Kasiani Cowl Cushion Knitting Pattern

Kasiani Cowl in Berroco Lucca

What is Being Made

The Kasiani Cowl is an intermediate-level knitted cowl designed by Amy Christoffers. This project creates a finished cowl measuring approximately 44 inches (112 cm) around the circumference and 12 inches (30.5 cm) in height. The cowl is constructed as a flat rectangular piece that is later seamed together at the cast-on and bound-off edges to form a continuous loop, making it a versatile accessory suitable for layering and everyday wear.

Techniques Used

This knitting project employs several fundamental and intermediate techniques. The pattern utilizes charted colorwork, requiring knitters to follow a visual chart while working in the round-equivalent construction. The cowl is worked flat in rows rather than in the round, with careful attention to directional reading of the chart—working from right to left on right-side rows and left to right on wrong-side rows. Stranded colorwork is incorporated, as the pattern calls for joining multiple colors (MC, CC1, and CC2) as needed throughout the piece. The finishing process involves mattress stitch seaming to join the cast-on edge to the bound-off edge, creating the continuous cowl structure. Blocking is recommended to achieve accurate finished measurements and to even out the colorwork pattern.

Stitches Used

The Kasiani Cowl primarily features knit and purl stitches as the foundation of the pattern. The stitch vocabulary includes:

• Knit on right side; purl on wrong side with the main color (MC)
• Knit on right side with contrasting colors (CC1 and CC2)
• Slip stitches worked as if to purl, both with yarn in front (wyif) on wrong-side rows and with yarn in back (wyib) on right-side rows
• Purl stitches with color indicated in the chart

The pattern repeats over 48 rows, with the charted design creating a textured colorwork fabric. Slip stitches are strategically used to manage yarn floats and create visual definition in the pattern.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Kasiani Cowl is worked in Berroco Lucca, a yarn produced by Berroco, Inc. The pattern calls for three colors of this yarn:

• 2 balls of #5801 Pearl (Main Color)
• 1 ball of #5811 Golden (Contrasting Color 1)
• 1 ball of #5806 Silver (Contrasting Color 2)

Each ball of Berroco Lucca weighs 50 grams. Knitters should use US size 7 (4.5 mm) knitting needles, or the size necessary to obtain the correct gauge. The pattern specifies a gauge of 22 stitches and 26 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in the charted pattern, measured after blocking. Checking gauge before beginning the project is essential to ensure the finished cowl meets the intended dimensions.

Pattern Construction Details

The cowl begins with casting on 67 stitches using the contrasting color (CC1), and stitches are not joined, indicating flat construction. Knitters work from the charted pattern, introducing the main color and second contrasting color as the design dictates. The 48-row pattern repeat is worked continuously until the piece reaches approximately 44 inches in length (or the desired finished circumference), ending on a wrong-side row with Row 48 of the chart. The piece is then bound off on the right side. After weaving in all yarn ends, the cast-on edge is sewn to the bound-off edge using mattress stitch, and the entire cowl is blocked to set the stitches and even out the colorwork.