Chinese New Year Cowl

Chinese New Year Cowl by Pat Hensley

What Is Being Made

The Chinese New Year Cowl is a festive, circular neck accessory designed by Pat Hensley. This downloadable knitting pattern offers two finished sizes: a Small cowl measuring 22 inches in circumference and 7 inches in height, and a Large cowl measuring 27 inches in circumference and 7 inches in height. The cowl celebrates the holiday with vibrant colorwork, making it a striking seasonal accessory or gift.

Knitting Techniques Used

This intermediate-level pattern employs several essential knitting techniques that build on fundamental skills. The primary construction method is knitting in the round, which creates a seamless tubular fabric ideal for cowls and neck wear. The pattern features twisted rib sections, which add textural interest and help the cowl maintain its shape and elasticity around the neck. The signature design element is fair isle colorwork, also known as stranded colorwork, where two colors are carried simultaneously across rows to create the festive pattern. A colorwork chart provides the visual guide for this multicolor work, allowing knitters to follow the design row by row. Pat Hensley's notes emphasize the importance of maintaining consistent hand position when working with two colors—keeping the main color in one hand and the contrast color in the other throughout the project—to ensure even tension and a professional finish.

Stitches and Stitch Details

The pattern uses stockinette stitch as the foundation fabric, which serves as the base for the colorwork sections. Twisted rib creates the ribbed edge sections that frame the fair isle design. The colorwork pattern itself is presented in chart format only, requiring knitters to read and interpret the visual symbols to execute the two-color stranded knitting. Pat Hensley recommends using stitch markers after each pattern repeat to help catch mistakes early and maintain pattern accuracy throughout the project.

Yarn and Materials

The Small size requires 236 yards of fingering weight yarn, divided between main color and contrast color. The sample shown uses Knit Picks Stroll Fingering in Firecracker Heather for the main color (170 yards) and Knit Picks Stroll Fingering in Black for the contrast color (66 yards). The Large size requires 295 yards of fingering weight yarn total, with the sample featuring Berroco Ultra Wool Fine in Ocean as the main color (216 yards) and Queensland Perth in Rainbow Reef as the contrast color (79 yards).

Needles required include US Size 3 and US Size 5 needles, or sizes adjusted to achieve the specified gauge. The pattern calls for a gauge of 6.5 stitches per 1 inch when working stockinette stitch with the larger needles. Stitch markers are essential notions for tracking pattern repeats and maintaining accuracy during the colorwork sections.

Pattern Format and Skill Considerations

This pattern is provided as a downloadable PDF file suitable for intermediate knitters. The moderate skill level reflects the combination of circular knitting, ribbed sections, and fair isle colorwork—techniques that require comfort with basic knitting fundamentals plus experience managing multiple colors. The pattern notes that the finished dimensions reflect the designer's gauge as a loose knitter, so individual results may vary based on personal tension and blocking techniques.