893 Pringular - Cowl Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Berkshire

893 Pringular – Cowl Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Berkshire

Designed by Julie Turjoman, Pringular (Pattern #893) is a beautifully conceived slip-stitch colorwork cowl that brings a fresh, wearable twist to the classic Argyle motif. First popularized by Pringle of Scotland in the 1920s, Argyle patterning has long been associated with sophisticated knitwear tradition, and this design offers knitters an approachable entry point into that rich heritage. The result is a cozy, seamless neck warmer worked entirely in the round, finished at a practical 10 inches in height and 21 inches in circumference — a one-size design that sits comfortably at the neck.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a seamless circular cowl, sometimes called a neck warmer, designed to be worn by women. Its compact dimensions make it an ideal accessory for layering over winter outfits, and the Argyle-inspired colorwork gives it a classic, polished look. Because it is knitted in the round from the bottom up, there are no seams to sew and the construction remains straightforward throughout.

Design Techniques

• Bottom-up construction: The cowl is cast on at the lower edge and worked upward, giving knitters a logical, easy-to-follow progression through the pattern.
• Worked in the round: Using a 16-inch circular needle, every round is worked on the right side of the fabric, which makes reading colorwork motifs intuitive and consistent.
• Slip-stitch colorwork: Rather than stranding two yarns simultaneously across a row — as in traditional Fair Isle or intarsia — this pattern uses slip-stitch colorwork, a technique where only one color is active per round. Stitches from a previous round are simply slipped without being worked, allowing the contrast color to show through and create the illusion of a complex woven or diagonal Argyle pattern. This approach is especially beginner-friendly because it eliminates the need to manage multiple working yarns at once.
• Stripes: The two colors are alternated in a structured sequence of rounds, forming the striped foundation that underpins the slip-stitch Argyle effect.
• Seamless finishing: Because the piece is worked entirely in the round, finishing involves only binding off and weaving in ends, with no seaming required.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch (knit every round when working in the round) forms the base fabric and is used to set gauge.
• Purl rounds are incorporated at specific intervals — for example, a contrast color purl round is worked as part of the colorwork sequence, adding textural definition between sections.
• Slip stitches (both Left Leaning Slip and Right Leaning Slip, abbreviated in the pattern as LLS and RLS) are the core technique that creates the diagonal lines characteristic of the Argyle motif. These directional slip stitches are worked at precise intervals — for instance, k3, LLS, k4, RLS, k3 — to build the diamond geometry across rounds.
• Knit stitches throughout the body rounds form the smooth background fabric between the slip-stitch motifs.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Valley Yarns Berkshire, a worsted weight yarn with a luxurious fiber blend of 85% Wool and 15% Alpaca. This combination delivers excellent stitch definition — important for showcasing the geometric Argyle motif — while the alpaca content adds a soft, halo-free drape and natural warmth. Each skein contains 100g / 141 yards, and the pattern requires one skein of each colorway:

• Main Color (MC): Valley Yarns Berkshire in Color 33 – Olive
• Contrast Color (CC): Valley Yarns Berkshire in Color 1 – Cream

The earthy Olive and classic Cream pairing gives the finished cowl a timeless, versatile aesthetic that complements a wide range of outerwear.