Tahki Yarns Avon Cowl Knitting Pattern

Tahki Yarns Avon Cowl

Project Overview

The Avon Cowl is a beginner-friendly knitted cowl designed by Susan Mills. This project creates a lightweight, versatile neckpiece measuring 6½ inches wide with a 49-inch circumference, making it suitable for wrapping comfortably around the neck. The cowl is worked flat on straight needles and then seamed to form a continuous loop, offering an accessible introduction to lace knitting techniques.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a single-size cowl—a tubular neckwear accessory that drapes elegantly around the shoulders and neck. The finished piece measures 6½ inches in width and 49 inches in circumference, providing generous coverage and comfortable layering potential. The cowl's proportions make it an ideal accessory for spring and summer wardrobes when worked in lighter-weight yarns.

Techniques Used

The Avon Cowl employs several key knitting techniques suitable for beginners expanding their skill set:

• Lace knitting: The pattern features a lace chart that creates an open, decorative stitch pattern across the center 37 stitches, adding visual interest and breathability to the finished cowl
• Flat knitting: The cowl is worked flat on straight needles rather than in the round, simplifying construction and making it easier to follow chart rows
• Seaming: After knitting, the bind-off edge is sewn to the cast-on edge to form the circular cowl shape, creating a professional finish
• Edge stitches: Slip stitches worked at the beginning and end of each row create clean, finished edges that facilitate seaming

Stitches Used

The pattern incorporates fundamental knitting stitches combined with lace-specific decreases:

• Knit (k): The primary stitch forming the stockinette stitch base
• Purl (p): Used to create texture and as part of the lace pattern
• Slip stitch (sl): Worked with yarn in back (wyib) and yarn in front (wyif) to create neat selvage edges
• Knit 2 together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used within the lace pattern
• Slip, slip, knit (s2kp): A centered double decrease that creates a balanced visual effect in lace work
• Make bobble (MB): A textured stitch created by working [K1, p1, k1] into a single stitch, turning, purling 3 stitches, turning again, then working a centered double decrease to create a three-dimensional bobble detail

Materials and Tools

The Avon Cowl is designed to be worked with specific materials that contribute to its drape and wearability:

• Yarn: 2 skeins of Tahki Yarns Newport, a blend of 67% cotton, 23% linen, and 10% polyamide. Each skein weighs 1.75 ounces (50 grams) and contains 137 yards (125 meters). The pattern specifies color #05 navy, though the fiber content makes this yarn suitable for warm-weather wear
• Needles: Size 6 (4mm) straight needles, or the size needed to achieve proper gauge
• Additional tools: A yarn needle for weaving in ends and seaming the cowl

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern specifies a gauge of 20 stitches and 25 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch. Checking gauge before beginning is essential to ensure the finished cowl measures the intended 6½ inches wide by 49 inches in circumference. The pattern is offered in one size only, making it a straightforward project for knitters of varying experience levels.

Construction Notes

The cowl begins with casting on 41 stitches. The pattern is worked by alternating right-side and wrong-side rows, with edge stitches slipped on both sides to maintain clean selvages. The center 37 stitches follow a lace chart for 8-row repeats, which are continued until the piece reaches approximately 49 inches in length. The pattern concludes with a final row 8 of the l