Erica Cowl by Madeleine Windsor

This delightfully quick knit using just one skein of indulgently luxurious yarn, makes a wonderful treat for your neck.  It showcases variegated color beautifully with the subtle patterning it creates.  A perfect accessory to your wardrobe as it gets cooler, and also an excellent little gift!

Erica is Italian for “heather”, and I feel heather-coated moorlands are recalled by this cowl, especially in this color!

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

7¾” / 20 cm deep

19¾” / 50 cm circumference

NEEDLES

Size 6 US / 4 mm circular needle (16”/40 cm, or 40”/100 cm for magic loop), or double-pointed needles (DPNs) if preferred.

Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

NOTIONS

Darning needle

Pins for blocking

YARN

1 skein of Malabrigo Silky Merino (150 yds / 137 m per 50 g; 51% silk, 49% merino wool)

Shown in colorway #877 “Queguay”.

GAUGE

17 sts and 30 rows = 4” / 10 cm in “dropped rib between purl stitches” pattern (in the round) after blocking

PATTERN NOTES

The Erica cowl is knit in the round using a dropped stitch rib design. This is worked by making a yarn over (yo) which is worked for a few following rounds and then dropped creating the open “ladder” between stitch columns.  The first section is worked with this “dropped stitch” between purl stitches, then in the middle sections things are switched up and the “dropped stitch” is worked between knit stitches before returning to the original pattern for the third section.

The instructions given make the cowl in the measurements stated and less than 125 yards of yarn were needed, but should you wish to make a deeper cowl you could simply work more repeats of the 12 row pattern (for the “between purl stitches” or the “between knit stitches” option).  Alternatively, you could make a larger circumference by casting on more stitches.  The design works on a multiple of 8 stitches, so you can increase your cast on number accordingly to get the circumference desired.

ABBREVIATIONS

See our standard abbreviations

STITCH INSTRUCTIONS

Dropped rib – between purl stitches

Rnd 1: [K2, p1, yo, p1, k2, p2] around; 9 sts per rep.

Rnd 2: [K2, p3, k2, p2] around; 9 sts per rep.

Rnds 3, 4 and 5: As Rnd 2.

Rnd 6: [K2, p1, drop st off the needle and unravel down to the yo, p1, k2, p2] around ; 8 sts per rep.

Rnd 7: [K2, p2, k2, p1, yo, p1] around; 9 sts per rep.

Rnd 8: [K2, p2, k2, p3] around; 9 sts per rep.

Rnds 9, 10 and 11:  As Rnd 8.

Rnd 12: [K2, p2, k2, p1 drop st off the needle and unravel down to the yo, p1] around; 8 sts per rep.

Dropped rib – between knit stitches

Rnd 1: [K1, yo, k1, p2, k2, p2] around; 9 sts per rep.

Rnd 2: [K3, p2, k2, p2] around; 9 sts per rep.

Rnds 3, 4 and 5: As Rnd 2.

Rnd 6: [K1, drop st off the needle and unravel down to the yo, k1, p2, k2, p2] around; 8 sts per rep.

Rnd 7: [K2, p2, k1, yo, k1, p2] around; 9 sts per rep.

Rnd 8: [K2, p2, k3, p2] around; 9 sts per rep.

Rnds 9, 10 and 11: As Rnd 8.

Rnd 12: [K2, p2, k1, drop st off the needle and unravel down to the yo, k1, p2] around; 8 sts per rep. 

Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Sewn Bind Off

Break the yarn leaving a tail at least three times as long as the knitting and thread onto a tapestry needle.

*Insert the needle purlwise through the first two sts on the needle and draw the yarn through.  Insert the needle into the first st knitwise and draw the yarn through slipping the st off the needle.  Rep from * until there is one st remaining.

Pull the yarn through this final st to complete the bind off.

Cowl Pattern

CO 88 sts with the long-tail cast on.

1^st Rnd: [K2, p2] around.

Work Rnds 1-12 of the “Dropped rib – between purl stitches” pattern twice.

Work Rnds 1-12 of the “Dropped rib – between knit stitches” pattern once.

Work Rnds 1-12 of the “Dropped rib – between purl stitches” pattern twice.

Next Rnd: [K2, p2] around.

BO all stitches using Elizabeth Zimmerman’s Sewn Bind-off.

FINISHING

Wet block to measurements. Weave in ends. Put around your neck and enjoy!