Rowan Waverly Cowl Knitting Pattern

Rowan Waverly Cowl by Martin Storey

What is Being Made

The Rowan Waverly is a seamless knitted cowl designed to be worn as a neck accessory. This finished garment measures 92 cm (36¼ inches) around the lower wider edge and is 45.5 cm (18 inches) deep, making it a substantial layering piece suitable for cooler weather.

Knitting Techniques Used

This cowl is constructed using several key knitting techniques that create both visual interest and structural integrity:

• Worked in the Round: The entire cowl is knitted seamlessly in continuous rounds using circular needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, professional finish.
• Bottom-Up Construction: The cowl is worked from the lower edge upward, allowing the knitter to try on the piece as it grows and adjust the fit if needed.
• Cable Knitting: Decorative cable panels are incorporated throughout the design using cable needle techniques to create textured, twisted stitch patterns that add depth and visual dimension to the cowl.
• Seamless Circular Knitting: By working continuously in rounds rather than flat pieces, the construction method ensures a cohesive, tubular garment with no seams to weave in.

Stitches Used

The Rowan Waverly employs a variety of fundamental and decorative stitches to achieve its textured appearance:

• Knit Stitch (K): The primary stitch used throughout the pattern to create the base fabric.
• Purl Stitch (P): Used in reverse stockinette sections to create contrast and frame the cable panels.
• Reverse Stockinette Stitch: Applied between pattern panels to provide visual separation and highlight the cable work.
• Cable Stitches: Specifically C6B (cable 6 back) and C6F (cable 6 front), created by slipping stitches onto a cable needle, working subsequent stitches, then working the held stitches. These techniques create the characteristic twisted, rope-like texture of cable knitting.
• Decreases: P2tog (purl 2 together) decreases are strategically placed to shape the cowl as it progresses upward, creating the tapered silhouette.

Pattern Structure and Complexity

The pattern features two distinct cable panels that repeat throughout the design. Panel A works over an 8-row repeat, while Panel B works over a 12-row repeat. These panels are separated by 2 stitches in reverse stockinette stitch, creating a balanced, organized appearance. The pattern is repeated 8 times around the circumference of the cowl, ensuring consistent, symmetrical patterning.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Rowan Waverly is designed to be knitted in Rowan Denim Revive yarn, a durable, high-quality fiber. The pattern calls for 8 balls of 50-gram yarn (400 grams total). The photographed sample is shown in the colorway Griege 215, a neutral, versatile shade suitable for various styling options.

Two sizes of 3.25mm (US 3) and 3.75mm (US 5) circular needles are required, each no more than 60 cm long. The pattern also requires a cable needle for executing the cable stitches. The use of two needle sizes allows for gauge control and shaping: the smaller needles create a tighter fabric for the ribbed sections, while the larger needles accommodate the more expansive cable panels.

Gauge and Finished Dimensions

Achieving the correct tension is essential for this project. The pattern specifies that one pattern repeat of 40 stitches should measure 11.5 cm, and 32 rounds should measure 10 cm when worked over the cable pattern using the 3.75mm (US 5) needles. Working to the correct gauge ensures the cowl will achieve its intended finished dimensions of 92 cm around the lower edge and 45.5 cm in depth.

Skill Level and Construction Notes

This pattern is suitable for intermediate knitters who have experience with circular needle techniques, cable knitting, and reading multi-row stitch patterns. The seamless, in-the-round construction requires attention to maintaining even tension and properly placing stitch markers to track the beginning and end of rounds. The decreases worked throughout the pattern require