Upside down tree cowl

Upside Down Tree Cowl by Petra Christel Breakstone

Project Overview

The Upside Down Tree Cowl is a knitted cowl featuring a striking lace repeat pattern that creates a tree-like motif when viewed upside down. Designed by Petra Christel Breakstone, this intermediate-level knitting project combines visual interest with surprisingly accessible construction techniques. The cowl measures 13 inches in height with a 21-inch circumference, making it a versatile accessory suitable for various sizes and styling preferences.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a circular cowl—a tubular neckwear accessory knitted seamlessly in the round. The design showcases a beautiful lace repeat that forms an inverted tree pattern, creating an elegant and eye-catching finished piece. The cowl's construction allows the lace motif to be the focal point while maintaining structural integrity and wearability.

Knitting Techniques Used

• Knitting in the round: The entire cowl is constructed circularly, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a seamless, professional finish
• Lace knitting: The pattern incorporates yarn overs and decreases to create the openwork tree design
• Stitch decreases: Techniques such as SK2P (slip, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over) are used to shape the lace pattern and create the visual tree motif
• Stitch placement and markers: The pattern uses place markers to help track pattern repeats and maintain consistency throughout the circular construction

Stitches Used

• Knit (K): The fundamental stitch forming the base fabric
• Purl (P): Used in combination with knits to create texture and pattern definition
• Yarn overs: Create the openwork lace effect characteristic of the tree pattern
• SK2P (slip 1, knit 2 together, pass slipped stitch over): A centered double decrease used to balance the yarn overs and shape the lace motif
• Slip stitches: Used both for pattern work and to prepare stitches for decreases

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is designed to showcase the unique qualities of Yarnology, a specialty skein containing 238 yards of yarn in seven distinct sections. Each section features different textures, colors, and yarn weights, ranging from fingering weight through sport weight to DK weight. This innovative yarn construction means that color and texture changes occur automatically as you knit, creating a multi-dimensional finished piece without requiring yarn changes by the knitter.

Alternatively, crafters can use leftover yarn from their stash, organizing seven separate portions of 34 yards each in fingering, sport, or DK weights. This flexibility makes the pattern an excellent choice for yarn stash reduction and creative use of yarn leftovers.

The project requires circular knitting needles appropriate for the chosen yarn weight (typically US sizes 1–6 depending on whether using fingering, sport, or DK weight yarn) and stitch markers to track pattern repeats during the in-the-round construction.

Design Highlights

Despite its visually complex appearance, the Upside Down Tree Cowl is surprisingly straightforward to knit, making it an excellent intermediate project for knitters looking to expand their lace skills. The automatic color and texture changes provided by the Yarnology skein or coordinated stash yarn create visual drama without requiring complex color work or pattern management. The inverted tree motif adds artistic interest and makes this cowl a statement accessory that works equally well as a gift or personal project.