To celebrate the release of my new pattern Squishy Double-Soled Socks, all of my patterns are on sale. Get 30% off my patterns when bought with the new pattern until 11:59pm EDT on Friday, 21 August 2026 (discount automatically applied), or use coupon code Squishy20 at checkout to get 20% off of any of my patterns until 11:59pm EDT on Sunday, 16 August 2026.

Featuring a colorwork pattern of a group of birds perched on a wire, framed by garter borders, this rectangular cowl is knit long side to long side with worsted yarn or two strands of sportweight yarn held together. It is designed to be buttoned closed, snug to the neck, with instructions included to work the buttonholes on either the right or the left. For more windproofing and for an extra layer of coziness (and maybe a fun pop of color), it can be lined with fleece or a soft flannel.

Difficulty-wise, this pattern should be appropriate for most intermediate knitters who are comfortable working with stranded colorwork or adventurous in trying. There are several rows where you need to carry your yarn over long distances between color changes. Being knit flat, the colorwork is done in both knitting and purling. You could, of course, modify the pattern to avoid these things, for example working in double knitting to avoid floats or working in the round to avoid wrong-side stranding (extra stitches may need to be added for the cowl to fit comfortably around the neck without the button band).

Gauge and Size:

20 stitches by 24 rows per 4 in / 10 cm in stranded stockinette (for most knitters, this will be a tighter gauge than the same yarn and needle will yield for regular stockinette or garter stitch)

With this gauge, the finished cowl will measure approximately 23 in / 58 cm wide by 8 in / 20 cm tall.

Yarn:

• 130 - 155 yards / 120 - 140 meters worsted weight yarn in Main Color (background color)
• 30 - 40 yards / 28 - 38 meters worsted weight yarn OR 60 - 80 yards / 55 - 75 meters sport weight yarn held double in Contrast Color (bird color)

My sample used Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn in Coffee (100% Acrylic; 355 yds / 7 oz) and Yarn Bee Soft & Sleek DK in Peacock (100% Low Pill Acrylic; 478 yds / 4 oz), held double.

Needles:

• US size 6 / 4 mm (or size for correct gauge), for flat knitting
• US size 5 / 3.75 mm (or one size smaller than needles used to meet gauge), for flat knitting

Notions:

• Yarn Needle, for ends
• 3 buttons, approximately 0.75 in / 2 cm (or size to fit buttonholes)
• Sewing needle (optional, to attach buttons and / or lining)
• Sewing thread (optional, to attach buttons and / or lining)
• Fleece / Flannel (optional; approximately 2 in / 5 cm less in height and width than finished cowl)

PDF Formatting:

The pattern uses both written instructions and charts. The construction of the cowl itself uses written instructions, and the colorwork can be worked from written instructions or charts. Three sizes of charts are included: A small ‘overview’ chart, a medium chart with two halves on a single page, and a large chart with each half the size of a full page. The two larger charts have numbers at each color change to tell you how many stitches to work in that color before the next color change (for four or more stitches).

The written pattern is black text on a white page, in size 11 sans serif font (Noto Sans, similar in size to Arial and larger than Calibri or Times New Roman), with no italics. Images have alt text, but feedback on these would be appreciated. Charts have white and medium-light gray squares. Chart lines are dark gray on white squares and black on gray squares. Bold black lines mark 5-stitch / 5-row squares and extra-bold black lines mark 10-stitch / 10-row squares.

The pattern consists of the following:

• Page 1: Pattern description and glossary of abbreviations
• Page 2: Written pattern of chart construction
• Pages 3 - 6: Charts, in 3 sizes
• Pages 7 - 8: Written colorwork instructions

Thank you to my pattern testers and all who gave me feedback in the editing stage for helping me polish this pattern before release! I will continue watching for feedback that I may incorporate into future revisions. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have regarding the pattern.

This pattern is for personal use only. Do not redistribute, share, or copy any part of it, including inputting it into an LLM. Items made from the pattern are your own, and you may sell them in small quantities. If you can, please add to your item’s tag the name of the pattern and my Ravelry designer name--thank you!