Swirl Necklace in Spud & Chloe - OTR12 - Downloadable PDF

Swirl Necklace Knitting Pattern in Spud & Chloë Fine – OTR12

The Swirl Necklace is a beautifully inventive knitted jewellery accessory designed by Olga Buraya-Kefelian and published as part of the On the Run collection by Spud & Chloë. This downloadable PDF pattern produces a delicate, sculptural necklace featuring a series of swirling pinwheel motifs created entirely through knitting techniques — no crochet or special tools required beyond basic finishing hardware. The finished necklace measures 10 inches in length, making it a neat, wearable accessory that sits elegantly at the neckline.

This pattern is rated as beginner difficulty, making it an ideal introduction to short-row shaping for newer knitters, while still offering a satisfying and polished result that looks far more complex than it is to create. The compact size and minimal yarn requirement also make it a perfect quick project or handmade gift idea.

Design Overview

The necklace is structured as a long, narrow knitted strip that incorporates five pinwheel motifs along its length. These pinwheels are formed by alternating Right Wedge and Left Wedge short-row sections, each repeated ten times, which causes the fabric to spiral and gather into the characteristic swirl shapes. Between the pinwheel sections, the work is knitted straight in garter stitch to create smooth, flat connector sections. The strip ends with a longer straight garter stitch section of 149 rows before binding off.

The pattern offers two distinct wearing styles, both of which are photographed and referenced within the instructions:

• Lizard (#7812) – the pinwheels are left free to drape naturally, giving the necklace a fluid, organic look.
• Popcorn (#7800) – the pinwheel edges are sewn together at the top using a sewing needle and matching thread, holding the swirls flat and giving a more structured, dimensional appearance.

Both colourways are shown in the pattern photography, allowing knitters to choose the aesthetic that best suits their style before casting on.

Techniques Used

The primary construction technique throughout this pattern is short-row shaping, specifically using the wrap and turn method. Short rows allow the knitter to work back and forth across only a portion of the stitches on the needle, building extra rows of fabric on one side to create angled wedge shapes. When these wedges alternate direction — first leaning right, then left — the resulting fabric naturally curves and spirals into the pinwheel forms that give this necklace its name.

• Right Wedge short rows: worked on the right side, knitting to one stitch before the previous wrap on each odd-numbered row, then wrapping and turning.
• Left Wedge short rows: worked on the wrong side, knitting to the last stitch, wrapping and turning, then progressively shortening each subsequent row.
• Wrap and turn (W&T): a standard short-row technique where the working yarn is wrapped around the next stitch before turning the work, preventing holes or gaps in the fabric.
• Garter stitch: all rows are knitted, producing a ridged, reversible fabric that lies flat and has a pleasing texture well-suited to fine-weight yarn.

Each wedge section follows a 14-row repeat, with even-numbered rows knitted straight and odd-numbered rows incorporating the wrap and turn. Row 13 of each repeat is worked across all stitches without picking up wraps, which is a deliberate design choice that contributes to the swirling visual effect rather than the smoother finish that picking up wraps would provide.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch – the only stitch used throughout; all rows are knitted, making this a true garter stitch project.
• Wrap and turn – used extensively within the wedge sections to create short rows.
• Bind off – a standard cast-off at the end of the strip.

Materials

The pattern calls for the following materials:

• Yarn: