Racka Snood Scarf Knitting Pattern

Racka Snood in Rowan Moordale

What Is Being Made

The Racka Snood is a circular cowl-style accessory designed by Anna Hull, created using the knitting technique. This finished snood measures 61.5 cm (24¼ inches) in circumference and approximately 24.5 cm (9¾ inches) in depth, making it a versatile neckwear piece suitable for layering and everyday wear.

Craft and Technique

This project is worked in the round using circular needles, which is a fundamental technique for creating seamless tubular garments. The snood employs the fairisle technique, a stranded colorwork method that creates intricate patterned designs by carrying unused yarn colors across the back of the work. The fairisle pattern is repeated multiple times around each round to build the decorative section of the snood.

The construction follows a structured approach: the piece begins with ribbed edging, transitions into the patterned stockinette stitch section using fairisle colorwork, and finishes with matching ribbed edging. The pattern specifies that stranded yarns should not be carried over more than three stitches at a time; catching them under and over the working color keeps the floating yarns neat and prevents loose loops on the reverse side.

Stitches Used

• Ribbed stitch (K2, P2): Used for the cast-on edge and finishing edge to create elasticity and a refined border
• Stockinette stitch (St st): Knit every round, forming the smooth base for the fairisle colorwork pattern
• Fairisle colorwork: A 16-stitch pattern repeat worked over 16 rounds, repeated 3 times with an additional partial repeat (rounds 1–8), totaling 56 chart rounds

Materials

The Racka Snood uses Rowan Moordale yarn, a 100-gram skein weight. Two colorways are required:

• Yarn A: Sloe 017 (1 skein) – the primary color
• Yarn B: Feather 001 (1 skein) – the contrast color for fairisle patterning

Two circular needles are specified: a 3¼mm (US 3) circular needle no more than 40 cm long for the ribbed sections, and a 4mm (US 6) circular needle no more than 40 cm long for the patterned stockinette stitch sections. The shorter needle length prevents stitches from spreading and maintains control during in-the-round knitting.

Tension and Sizing

Correct tension is essential for this project. The pattern specifies a tension of 26 stitches and 27 rounds to 10 cm measured over patterned stockinette stitch using the 4mm (US 6) circular needle. Achieving this tension ensures the finished snood reaches the intended circumference and depth. Even slight variations in tension can alter the final garment dimensions, so knitting a tension square in pattern before beginning is recommended.

Difficulty Level

This project is rated as advanced beginner, indicating it is suitable for knitters who have mastered basic techniques and are ready to tackle colorwork. Familiarity with circular needle knitting, reading charts, and managing multiple yarn colors is expected. The fairisle technique requires attention to yarn tension and proper yarn management to achieve a polished finish.