Rowan Bug Cowl Knitting Pattern

Rowan Bug Cowl by Martin Storey

What is Being Made

The Rowan Bug Cowl is a knitted cowl (neck warmer) designed by Martin Storey. This finished accessory measures approximately 55 cm (21½ inches) all around and is 24 cm (9½ inches) deep, making it a substantial neck piece suitable for layering over shoulders or wearing as a close-fitting cowl.

Knitting Techniques Used

This pattern employs several advanced colorwork techniques to create its distinctive bug design:

• Intarsia: A method of working with multiple colors where yarn is used to fill in specific areas of the design, creating solid blocks of color without carrying yarn across the back of the work.
• Stranded (Fair Isle): A technique where two colors are worked simultaneously, with the unused color carried loosely across the back of the stitches to create intricate patterned designs.
• Worked in the Round: The cowl is constructed using circular needles, creating a seamless tubular fabric worked continuously in rounds rather than flat pieces joined together.
• Bottom-Up Construction: The cowl is worked from the cast-on edge upward to the final bind-off, allowing the crafter to try on the piece as it grows.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The cowl features a combination of fundamental knitting stitches:

• Ribbing (K1, P1): Used for the top and bottom edges of the cowl, this alternating knit and purl pattern creates an elastic, textured border that helps the cowl hold its shape and sit comfortably against the neck.
• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The main body of the cowl is worked entirely in stockinette stitch (knit every round when working in the round), providing a smooth, flat canvas for the colorwork design.
• Pattern Repeat: The design features a 24-stitch pattern repeat that is repeated 6 times across each round, creating a balanced, symmetrical bug motif that wraps around the entire circumference.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Rowan Bug Cowl is crafted using specific materials chosen for both durability and drape:

• Yarn: Rowan Softyak DK, a double knitting weight yarn. The pattern requires 1 x 50g ball in Cream (color 230) and 2 x 50g balls in Plateau (color 239), providing approximately 52 yards of the main color and 40 yards each of the contrast color.
• Needles: Two sizes of 3¼mm (US 3) and 4mm (US 6) circular needles, each no more than 40 cm long. The smaller needles are used for the ribbed edges, while the larger needles accommodate the main stockinette stitch body.
• Tension: The pattern is designed to be worked at a tension of 26 stitches and 26 rounds to 10 cm (measured over patterned stockinette stitch using the 4mm needle), ensuring the finished cowl achieves its intended dimensions and drape.

Construction Overview

The cowl begins with a cast-on of 144 stitches using the smaller needle and Plateau yarn, worked in a 6-round ribbed edge. The work then transitions to the larger needle and introduces the Cream yarn for the main colorwork section. The 52-round chart is worked once across the entire cowl using intarsia and fair isle techniques, creating the bug pattern. After completing the colorwork, the cowl returns to the smaller needle and Plateau yarn for a final 6-round ribbed edge, which is then cast off in rib to finish.