Product Description
Arete is a colour-work cowl/wrap, knitted in the round and then steeked. It can either be worn as a long cowl covering your shoulders and neck, doubled over to create a chunky neck cowl or as a wrap placed over one shoulder.
Arete uses a 4 ply (fingering weight) yarn held double, which makes for a quick and cosy knit. Alternatively, you can swap out to a DK weight yarn with suitable meterage and toothyness for steeking.
This is a great make if you are ready to tackle a larger stranded colour-work project but aren’t quite ready for the intricacies of Fair Isle. The pattern is very easy to memorise, so it’s easy to get into a rhythm and knit this up in no time at all.
Yarn: The yarn used within the pattern is John Arbon Textiles Harvest Hues 4ply fingering weight (65% Organic Falklands Merino, 35% Zwartbles) in shades Blue Spruce (A), Bramble (B), Thistle (C) and Rosebay (D).
Arete Knitted Cowl by Fay Dashper-Hughes
What is Being Made
Arete is a versatile colour-work cowl designed by Fay Dashper-Hughes. This knitted accessory offers multiple styling options: it can be worn as a long cowl covering your shoulders and neck, doubled over to create a chunky neck cowl, or placed over one shoulder as a wrap. The finished cowl measures 120cm in circumference, making it a substantial and adaptable piece suitable for various occasions and preferences.
Knitting Techniques
Arete employs stranded colour-work as its primary technique, making it an excellent intermediate-level project for knitters ready to tackle larger colour-work designs without the complexity of traditional Fair Isle. The pattern is worked in the round and then steeked, a technique that involves cutting the knitted fabric to create openings or edges. The colour-work pattern is straightforward and highly memorable, allowing knitters to establish a comfortable rhythm and complete the project efficiently. The estimated completion time is approximately 40 hours.
Stitches and Construction
The pattern uses 4mm needles and incorporates cable stitches as part of its design elements. The cowl is constructed by knitting in the round, which creates a seamless tubular fabric before the steeking process is applied to finish the piece.
Yarn and Materials
Arete accommodates flexible yarn options to suit different preferences. The pattern is designed for 4 ply yarn (fingering weight) held double, which creates a quick and cosy knit, or alternatively, a single strand of DK weight yarn can be substituted. The recommended yarn is Harvest Hues by John Arbon Textiles, a premium blend of 65% Organic Falklands Merino and 35% Zwartbles, with each 100g skein yielding 400m (437yds).
The complete yarn requirements are:
- Yarn A: 194g (776m/848yds)
- Yarn B: 75g (300m/328yds)
- Yarn C: 72g (288m/315yds)
- Yarn D: 76g (304m/332yds)
The designer's version used Blue Spruce as the primary colour (Yarn A), requiring 2/3 of a 100g skein of Harvest Hues yarn.
Difficulty Level
Arete is rated as an intermediate level pattern, making it suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to expand their technical abilities into colour-work territory.
```Specifications
| Brand: | Independent Designer |
| Yarn Weight: | Light Fingering, Fingering, DK | Light Worsted |
| Pages: | 8 |
| Designer: | Fay Dashper-Hughes |
| Craft: | Knitting |
| Format: | Downloadable PDF |
| Languages: | English |
| Notes: | 2 x 50cm lengths of ribbon to secure down the button bands. |
| Number of Patterns: | 1 |
| Skill Level: | Intermediate |
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