This cowl was designed as part of the Initiate Knit Design Challenge run by Francoise from Aroha Knits. A few times a year, she takes the time to run this challenge to help aspiring designers like myself. There are lots of lovely supportive people doing the challenge. If you search #initiateknitdsign or #initiateknitdesignchallenge on Instagram, you’ll find lots of lovely designs. I want to do them all when they’re finished! But I think RiverSystem wouldn’t be happy if I bought all the yarn and patterns…

The inspiration for this cowl is autumnal walks with my dog Teddy who’s a cross between a yorkie and a daschound. Or as my sister in law calls him: ‘Tigger in a dog suit’! The cycle path we walk him down is lined with trees and at this time of year, the leaves on the trees aren’t brown yet but they aren’t as green as they were in the summer. This cowl is designed to be worn throughout autumn and winter. It’s quite wide so you can either wear it so that it comes over your mouth which is perfect for cold days. Or you could wear it folded in half to keep your neck toasty warm!

The cowl is provisionally cast on using a crochet hook and then the ends are Kitchener stitched together to make a seamless join. At the centre of the cowl, is a column of bamboo stitch which is flanked by mirrored trailing leaves. I’ve both written out the pattern and charted it so you can use your preferred method.

This pattern is made in Hayfield Chunky with wool.

You don’t have to just wear the cowl while you’re walking the dog. You can wear it when you’re out and about in town or taking photos!

Thank you to supknitter for testing this pattern.