Irene … the very name seems to evoke a sense of despairing beauty, of love lost. This lovely cable knit cowl design was inspired by a strong, yet tragic heroine in the incredible book The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy. In the story, Irene was married to a rich man who didn’t truly love her, but who desparately wanted to own her. When she met her cousin’s fiance, she fell for him instantly, even though she knew they could never be together. One of my favorite quotes from the book describes their romance perfectly: “Love is not a hot-house flower, but a wild plant, born of a wet night, born of an hour of sunshine; sprung from wild seed, blown along the road by a wild wind. A wild plant that, when it blooms by chance within the hedge of our gardens, we call a flower; and when it blooms outside we call a weed; but, flower or weed, whose scent and colour are always, wild!”

This pattern is geared toward intermediate knitters, especially those who would like to learn and/or practice cable knitting techniques. The yarn I chose for this project is Onion No. 6, Wool + Nettles, available from Fairlight Fibers (which happens to be the only shop in the United States that carries this brand!). This yarn is delightfully soft and smooth, and it has a beautiful heathered appearance. Each stitch shows incredible texture and definition! My favorite thing about this yarn is that it’s extremely affordable. I can honestly say that it’s one of my favorite yarns EVER, and I can’t recommend it enough! You can use the code “irenecowl” at checkout on the Fairlight Fibers website to save $4 on your purchase.

To make this cowl. you will need:

Approximately 260-320 yds of a bulky weight (5) yarn, but the yardage just depends on how tall you want your cowl to be! I used three 50g balls of Onion Yarns No. 6 in bottle green, available on the Fairlight Fibers website (see link above).

US size 10 (6mm) 16” circular needles, or size needed to obtain gauge.

The usual knitting notions, such as a cable needle, yarn needle, and stitch markers (optional).

You may sell whatever you make using this pattern, but please reference The Chesapeake Needle as the sole owner of the pattern and include a link to the pattern’s Ravelry page. You may not claim ownership of this pattern; you may not use my photos and/or instructions for any purpose other than to create this item yourself; and you may not share, sell, or distribute my pattern in any way. If you have any questions regarding the use of this pattern, feel free to email me at thechesapeakeneedle@gmail.com. Copyright February 2018, all rights reserved.