory of loved ones, long gone. These have inspired the design of the Celtic cross tassel which finished off the beanie.

The beanie and cowl both have a black stocking stitch lining. They are as light as feathers, yet incredibly warm because of their double-layered thickness. They are both knitted in the round so there are no seams and only knit stitches are required. The lining and the patterned layer of the picot-edged beanie are knitted in one piece. The lining and the patterned layer of the cowl are knitted separately, then joined together with a picot edging. You may use either a set of double-pointed knitting needles or a circular knitting needle, depending on your preference, though you may still need double-pointed needles for the crown decreases, the Celtic cross tassel, and the I-cord that suspends the cross from the crown of the beanie. Only 2 colours are used at any one time. There are some long floats to the rear of the patterned front layers, which can be caught up, though many of these become trapped inside the lining, so do not need to be caught up, if you so choose.
Some experience in fair isle or stranded colour work is needed for these patterns, although full instructions are given for the construction methods used.

Materials:
4ply/Fingering weight wool or equivalent:
Actual yarns and amounts used are listed below, but please use this as a rough guide only, given that different brands may differ slightly.
Background (Black): JC Rennie Supersoft Lambswool: 215m/236yds per 50g.
Contrast (Into The Highlands Purple/Green mix): Olive & Two Ewe Studios – Fitzgerald: 183g/200yds per 50g
(Note: Both beanie and cowl have black stocking stitch linings)
Beanie:
Black: 56g Contrast: 30g
Cowl:
Black: 115g Contrast: 55g
Knitting Needles:
One set of double-pointed 3.25mm (US 3) knitting needles are suggested for knitting the patterned layers of the beanie and cowl. They will also be used for the Celtic cross and the I-cord on the beanie.
One set of double-pointed 3.00mm (US 2.5) knitting needles are suggested for knitting the linings for the beanie and the cowl.
Measurements (unstretched):
One size fit most:
Beanie:
Circumference 21 inches / 54cm by length 9.5 inches / 24cm (Unstretched)
Cowl:
Circumference 28 inches / 71cm by length 11inches / 28cm (Unstretched)
Tension:
Approximately 28 stitches and 36 rows to 10cm over the pattern.

I do hope you enjoy knitting these and watching your stained glass windows light up.