Golden Lily Reversible Cowl Designed by Debbie Bliss & Chloe Elizabeth Birch in Morris DK

Golden Lily Reversible Cowl

What is Being Made

The Golden Lily Reversible Cowl is a sophisticated knitted cowl designed by Debbie Bliss and Chloé Elizabeth Birch. This accessory piece features a reversible construction, allowing the wearer to display either side of the fabric. The finished cowl measures 82cm in circumference by 29cm in depth (32¼ inches by 11½ inches), making it a generous, versatile neckwear piece suitable for layering or wearing as a statement accessory.

Techniques Used

This advanced-level knitting pattern incorporates sophisticated colorwork techniques that elevate it beyond basic knitting. The primary techniques employed include:

• Fair Isle Colorwork: A traditional technique where two or three colors are worked within the same round, creating intricate patterned designs across the fabric surface.
• Intarsia Techniques: Used alongside Fair Isle to manage color changes and create the reversible quality of the cowl.
• Stranding: When working with multiple colors, unused yarns are stranded loosely across the back of the working color to maintain fabric integrity and prevent holes in the finished piece.
• Yarn Linking: Where colors are twisted together on the wrong side to secure yarn transitions and prevent gaps in the colorwork.
• Chart Reading: The pattern requires working from a chart, reading all right-side rows from right to left in the traditional knitting method.
• Mattress Stitch Seaming: Recommended for finishing and joining sections of the completed project with an invisible seam.

Stitches Used

The Golden Lily Reversible Cowl is constructed primarily using fundamental knitting stitches worked in the round:

• Knit Stitch (K): The primary stitch used throughout the pattern.
• Purl Stitch (P): Used as needed within the pattern structure.
• Stocking Stitch (st-st): The base fabric created by knitting every round, providing a smooth, classic finish that showcases the Fair Isle and Intarsia colorwork patterns.

Materials and Equipment

This pattern is worked in Morris DK yarn from West Yorkshire Spinners, a versatile double-knit weight that provides excellent stitch definition for colorwork. The yarn palette includes six carefully selected colors:

• Daisy (1292): 2 x 50g balls
• Pomegranate (1294): 1 x 50g ball
• Clover (1279): 2 x 50g balls
• Rose (A): 1 x 50g ball
• Yew (1282): 2 x 50g balls
• Hyacinth (1278): 1 x 50g ball (optional for Fair Isle)

Two circular needles are required for this project: one 4mm (UK size 8 / US size 6) needle measuring 80cm in length for the main fabric, and one 4.5mm (UK size 7 / US size 7) needle also 80cm in length, likely for ribbing or edge finishing. One stitch marker is needed to track round beginnings during in-the-round knitting.

Tension and Sizing

Achieving the correct tension is essential for this advanced pattern. The specified tension is 22 stitches and 28 rows to 10cm, measured over stocking stitch and colorwork using 4mm needles. Knitters should always create a tension square before beginning the full garment. If fewer stitches are achieved, needle sizes should be decreased; if more stitches are achieved, needle sizes should be increased until the correct tension is reached. Proper tension ensures the cowl achieves its intended finished measurements and the reversible construction works as designed.