Pathway Cowl Free Colorwork Knitting Pattern
/We’re so excited to welcome back Crystal Hiatt of Milly’s Knit Designs with another beautiful new pattern. (Peep her Gable Chunky Beanie pattern here.) AND, once again, Crystal has brought a first to Stitch & Hustle. Her Pathway Cowl is the first knit color work pattern on the blog! We just know you will love her Pathway Cowl Free Colorwork Knitting Pattern!
The Pathway Cowl Free Knitting Pattern is a great entryway project to dip your toe in to stranded color work. In this stranded color work project, the “floats” (the strand of yarn that runs across the back of color work knitting) are short so there aren’t long strands to deal with.
The Pathway Cowl Free Colorwork Knitting Pattern is an exploration into what is so fabulous about colorwork.
Colors in knitting are like playing with candy. It so fun to see a project come to life right before your eyes and with each pop of color a new dimension is created!
The fun of planning you Pathway Cowl Free Colorwork Knitting Pattern is such a big part of it: thinking of which colors to use and in what combination, diving into that stash to find what you have or maybe making a special purchase for one more perfect color, it really is a joy.
SKILL LEVEL: Adventurous Beginner
MATERIALS
Yarn: Universal Yarn Bella Cash (60% superwash fine merino, 10% cashmere, 30% nylon, 230 yd /210 m).
Uses three coordinating colors, total of 253 (445, 626) yd / 231 (407, 572)m.
C1: 119 (210, 296) yd / 109 (192, 270) m
C2: 115 (202, 284) yd / 105 (185, 260) m
C3: 18 (32, 46) yd / 17 (30, 42) m
US 4/3.3mm circular needles, 24” / 60cm or 16” / 40cm
Yarn Needle
Stitch Markers
SIZES: 1 (2, 3)
LENGTH: 9.5 x 20” / 24 x 61 cm (9.5 x 37” / 24 x 94 cm, 9.5 x 52” / 24 x 132 cm)
GAUGE: 26 sts x 36 rounds = 4” / 10cm in st st in the round, blocked
ABBREVIATIONS:
BOR = beginning of round
CC = contrast color
CO = cast-on
K(k) = knit
P(p) = purl
R(r)nd(s) = round(s)
st(s) = stitch(es)
st st = stockinette stitch
tbl = through back loop
PATTERN NOTES:
Tutorial for German Twisted Cast-on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWHRfvU5im0
It is common to find you are a tighter knitter when working in colorwork than when working with a single color. You may want to go up a needle size when working with multiple colors.
STITCH GUIDE
Zig-Zag Stitch (worked in the round, multiple of 3 sts)
Rnd 1: *P1, ktbl of 2nd st on left needle then k through front loop of 1st st on left needle, then drop both sts from needle* until end of round.
Rnd 2: *K1, k 2nd st on needle through front front loop of st, then k through front loop of 1st st and drop both sts from needle* until end of round
Rep rnd 1 & 2 for pattern.
PATTERN
Bottom Rib
With C1, cast-on 156 (336, 468) sts, using a Twisted German Cast-on or preferred CO method. Place your BOR marker and join in the round. Be careful not to twist your stitches.
Knit Zig-Zag stitch 6 times total.
Cowl Body
Knit rnds 1-16 of colorwork chart four times. The stitch pattern repeats 13 (28, 39) times per rnd.
Then knit rnds 17-20 of colorwork chart once.
Cut C2 and C3.
Top Rib
With C1, knit 1 round.
Knit Zig-Zag stitch 6 times total.
Finishing
Bind-off in pattern with a 1x1 BO (k1, p1, bind off 1 stitch). Watch your tension during your bind-off to avoid an edge that pulls inward. Weave in your ends.
Blocking
Soak your cowl in lukewarm water with your favorite wool wash or essential oil for 10-15 minutes. Gently squeeze or press cowl to let out excess water. Do not wring. Place your cowl on a towel and roll up to help remove any additional water. Your cowl should now feel damp. Lay flat on blocking mats to dry. Typically a good 24 hours for small accessories.
Blocking helps to open your stitches and allows them to relax. If possible, consider using pins or blocking wires for straight, blocked edges when finished.
