Valley Yarns Modern Lumberjack Plaid Cowl Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Modern Lumberjack Plaid Cowl

Project Overview

The Modern Lumberjack Plaid Cowl is a seamless, intermediate-level knitting project designed by Julie Turjoman. This cozy cowl features a striking plaid pattern created through slip-stitch colorwork, combining three complementary colors in a cheerful, wearable design. The finished cowl measures 22 inches around and 10 inches wide, making it a versatile accessory suitable for layering or wearing as a statement piece.

What Is Being Made

This project creates a tubular cowl—a circular neckwear accessory that can be worn looped around the neck for added warmth and style. The plaid pattern gives it a modern, lumberjack-inspired aesthetic, blending traditional colorwork techniques with contemporary design sensibilities.

Techniques Used

• Worked in the Round: The cowl is constructed seamlessly using circular needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, continuous fabric.
• Bottom-Up Construction: The pattern is worked from the cast-on edge upward to the bind-off edge, allowing for easy adjustments to length if desired.
• Slip-Stitch Colorwork: A three-color slip-stitch pattern creates the plaid effect. This technique involves slipping stitches while carrying unused colors inside the work, producing a dense, reversible fabric without the bulk of traditional stranded colorwork.
• Stripes and Color Blocking: The pattern alternates between colors in a systematic 12-round repeat, with strategic color changes creating horizontal and vertical lines that form the plaid design.

Stitches Used

• Knit Stitch (K): The foundational stitch used throughout the pattern.
• Purl Stitch (P): Used in the ribbed sections at the beginning and end of the cowl to create definition and prevent curling.
• Slip Stitch (Sl): The primary decorative stitch, slipped as if to purl with yarn held in back. This stitch is repeated across multiple rounds to build the colorwork pattern.

The stitch pattern follows a 16-stitch multiple that repeats across the 112 cast-on stitches. The core 12-round repeat is worked five complete times, followed by a partial repeat of rounds 1 through 7, creating a balanced, finished appearance.

Materials

Yarn: Valley Yarns Northampton (100% wool, 100g/247 yards per skein) in three colors:

• Color A: Black (1 skein)
• Color B: Medium Gray (1 skein)
• Color C: Garnet (1 skein)

Valley Yarns Northampton is a super-soft wool yarn that provides comfort and warmth, making it ideal for a cowl that will be worn close to the skin. The 247-yard length per 100-gram skein provides ample yardage for this project while the wool fiber ensures durability and excellent stitch definition for colorwork.

Needles: US size 7 (4.50mm) 16-inch circular needles. The pattern notes that needle size may be adjusted to achieve the correct gauge.

Gauge: 5 stitches and 7 rows equal 1 inch when worked in the slip-stitch pattern. Achieving proper gauge is essential for the finished measurements and the correct appearance of the plaid design.

Construction Details

The cowl begins with a cable cast-on of 112 stitches using Color A on circular needles. After ensuring the stitches are not twisted, the work is joined to begin working in the round. Three purl rounds in Color A create a finished edge and help prevent the fabric from curling.

The main pattern section consists of the 12-round slip-stitch colorwork repeat, which is cycled through five complete times. This is followed by a partial repeat of rounds 1 through 7, providing visual balance. After the colorwork section is complete, three additional purl rounds in Color A create a matching finished edge at the top of the cowl. All stitches are then bound off, yarn ends are woven to the wrong side, and the piece is blocked to the specified measurements to ensure proper shape and drape.