Kindred Cowl
We still might feed the dark thing in us
that grows away from the light
until against all sense
we mysteriously flower
in the other direction.
~Mark Nepo, excerpt from The Book of Awakening
My Kindred series is about finding the light within and without. Mark Nepo is one of my guides whose wisdom has gently turned me back towards the light in times of grief and hardship. May his words—and perhaps the meditative rhythm of knitting this cowl—do the same for you this season.
-
Design & Construction: The Kindred Cowl is a tubular cowl worked in 2-color stranded colorwork. It is knit from the top down in the round with no shaping. The edges feature twisted rib.
Fit: This cowl is designed to fit relatively close to the neck. If you would like a looser fit, you can cast on additional stitches in increments of 12 sts and simply work more repeats of the Colorwork Chart. Each 12-st repeat will add approximately 2 in. (5 cm) to the circumference.
Stitch Patterns: The stranded colorwork stitch patterns in this cowl are only charted, so you should be confident in your chart reading skills—or be open to learning!
January 2025 Update: This pattern now includes 2 colorwork charts so you can decide which version to make: the original chart emulates suns radiating across the fabric, while the swap of a few key CC stitches results in a more artsy southwest vibe.
-
SIZES
One sizeFINISHED MEASUREMENTS
8 in. (20 cm) tall x 20.75 in. (52 cm) circumference -
YARN
Sport weight
MC: 40 g/160 yds or 146 m
CC: 24 g/96 yds or 88 mSUGGESTED YARN
Spincycle Yarns Wilder (50 g/200 yds (183 m)) – 100% non-superwash American Rambouillet wool
MC: 1 skein
Spincycle Yarns Dyed in the Wool (50 g/200 yds (183 m)) – 100% superwash American wool
CC: 1 skeinThe sample cowl is knit in the colorways Light Gray (MC) and Ghost Ranch (CC).
-
Needle A (colorwork): US 5 (3.75 mm)
Needle B (ribbing): US 4 (3.5 mm)For each needle size, you will need 14 in. (35 cm) circular needles or your preferred needles for smaller circumference knitting (i.e., magic loop, short circular needles, or double-pointed needles).
-
Needle A (colorwork): US 5 (3.75 mm)
Needle B (ribbing): US 4 (3.5 mm)For each needle size, you will need 14 in. (35 cm) circular needles or your preferred needles for smaller circumference knitting (i.e., magic loop, short circular needles, or double-pointed needles).
-
Alternating cable cast-on, stranded colorwork, alternating cable bind-off