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This pattern was written for my daughter. She has adored pigs since she was small so after making her Muddy Pig socks, hat, and fingerless gloves, I knew a cowl would be needed to complete the set. She was the kind of little girl who loved playing outside splashing in puddles with her wellies on, so hers had to be muddy pigs! Of course, your pigs don’t have to be muddy, this is a great pattern to experiment with color and use mini skeins or any leftovers lurking in your stash – have fun!

Method: This stranded colorwork cowl features cute pigs, hearts, and flowers. It is knit in the round from the bottom up starting with a folded hem and can be worked in three or more contrasting colors. A photo tutorial for the folded hem is included.

Please note the colorwork design in this pattern is charted not written out. You need to be prepared to read and work from charts in order to enjoy knitting this design.

Size: This pattern is written in 4 suggested sizes, but the circumference is easily adjusted to any length (notes for doing this are included). All instructions that differ depending on the size you are knitting are color coded and indicated with parentheses like this: XS (S, M, L).

Size - Finished Circumference - Finished Height
XS - 18” (46 cm) - 9” (23 cm)
S - 24” (61 cm) - 9” (23 cm)
M - 30” (76 cm) - 9” (23 cm)
L - 60” (152 cm) -9” (23 cm)

Yarn: This pattern works well with three (or more) solid colors of DK yarn. You can use any DK yarn that you like and with which you can get tension/ gauge. I have chosen to use a 100% wool yarn because the resulting fabric “breathes” better than an acrylic yarn would - this helps you not overheat as you warm up when you’re out and about.

Please note I do not recommend using yarns with a high cotton content as cotton doesn’t stretch as much as other fibers and this will affect the fit of your cowl.

This is a great pattern to experiment with color and use mini skeins or any leftovers lurking in your stash. Be creative, have fun, but keep in mind changes will affect yardage and number of ends to weave in. The amounts of each color required will depend on how many colors you pick, where you choose to use them in the cowl, and which size you are knitting. As a guide for the cowl pictured (size M in three colors) I used the following quantities of Drops Karisma:

MC – 04 Chocolate Brown approx. 190 metres (208 yards)
CC1 – 52 Mustard approx. 35 metres (38 yards)
CC2 – 80 Rose approx. 70 metres (77 yards)