Juniper Moon Farm Cowl Knitting Pattern

Marilee Cowl by Melissa Leapman

What Is Being Made

The Marilee cowl is a seamless, tubular neckwear accessory designed and created by Melissa Leapman as part of the Aspen Collection from Juniper Moon Farm. This cowl features a finished circumference of 25½ inches (65cm) and a height of 10 inches (25.5cm), making it a versatile layering piece suitable for various seasons and styling preferences.

Construction Technique

This cowl is worked seamlessly in the round using circular needles, eliminating the need for seaming. The construction begins with a smaller needle size for the ribbed edge, then transitions to a larger needle for the main body pattern, and returns to the smaller needle for the finishing edge. The bottom-up construction method allows knitters to try on the piece as it grows and adjust the final height if desired.

Stitch Techniques and Pattern Details

The Marilee cowl showcases a slip-stitch colorwork technique that creates bold striped patterns while remaining accessible to intermediate knitters. The pattern offers flexibility, allowing crafters to choose from multiple slip-stitch pattern options (labeled Pattern 1, Pattern 2, and Pattern 4 in the instructions). The sample cowl pictured uses Pattern 4.

Key stitch elements include:

• Slip-stitch colorwork: Each pattern round uses only one color per round, with the non-working color carried up the side of the work without being actively knitted. This technique creates the appearance of complex colorwork while simplifying the actual knitting process.
• Garter stitch edges: The cowl begins and ends with alternating knit and purl rounds worked three times, creating a reversible garter stitch border that frames the colorwork section.
• Increases and decreases: The pattern incorporates strategic increases (14 stitches evenly spaced) after the initial ribbed section to expand from 82 to 96 stitches, accommodating the slip-stitch pattern gauge. A corresponding decrease returns the stitch count to 82 stitches before binding off, creating a balanced silhouette.
• Slip stitches with yarn held to the wrong side: Unless otherwise specified, all slipped stitches are worked purlwise with the yarn held to the wrong side, maintaining consistency in the colorwork appearance.

Yarn and Materials

The Marilee cowl is designed to showcase Juniper Moon Farm's Herriot Great yarn, a worsted-weight fiber. The pattern calls for three coordinating colors:

• Color A (Raw White): 100 grams, used for the ribbed edges and as the base color
• Color B (Wasabi): 100 grams, used in the slip-stitch colorwork section
• Color C (Seaweed): 100 grams, used in the slip-stitch colorwork section

The total yardage requirement is approximately 300 grams of Herriot Great yarn across the three colors. This yarn choice provides excellent stitch definition for the slip-stitch patterns and creates a fabric with good drape suitable for a cowl.

Needles and Gauge

The pattern requires two sizes of circular needles, both 16 inches (40cm) in length:

• Smaller needle: US Size 8 (5mm), used for the ribbed edges
• Larger needle: US Size 9 (5.5mm), used for the main slip-stitch pattern sections

The gauge for this project is 15 stitches and 28 rounds over 4 inches (10cm) in the chosen slip-stitch pattern, measured on the larger needle and after blocking. Achieving accurate gauge is essential for obtaining the correct finished measurements and ensuring proper fit around the neck.

Additional Notions

The pattern requires one stitch marker to denote the beginning of each round during the seamless construction process. This simple notions list makes the Marilee cowl an accessible project for knitters with basic supplies.

Finishing

After completing all rounds and binding off, the cowl requires minimal finishing. Yarn ends are woven in securely, and the piece is blocked to the desired measurements to even out the slip-stitch pattern and set the fabric dimensions.