Hawke Cowl in Rowan Island Blend Fine - ZB296-00013-DE - Downloadable PDF

Hawke Cowl by Martin Storey in Rowan Island Blend Fine – Pattern Summary

About This Design

The Hawke Cowl is a beautifully crafted circular cowl designed by Martin Storey and worked in Rowan Island Blend Fine yarn. Published as a downloadable PDF under the reference ZB296-00013-DE, this pattern is rated intermediate in difficulty, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with basic techniques and ready to explore colourwork. The finished cowl is a stylish, wearable accessory that showcases a striking two-colour stranded pattern alongside a coordinating ribbed border, creating a polished and professional result.

Construction and Structure

The Hawke Cowl is knitted entirely in the round on a circular needle, producing a seamless tube with no finishing seams required. The construction begins with a two-colour rib at the cast-on edge, transitions into a stranded colourwork chart worked in the round, and finishes with a matching two-colour rib at the top edge, creating a symmetrical and neat appearance. The finished height of the cowl is approximately 28.5 cm, making it a generously sized accessory that sits comfortably around the neck.

Techniques Used

• Knitting in the round – The entire cowl is worked circularly, with the beginning and end of each round marked to keep track of progress. Knitters are reminded not to twist stitches on the first round, which is a common pitfall when casting on for circular knitting.
• Two-colour ribbing – The cast-on and cast-off borders are worked in a two-colour rib, alternating between Colour A (Vellum 101) and Colour B (Tungsten 110). This technique involves carrying two yarns simultaneously across a rib pattern, adding visual interest to the edges.
• Norwegian stranded colourwork (Norwegertechnik) – The main body of the cowl features a charted colourwork motif worked using the Norwegian stranded technique, in which both yarn colours are carried across the back of the work. This method produces a fabric with excellent structure and warmth, as the floats on the wrong side add an extra layer of insulation.
• Chart reading – Knitters follow a 6-stitch repeat chart that is repeated 33 times per round. The 18-row chart is worked a total of 4 times, followed by a partial repeat of rounds 1–9, building the colourwork section of the cowl.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (rechts / re) – Used throughout the stockinette sections and as the knit element within the rib.
• Purl stitch (links / li) – Used within the two-colour rib sections to create the alternating knit-purl texture.
• Two-colour 1×1 rib – Worked by alternating one knit stitch in Colour B with one purl stitch in Colour A, creating a graphic, striped rib effect.
• Stranded stocking stitch (glatt rechts in Norwegertechnik) – The colourwork chart is worked entirely in stocking stitch in the round, with both colours carried across every round.

Yarn and Colourway

The pattern calls for Rowan Island Blend Fine, a 4-ply weight yarn, used in three carefully selected shades to create depth and contrast within the colourwork design:

• Colour A – Vellum 101: 2 × 50 g balls
• Colour B – Tungsten 110: 2 × 50 g balls
• Colour C – Wedgewood 103: 1 × 50 g ball

The combination of a warm neutral (Vellum), a deep charcoal (Tungsten), and a soft blue-grey (Wedgewood) gives the Hawke Cowl a sophisticated, contemporary palette that works well across seasons.