Djuna Cowl Accessory Knitting Pattern

Djuna Cowl in Berroco Nomad

What is Being Made

The Djuna Cowl is a knitted neck accessory designed as a circular cowl with finished measurements of approximately 7 inches wide by 40 inches around. This intermediate-level project creates a versatile, wearable piece suitable for layering or styling as a statement accessory. The cowl is constructed by knitting a flat rectangular piece that is then seamed at the edges to form the circular shape.

Techniques Used

This project employs cable knitting as its primary decorative technique. The pattern features two distinct cable stitches worked across the fabric at regular intervals, creating visual texture and dimension. The cowl is worked in the round conceptually through a flat construction method, with the pattern repeating every 8 rows to build the cable motif throughout the piece. Gauge swatching is emphasized as an important preparatory step to ensure accurate finished measurements, with the pattern requiring 23 stitches and 20 rows to equal 4 inches in the pattern stitch.

Stitches Used

The Djuna Cowl utilizes a combination of fundamental and advanced stitches:

• Knit stitch (K) – worked on the right side as knit and on the wrong side as purl
• Purl stitch (P) – worked on the right side as purl and on the wrong side as knit
• C8L (Cable 8 Left) – a left-leaning cable created by slipping 4 stitches onto a cable needle and holding them to the front, knitting 2 stitches and purling 2 stitches from the main needle, then knitting 2 stitches and purling 2 stitches from the cable needle
• C8R (Cable 8 Right) – a right-leaning cable created by slipping 4 stitches onto a cable needle and holding them to the back, knitting 2 stitches and purling 2 stitches from the main needle, then knitting 2 stitches and purling 2 stitches from the cable needle
• Ribbing – a 2x2 rib pattern (alternating 2 knit stitches and 2 purl stitches) used for the foundation rows and bind-off edge

Pattern Structure

The pattern is worked over an 8-row repeat that creates the cable texture. Rows 1, 3, 5, and 7 on the wrong side maintain a consistent 2x2 rib pattern. Rows 2 and 6 on the right side continue the ribbed background. Rows 4 and 8 introduce the cable stitches, with Row 4 featuring the left-leaning cables (C8L) and Row 8 featuring the right-leaning cables (C8R), creating a balanced, symmetrical cable design across the width of the cowl. The pattern instructions are provided in both written format and as a charted diagram for knitter preference.

Materials

The Djuna Cowl is designed to be knitted with Berroco Nomad yarn, a bulky-weight yarn requiring 3 balls of the colorway #9111 Fog. Each ball contains 50 grams of yarn. The project calls for size 11 (8.00 mm) knitting needles or the size needed to achieve the specified gauge, along with a cable needle for manipulating the cable stitches and a tapestry needle for seaming the edges and weaving in yarn ends. The pattern recommends using the specified Berroco Nomad yarn to ensure proper gauge and finished measurements.

Finishing

Once the knitted piece reaches approximately 40 inches in length, it is bound off using a ribbing bind-off technique. The cowl is then finished by seaming the cast-on edge to the bound-off edge to create the circular shape. All yarn ends are woven in securely, and the finished piece can be blocked as desired to even out the stitches and enhance the cable definition.