Carina Cowl in Berroco Lanas Light - Downloadable PDF

Carina Cowl in Berroco Lanas Light – Knitting Pattern Summary

The Carina Cowl is a beautifully shaped, multicolor stranded knitting pattern designed by Alison Green and published by Berroco. Available as a downloadable PDF, this intermediate-level project produces a flared, funnel-shaped cowl worked in the round using a rich palette of six coordinating colors. With a narrower circumference at the top and a dramatically wider opening at the bottom, the Carina Cowl has a graceful, draped silhouette that sits elegantly around the neck and shoulders.

What Is Being Made

The finished cowl measures 18¼ inches in circumference at the top and 36½ inches at the bottom, with a height of approximately 9½ inches. This flared construction gives the cowl its distinctive A-line shape, making it both functional as a cold-weather accessory and visually striking as a colorwork showcase piece. It is knitted in the round from the top down or bottom up, utilizing circular needles of two different lengths to accommodate the changing stitch count.

Colorwork Design and Techniques

The defining technique of the Carina Cowl is stranded colorwork, also known as Fair Isle-style knitting. In stranded colorwork, two or more yarn colors are carried across each row simultaneously, with the non-working yarn floated loosely across the wrong side of the fabric. This creates a dense, warm, and beautifully patterned textile. Managing float tension is a key skill at the intermediate level, as overly tight floats can pucker the fabric while overly loose ones may snag.

The pattern calls for six distinct colors from the Berroco Lanas Light Mini Color Pack #4 Warm Sunset, each weighing 25 grams. The colors used are:

• C1: #78140 Black Cherry
• C2: #78102 Steel Cut Oats
• C3: #78126 Cayenne
• C4: #78106 Tea Rose
• C5: #78116 Sandalwood
• C6: #78109 Golden

This warm, earthy palette blends deep berry tones, soft neutrals, and spiced oranges and pinks, creating a cohesive and autumnal colorwork motif throughout the cowl's body.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch structure is Stockinette stitch (St st), worked in the round, which serves as the base fabric for the stranded colorwork patterns. Stockinette in the round produces a smooth, knit-face fabric on every round, making it the ideal canvas for crisp, readable colorwork motifs. Additional stitches or ribbing may be used at the cast-on or bind-off edges to provide structure and prevent curling, which is typical in cowl construction at this skill level.

Materials – Yarn, Needles, and Notions

The pattern is written for Berroco Lanas Light, a sport weight yarn. Sport weight yarn is finer than DK but heavier than fingering weight, producing a fabric with excellent stitch definition — ideal for showcasing intricate colorwork patterns. The Mini Color Pack format conveniently bundles all six required colors together.

Two sizes of circular needles are required:

• Size US 3 / 3.25 mm circular needles in both 16-inch / 40 cm and 24-inch / 60 cm lengths
• Size US 4 / 3.5 mm circular needles in both 16-inch / 40 cm and 24-inch / 60 cm lengths

Having two needle lengths is essential for this project, as the stitch count changes significantly between the narrower top and the wider bottom of the cowl. A stitch marker is also required to mark the beginning of each round.

Gauge

Achieving the correct gauge is especially important in a stranded colorwork project. The pattern specifies 28 stitches and 32