Hanging Leaves
Inspired by all of the beautiful crisp walks through Westonbirt Arboretum in the autumn, this is a favourite knit. I have made many incarnations of this leafy cowl over the years for friends and family and it always stirs up positive remarks… I’ve been knitting these since 2012 and so I thought it high time I wrote up the pattern.

The cowl is knitted in 3 stages, a circular cast on followed by flat V shaping at the front and then the leaves are added as a final finishing touch.

Materials
You will need 200g of your chosen DK weight yarn, I used under 200g (approximately 170g)

Gauge & Finished Measurements
A lot of the finished shape and size of the cowl is down to the materials used and how aggressively you block your finished item. If you would like a firm cowl that sits closer to your neck I recommend using a wool yarn like the Riverknits BFL DK and not stretching it out too much when blocking, however if you like an open cowl with drape, I recommend using a yarn like the Kettle Dye Co’s Islington DK with a high silk content and blocking out the pattern to open it up. If in doubt don’t block too aggressively to start with, you can always adjust it.

My cowl in Islington DK Ochre measures -
Top edge to Tip (not including leaves) - 21”
Top Edge When Laid Flat - 12” (Approximate circumference of - 24” - 26” when worn)

Skills Required
To complete this cowl you will need to know how to:

• Follow a Charted Pattern
• Knit in the round
• Complete basic increases and decreases
• Knit with DPN’s
• Create an I-cord