AMANO Paulina Cowl Knitting Pattern

AMANO Paulina Cowl: Knitted Lace Cowl Pattern

What is Being Made

The Paulina Cowl is a seamless knitted cowl designed by Martha Wissing for AMANO's Fall Winter 15/16 collection. This intermediate-level accessory measures 7 inches tall by 32 inches around, making it a versatile neckwear piece suitable for layering and everyday wear. The cowl is worked flat on straight needles and features a sophisticated combination of brioche knit and lace stitch sections.

Techniques Used

The Paulina Cowl employs several advanced knitting techniques to achieve its refined construction:

• Provisional Cast On and 3-Needle Bind Off: These techniques are used to create a minimal seam when joining the cowl into a circle, resulting in a nearly seamless finished garment. Alternatively, knitters may use standard cast-on and bind-off methods and sew the seam by hand if preferred.
• Brioche Knitting: The primary stitch pattern uses brioche knit (BRK) combined with yarn-forward and slip-stitch sequences to create a textured, reversible fabric with excellent drape and elasticity.
• Lace Knitting: An English Mesh Lace pattern section adds an open, delicate quality to the upper portion of the cowl, providing visual interest and breathability.
• Garter Stitch Edging: Garter stitch ridges are worked between major pattern sections to provide structure and definition.

Stitches Used

The pattern incorporates the following stitches and stitch techniques:

• Brioche Knit (BRK): Created by knitting a stitch together with its yarn-over from the previous row, this stitch forms the foundation of the cowl's main textured section.
• Yarn Forward (Yf): Brings the yarn to the front of the work to create yarn-overs for lace and brioche texture.
• Slip Stitch (Sl1): Used in combination with yarn-forward sequences to create the brioche setup and pattern rows.
• English Mesh Lace: A traditional lace pattern worked over a multiple of 6 plus 1 stitch, featuring yarn-overs (yo), single decreases (ssk and k2tog), and centered double decreases (sl1, k2tog, psso) to create an open, geometric mesh fabric.
• Garter Stitch: Knit on both right-side and wrong-side rows to create ridged texture and structural stability.
• Purl Stitch: Used on wrong-side rows of the lace section to maintain pattern clarity.

Materials and Gauge

The Paulina Cowl is designed to be worked with AMANO MAYU yarn in colorway #2004 Yellow Grass, requiring 2 hanks of 50 grams each. The pattern calls for two needle sizes: size 6 (4 mm) needles for the main brioche sections and size 7 (4.50 mm) needles for the lace section. Gauge is critical to achieving proper fit and is measured at 18 stitches and 40 rows over 4 inches in brioche pattern using the larger needles. Additional materials include waste yarn for the provisional cast-on and stitch markers to delineate pattern sections. The pattern emphasizes checking gauge before beginning to ensure accurate finished measurements.

Pattern Structure

The cowl is constructed in distinct sections: a brioche knit section worked flat for approximately 20 inches, followed by a transition to larger needles and garter stitch ridges, then an 8-row English Mesh Lace pattern repeated 8 times for a total of 64 rows. The pattern concludes with additional garter stitch rows before seaming. This structured approach creates visual and textural variety while maintaining the cowl's elegant, wearable proportions.