In honor of my Fall 2018 Knit For Fun Retreat in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, this textured cowl pays homage to the stunning autumn colors of the area. The luxurious yarn is MCN Fingering (80% merino, 10% cashmere, 10% nylon) in a “crimson leaves” colorway custom dyed for the retreat by Wisconsin’s own Sun Valley Fibers.

The simple lace pattern resembles panels of paired leaves. It repeats over 18 stitches and 4 rounds, and is easy to follow once the panels are established. Unlike many lace patterns, this one requires increases and decreases to be worked every round.

A tidy row of eyelets borders the scalloped cast-on and bind-off edges. I used the Old Norwegian (also called Twisted German) cast-on and the Sewn bind-off for matching top and bottom edges, but you can use the methods of your choice.