Panuelo Cowl in Malabrigo Rios - Downloadable PDF

Panuelo Cowl in Malabrigo Rios by Jenni Santopietro – Pattern Summary

About This Design

The Panuelo Cowl is a cleverly conceived knitted neck accessory designed by Jenni Santopietro that blends the relaxed, triangular silhouette of a classic bandanna or shawl with the wearable ease of a cowl. The result is a piece that drapes beautifully at the neckline, creating a deep center point reminiscent of a folded scarf while fitting snugly and securely like a traditional cowl. It is worked flat in two colors of Malabrigo Rios, producing a dynamic, raised stripe texture that gives the finished piece visual depth and tactile interest. This is a wonderful project for knitters who want something that looks intricate but is built on a logical, satisfying construction method.

What Is Being Made

The finished object is a two-color cowl with shawl-like proportions. It measures 14.5 inches (37 cm) deep at the center point and has a neck opening circumference of 24 to 26 inches (61 to 66 cm) unblocked. The triangular shaping gives it the appearance of a folded bandanna worn around the neck, making it a versatile and stylish accessory suitable for layering over any outfit.

Construction and Techniques

The Panuelo Cowl uses a number of thoughtful construction techniques that make it an ideal project for an intermediate knitter looking to build skills in shaping and colorwork management.

• Garter Tab Cast-On: The cowl begins with a classic garter tab, a technique in which a small number of stitches are cast on and worked in garter stitch, then rotated to pick up stitches along both the long edge and the cast-on edge. This creates a neat, seamless starting point that is commonly used in top-down shawl construction and gives the center point of the bandanna its clean, tidy tip.
• Flat Knitting on a Circular Needle: Despite being worked on a 32-inch (80 cm) circular needle, the piece is knitted flat — back and forth in rows rather than in the round. The circular needle accommodates the growing stitch count as the triangular shape expands.
• Symmetrical Increases: Shaping is achieved through a combination of yarn-overs (yo), M1L (Make 1 Left), and M1R (Make 1 Right) increases placed strategically at the edges and at a central stitch marker. This creates the characteristic triangular silhouette with a defined center spine and neat, mirrored increases on either side.
• Two-Color Alternating Stripes: The colorwork is achieved through simple alternating stripe sequences using the main color (MC) and the contrast color (CC). Crucially, there is no need to cut yarn between color changes — the non-working yarn is simply carried up the side of the work, with the active yarn wrapping around it on off rows to keep it tidy and secure. This technique keeps finishing work minimal and the fabric edges clean.
• Raised Texture Through Stitch Combination: The alternating use of knit and purl stitches across the two color sections creates a raised, dimensional texture. By switching which side of the fabric receives knit versus purl treatment in each color stripe, the stripes appear to pop off the surface, giving the cowl its signature dynamic look.
• Stitch Markers: Two stitch markers are used to track the central spine of the triangle, ensuring increases are placed correctly on every right-side row.

Stitches Used

• Garter Stitch – knit every stitch, every row; used for the tab cast-on and the three-stitch borders along each edge
• Stockinette Stitch – alternating knit and purl rows; used as the base fabric for gauge purposes
• Yarn-Over (yo) – a decorative and functional increase worked at the edges to widen the triangle
• M1L and M1R – lifted bar increases worked on either side of the center marker to build the central spine
• Knit and Purl combinations – used in alternating arrangements