Rowan Bard Cowl Knitting Pattern

Rowan Bard Cowl by Arne & Carlos

What is Being Made

The Rowan Bard Cowl is a seamless, circular knit cowl designed by the renowned design team Arne & Carlos. This finished piece measures 26 cm (10¼ inches) in depth and 87.5 cm (34½ inches) in circumference, making it a versatile neckwear accessory suitable for layering and everyday wear.

Techniques Used

This cowl is constructed using several key knitting techniques:

• Bottom-up construction: The cowl is worked from the cast-on edge upward, allowing for easy adjustments to length during the knitting process.
• Seamless, worked in the round: Using circular needles, the entire cowl is knitted in continuous rounds, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, professional finish.
• Stranded colorwork (Fair Isle): The pattern features a two-color Fair Isle technique, where yarn is carried across the back of the work to create the decorative pattern without cutting the yarn.
• Ribbed edging: Both the top and bottom of the cowl feature knit-purl ribbing for structure and stretch.

Stitches Used

The Rowan Bard Cowl employs fundamental knitting stitches combined in a structured pattern:

• Stockinette stitch (st st): The main body of the cowl is worked entirely in stockinette stitch (knitting every round), which creates a smooth, flat fabric ideal for displaying colorwork.
• Ribbing (K2, P2): A knit 2, purl 2 rib is worked for the top and bottom edges, providing elasticity and a finished appearance.
• Stranded pattern repeat: A 14-stitch pattern repeat is worked 15 times around each round across the 44-round chart, creating a consistent, repeating motif throughout the cowl's depth.

Materials

Yarn: This pattern uses Rowan Felted Tweed, a wool-based yarn that provides warmth and durability. The colorway consists of two shades: Zinnia (color A, requiring 2 x 50g balls) and Alabaster (color B, requiring 1 x 50g ball). The Felted Tweed yarn is worked at a tension of 24 stitches and 28 rows to 10 cm when measured over patterned stockinette stitch.

Needles: The pattern requires two sizes of circular needles, each no more than 80 cm long. A 3¼mm (US 3) circular needle is used for the ribbed sections at the top and bottom of the cowl, while a 4mm (US 6) circular needle is used for the main patterned body. The use of shorter circular needles ensures proper tension and prevents the stitches from stretching as they are worked in the round.

Pattern Structure

The cowl begins with 208 cast-on stitches worked on the smaller needle in knit-purl ribbing. After the ribbing foundation, the stitch count is increased to 210 stitches before switching to the larger needle and beginning the 44-round Fair Isle chart. Once the colorwork section is complete, the pattern returns to the smaller needle for a final ribbed section worked in a single color, with a small decrease to return to 208 stitches before casting off in rib.