Madelinetosh Embers Cowl Knitting Pattern

Madelinetosh Embers Cowl

What is Being Made

The Embers Cowl is a lush and dense striped cowl designed to be worn around the neck. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a warm, textured accessory using a simple lace pattern that breaks up the mottled tones in the yarn. The cowl is available in two sizes—a short version and a long version—allowing knitters to customize the finished length to their preference.

Techniques Used

This cowl is worked in the round using circular needles, which creates a seamless tubular fabric. The pattern incorporates stripes by alternating between two colorways of Madelinetosh Tosh DK yarn without cutting the yarn between color changes. Instead, knitters wrap the color not in use around the color currently being worked, a technique that keeps the fabric cohesive and eliminates weaving in multiple ends. The cowl features a lace pattern that provides visual interest and texture while maintaining the density and warmth of the finished piece. The yellow accent color peeks through the dominant dark color, creating depth and visual complexity in the final garment.

Stitches Used

The Embers Cowl employs a straightforward lace stitch pattern that repeats over 8 rounds. The pattern stitch includes:

• Knit 2 together (K2tog) and slip, slip, knit (ssk) decreases that create the lace openings
• Knit front and back (KFB) increases worked twice in succession to balance the decreases
• Stockinette stitch (knit rounds and purl rounds) as the foundation fabric
• Purl rounds that alternate with knit rounds to create texture and break up the striping

The 8-round repeat cycles through the lace pattern with Color A, then introduces Color B with simple knit rounds, creating visual rhythm without complex stitch manipulation.

Materials

The Embers Cowl requires Madelinetosh Tosh DK yarn in two colorways. For the short cowl version, knitters need 2 skeins of Graphite (dark grey) as Color A and 1 skein of Candlewick (yellow) as Color B. For the long cowl version, the yardage requirements increase to 3 skeins of Graphite and 2 skeins of Candlewick. Each skein contains 225 yards (206 meters).

The pattern calls for US 7 (4.5 mm) circular needles—either a 24-inch (60 cm) needle for the short cowl or a 32-inch (80 cm) needle for the long cowl. Additional notions include one stitch marker to denote the beginning of round and one yarn needle for weaving in ends. The recommended gauge is 20 stitches over 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch, and knitters should adjust needle size as necessary to achieve this gauge.

Construction Details

Knitters begin by casting on 132 stitches for the short cowl or 242 stitches for the long cowl using Color A. After placing a marker and joining for knitting in the round, the first round is purled to establish a smooth foundation. The 8-round pattern repeat then begins, alternating between lace pattern rounds worked in Color A and simple knit rounds in Color B. The cowl is worked until it measures 18 inches (11 inches for the short version), finishing with Row 6 of the pattern repeat. All stitches are then bound off knitwise using Color A. After cutting the yarn and leaving a six-inch tail, ends are woven in and the cowl is lightly steam blocked for a polished finish.