All About the Directions Cowl Pattern

When I started working on this design I didn't have a clear idea of how I wanted the finished cowl to look. I had a rough idea for one of the sections, but I wasn't sure about the rest of the colourwork. I started this project by knitting a swatch based on the rough idea I had so that I could measure the gauge. I used the gauge information to work out how many rows and stitches I would need to use to get the dimensions I was aiming for. I could then decide what size the colourwork chart should be and how many times it would need to be repeated.

The next step was to start designing the colourwork, so I set up a chart in my knitting chart software and started experimenting with different ideas. I found I was managing to design lots of sections I really liked, but I had to carefully choose which of these to include in the final design, as I wanted the different sections to work well together and look cohesive. I saved lots of the sections I chose not to use in separate files, so I can revisit them again for future projects.

Once the chart was complete I was ready to start knitting the cowl. The yarn I used was purchased from Pigment & Ply at Yarndale last year. I bought the two skeins knowing I wanted to use them for a möbius cowl, so when I first started thinking about this idea I knew I wanted to use these colours. Using two high contrast colours works really well for projects like this, as it ensures the colourwork is easy to see.

I found this cowl to be really enjoyable to knit. It includes varied sections which are separated with breaks of plain rows, so none of the sections felt like a slog to complete. Whilst the colourwork for this cowl looks very detailed it is actually fairly simple to knit; once you've knitted the first few stitches of a row you'll probably be able to complete the row without needing to check the chart again. I also didn't need to catch any floats for this project, as you never need to work with a colour for more than a few stitches.

I always try to design patterns which are fun to knit and result in a great finished project and I really think I got that right with this design - I couldn't be happier with it. I've been enjoying designing stranded colourwork patterns lately and will definitely be working on more in the near future!

Click the link below to check out the full details of the pattern.