This cowl is part of a series of beginner friendly patterns. The series includes a cowl, fingerless mittens/handwarmers and several hat/toque sizes, are all knitted in the round. If you are new to knitting-in-the-round, I recommend starting with either the cowl or fingerless mittens before working on the hat. Knitting a hat uses decreases at the top to shape the crown and would require a change in needles or in-the-round knitting method to finish.

The cowl is knitted in a basic 1x1 rib with featured columns of knit stitches and is fully reversible. The added knitted columns break up the process of 1x1 rib stitch and provide a subtle visual design change in the fabric (when worn with the knit column side out) or a little texture when worn with the purl columns on the right side of work.

Knitting starts at the bottom edge, is worked in the round for most of the cowl, before working the top 1.5” / 3.75 cm in smaller needles. The subtle change in gauge at the top edge gives the cowl a bit of shaping and improved fit when worn.

SIZE one size
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
21” / 53 cm (top) & 24.5” / 62 cm (bottom) circumference x 8.75”/ 22 cm, finished height (unstretched).

MATERIALS
WORSTED WEIGHT YARN: 1 skein of Rowan Pure Wool Worsted (100% Superwash wool, 219 yds / 200 m, 3.5 oz. / 100 g), colourway Sky. Or equivalent worsted weight Superwash yarn.

YARDAGE: 3.5 oz. / 100 g, 219 yds / 200 m.

SUGGESTED NEEDLES
Circular knitting needles, 16” / 40 cm in length in the sizes listed below.
Top edge finishing needles: US 5 / 3.75 mm needles.
Main needles: US 6 / 4 mm needles.

Or use the needle size needed to meet the pattern’s gauge and use one needle size smaller for the top edge of the cowl. Note: a match in gauge will yield a similar resulting item to the photographed samples.

GAUGE
22 sts x 28.5 rnds = 4” x 4” / 10 x 10 cm, unstretched and after blocking, in 1x1 rib, using main needles.

ABBREVIATIONS (full list in pattern)
BOR – beginning of round
k – knit
p – purl