I had the privilege of participating in bird banding while on Block Island in May 2018 for Deborah Newton’s Designer Workshop.

Elise Lapham started the Block Island Bird Banding Station over 50 years ago. Kim Gaffett, who I met while there, continues the work Elise began. Having never heard of this process, I wondered what was the importance and purpose of bird banding and learned that this data collection teaches us much about our natural environment and reinforces our responsibility to safeguard this environment for future generations.

This moving experience inspired me to design a cowl that represented the bird banding process and honored those dedicated to this process. As a way to give back, I will be donating any profits from this pattern to the Block Island Bird Banding Station.

Start by knitting the textured stitch pattern bird motif square. Then pick up stitches along the right side, increase to create more volume & work a simple 2-row repeat mesh to your desired circumference. This mesh represents the netting used to catch the birds to be banded.

Decrease the mesh section in preparation for joining it to the left side of the square bird motif. Next, knit an I-cord, join it into a circle and slide it onto the mesh. This I-cord band, which represents the tiny band attached to the bird’s leg, can be slid to different positions on the cowl to allow it to drape/wear differently.