Shaniko Cowl
THE SHANIKO COWL is a small, satisfying companion to the Shaniko Sweater, inspired by the town of Shaniko, Oregon(1)—once the wool capital of the world in the early 1900s. Designed as a gentle entry point into stranded colorwork, this cowl offers the chance to slow down, explore color, and enjoy the rhythm of repeated motifs on a manageable scale.
The colorwork is intentionally approachable: only two colors are worked at a time, the motifs are thoughtfully sized, and the construction allows you to focus on tension and color dominance without the added complexity of garment shaping. It’s an ideal project if you’re new to colorwork, returning to it after a break, or simply looking for a relaxing knit with just enough visual interest to keep things engaging.
Whether worn on its own or as a complement to the Shaniko Sweater, this cowl is a celebration of wool, tradition, and the quiet joy of watching pattern emerge stitch by stitch.
P.S. There is also a Shaniko Hat if you’d like to practice colorwork and working shaping on a smaller-scale project!
(1)The area around Shaniko, Oregon, is within the traditional territories of several Indigenous peoples, particularly the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (Wasco, Warm Springs, and Paiute), though specific ancestral land claims for the immediate Shaniko site point toward broader Columbia Plateau groups like the Wasco and potentially the Cayuse/Nez Perce who frequented Central Oregon, with later treaties impacting these lands, a common thread for all Oregon tribes being the ancestors of the Grand Ronde and Siletz tribes.
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Design & Construction: The Shaniko Cowl is a tubular cowl that features small-scale, southwestern-inspired motifs designed with newer colorwork knitters in mind. Only two colors are ever used per round and motifs avoid long floats. It is knit from the top down in the round with no shaping. The edges feature classic 1x1ribbing and a tubular bind-off for a clean, structured edge.
Fit: This cowl is designed to sit comfortably with a relaxed fit around the neck. Want a different fit? Simply cast on more or fewer stitches in multiples of 12 and work additional or fewer repeats of the colorwork chart. Each 12-stitch repeat adds or subtracts approximately 2.75 in (7 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.
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SIZES
One sizeFINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Finished Circumference
21.25 in. (53 cm) -
YARN
Worsted weight
MC: 25 g/60 yds or 55 m
CC1: 10 g/25 yds or 25 m
CC2: 10 g/25 yds or 25 m
CC3: 5 g/10 yds or 10 mSUGGESTED YARN
Wool & Palette Shaniko (100 g/240 yds (219 m)) – 100% non-superwash Merino/Rambouillet
MC: 1 skein
CC1: 1 skein
CC2: 1 skein
Spincycle Yarns Dream State (65 g/150 yds (137 m)) – 100% superwash American wool
CC3: 1 skein
The sample cowl is knit in the colorways Narwhal (MC), Marmalade (CC1), Salamander (CC2), and Written in the Stars (CC3). -
Needle A (body): US 8 (5 mm)
Needle B (ribbing): US 6 (4 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).
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Measure gauge on Needle A in the round, after blocking.
18 sts and 22 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in stranded colorwork
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Knitting
Purling
Knitting in the round
Tubular cast-on
Stranded colorwork
1x1 ribbing
Tubular bind-off