Cascade Yarns W Smush Cowl Knitting Pattern

Cascade Yarns W Smush Cowl

What is Being Made

The Cascade Yarns W Smush Cowl is a unisex cowl designed by Laurie Beardsley, suitable for both men and women. This cowl features a marvelously smushy yet dense fabric that drapes beautifully around the neck. The finished cowl measures 31 inches (79 cm) in circumference and 11 inches (28 cm) in width, making it a versatile neckwear accessory that can be worn as a single loop or doubled for extra warmth and texture.

Knitting Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several key techniques to achieve its distinctive textured appearance:

• Circular knitting in the round: The cowl is constructed using a 24-inch circular needle, allowing for seamless knitting in continuous rounds without seaming.
• Stranded colorwork: The pattern incorporates two colors (Maroon and Gray) worked in alternating sections. The yarn is carried between color changes without twisting, allowing floats to remain loose to prevent puckering in the fabric.
• Customization capability: The pattern is designed to be easily adjustable—circumference can be modified by adding or removing stitches in multiples of two, and width can be adjusted by adding or removing rounds in multiples of four.

Stitches Used

The Smush Cowl utilizes a simple but effective stitch pattern that creates the signature textured fabric:

• Knit (K): The fundamental knit stitch forms the base of the fabric.
• Purl (P): Purl rounds are worked to create horizontal texture and visual interest.
• Knit 1 Below (K1B): This is the signature stitch that creates the "smushy" texture. The K1B stitch is worked by knitting into the stitch below the next stitch on the left needle, then dropping the original stitch. This technique creates a dense, textured fabric with excellent drape.

The pattern stitch repeats over four rounds: Round 1 alternates K1 and K1B; Round 2 is purl; Round 3 alternates K1B and K1; Round 4 is purl. This four-round repeat is worked in color blocks to build the complete cowl.

Materials and Gauge

The Smush Cowl is worked using Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash, a premium yarn composed of 100% Superwash Wool. The pattern calls for two 100-gram balls (3.5 ounces each), yielding 220 yards (200 meters) per ball. The specific colors used in the original design are #855 Maroon (Color 1) and #816 Gray (Color 2).

Knitting needles required are US 6 (4 mm) circular needles measuring 24 inches (60 cm), or the size needed to achieve proper gauge. The pattern gauge is 13 stitches and 36 rounds equal 4 inches (10 cm) when worked in the K1, K1B pattern. Additional supplies include a stitch marker and a tapestry needle for finishing.

Construction Method

The cowl begins with a long-tail cast-on of 102 stitches using a loose cast-on method to ensure the edge remains elastic. After joining for knitting in the round, a single purl round establishes the foundation. The pattern then alternates between color sections, with the two-color stranded technique creating the visual interest while the K1B stitch builds the dense, textured fabric. The color sections are worked in blocks, with transitional two-round sections of each color maintained between larger color blocks to ensure smooth color transitions.