Cats Not Kings Cowl

SOME DESIGNS ARRIVE quietly. Others insist on being made.

This cowl belongs to the latter category. I cast it on during the week of the October 2025 No Kings Rally—a grassroots gathering born from collective frustration with concentrated power and eroding rights in the U.S. I was also processing the sudden loss of my cat, Purl, and found myself wanting to knit something that could hold contradictory feelings at once: grief and defiance, softness and resistance.

This cowl is the result. Worked in allover colorwork, it features a procession of cat faces paired with the phrase “Cats Not Kings”—a playful but sincere expression of solidarity and a reminder that power should always be questioned. Knitting it became a way to channel overwhelming emotions into something tangible, stitch by stitch.

Cats have always understood what many humans forget: that independence matters, that comfort is radical, and that those who demand unquestioned authority are rarely deserving of it. This cowl is for anyone who believes creativity is a form of participation, that small acts of resistance add up, and that joy and conviction can—and should—coexist.

Cats not kings, y’all! Always.

*****

All proceeds from this design will be donated to immigrant aid organizations across the country, beginning with groups serving communities in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

I’ve priced this pattern to make it as accessible as possible. If purchasing this pattern would be a hardship, I am offering a pay-what-you-can option. Please email me at briana {at} brianarleneknits.com to let me know if you can pay 75%, 50%, or 0%, and I’ll send you a discount code — no questions asked. Include "Cats Not Kings Cowl discount code" in the subject line and your Ravelry username in the body of the email. I’m not able to track messages sent through Ravelry comments or social media DMs. Thanks so much for understanding!

  • Design & Construction: The Cats Not Kings Cowl is a tubular cowl that features allover colorwork. It is knit from the top down in the round with no shaping. The top and bottom edges feature twisted 1x1 ribbing for a polished finish.

    Fit: This cowl is designed to sit comfortably with a closer fit around the neck. Want a different fit? Simply cast on more or fewer stitches in multiples of 11 and work additional or fewer repeats of the cat face within the colorwork chart. Each 11-stitch repeat adds or subtracts approximately 1 in. (2.5 cm) from the finished circumference.

    Yarn: The yarn estimates provided in this pattern are approximations, calculated to allow for both a sizable swatch and the sweater, with a small margin of error. Your actual yarn usage may vary based on factors such as your personal gauge, the yarn’s characteristics (e.g., fiber content, ply, thickness), and any modifications you make to the pattern.

    Stitch Patterns: The stranded colorwork stitch pattern in this sweater are only charted, so you should be confident in your chart reading skills—or be open to learning!

    Additional Notes: See the Notes section of the pattern for additional info on choosing colors that make the motifs stand out and helpful tips on knitting stranded colorwork.

  • SIZES
    One size

    FINISHED MESASUREMENTS
    Finished Circumference
    20.25 in. (50.5 cm)

  • YARN
    Sport weight
    MC: 40 g/160 yds or 145 m
    CC: 15 g/60 yds or 55 m

    SUGGESTED YARN
    Spincycle Yarns Dyed in the Wool (50 g/200 yds (183 m)) – 100% superwash American Wool
    MC: 1 skein
    The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers & Spincycle Yarns The Spinster’s Daughter (75 g/300 yds (274 m)) – 100% superwash American Wool
    CC: 1 skein

    The sample cowl is knit in the colorways Bruised Ego (MC) and Many Moons (CC).

  • Needle A (body): US 5 (3.75 mm)
    Needle B (ribbing): US 4 (3.5 mm)

    For each needle size, you will need circular needles measuring 14 in. (35 cm) or your preferred method for smaller circumference knitting (such as magic loop, short circular needles, or double-pointed needles).

  • Measure gauge on Needle A in the round, after blocking.

    24 sts and 30 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in stranded colorwork

  • Knitting
    Purling
    Knitting in the round
    Tubular cast-on
    Stranded colorwork
    Chart reading
    Catching floats
    1x1 ribbing
    Twisted ribbing
    Tubular bind-off

Purchase the Cats Not Kings Cowl pattern on Ravelry