Lucena Cowl in Berroco Merino 401 Chunky

Lucena Cowl in Berroco Merino 401 Chunky — Pattern Summary

The Lucena Cowl is a beautifully structured knitted cowl designed by Åsa Buchta and published by Berroco. Rated Advanced Beginner, this pattern is an excellent next step for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to explore simple shaping and construction methods. The finished cowl measures 16 inches wide by 12 inches long (not including the collar), making it a substantial, cozy accessory perfect for cooler weather.

What Is Being Made

The Lucena is a cowl — a closed-loop neckwarmer worn around the neck and shoulders. What makes this design particularly interesting is its two-piece construction: the Front and Back panels are knitted separately as flat pieces, then cleverly joined and worked in the round to complete the upper collar section. This approach gives the cowl a structured, tailored feel while keeping the individual pieces straightforward to knit.

Construction Techniques

• Flat knitting: Both the Front and Back panels are worked flat, back and forth in rows, until each piece measures 8 inches.
• Joining in the round: Once both panels are complete, they are joined using a cast-on stitch at each side seam, and the work continues in the round on a circular needle to form the collar.
• Holding stitches on waste yarn: The Front stitches are slipped to waste yarn while the Back is completed, then both pieces are united — a tidy technique that avoids seaming entirely.
• Decreasing for shaping: A decrease round using SSK and k2tog is worked at each join point to shape the transition from the body panels into the collar, creating a smooth, tapered fit.
• Stitch markers: Markers are placed at each side join to track decrease placement and the beginning of the round.
• Blocking: Gauge is measured after blocking, so wet or steam blocking is an important finishing step to achieve accurate dimensions.

Stitches Used

• 1x1 Rib: The entire cowl is worked in a classic one-by-one ribbing, alternating knit and purl stitches. This stitch pattern creates excellent elasticity and a neat, textured fabric that hugs the neck comfortably. The rib is set up with a specific wrong-side and right-side row sequence and is maintained consistently throughout both flat and in-the-round sections.
• SSK (Slip, Slip, Knit): A left-leaning decrease used at each join point during the shaping round.
• K2tog (Knit Two Together): A right-leaning decrease paired with SSK to create symmetrical, mirrored shaping at both sides of the cowl.
• Cast-on mid-project: A single stitch is cast on at each join point when uniting the Front and Back, a small but important detail that keeps the side seams tidy.

Materials

• Yarn: Berroco Merino 401 Chunky — 2 balls in #13260 Merlot. Each ball weighs 150 grams, making this a quick and satisfying knit in a rich, deep colorway. As the name suggests, this yarn is a chunky-weight merino, offering softness, warmth, and excellent stitch definition ideal for showcasing ribbing.
• Needles: Size 11 / 8 mm knitting needles for the flat sections, plus a 16-inch / 40 cm circular needle in the same size for working in the round on the collar. Needle size should be adjusted as needed to match gauge.
• Notions: Stitch markers, waste yarn for holding stitches, and a tapestry needle for finishing.

Gauge

13 stitches and 16 rows/rounds = 4 inches / 10 cm in 1x1 rib, measured after blocking. Because ribbing is inherently stretchy, checking gauge after blocking is essential to ensure the cowl reaches its intended dimensions.