Kanagawa Cowl

Kanagawa Cowl by Karin Wilmoth

What is Being Made

The Kanagawa Cowl is a sophisticated knitted cowl inspired by the iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa woodblock print by Hokusai. This design transforms a traditional scarf construction into a reversible, textured cowl through innovative joining techniques. The finished piece features a distinctive wavy texture that becomes visible when the upper corner is folded down, creating visual interest and dimensional appeal.

Construction Method

This cowl begins as a flat scarf using a crochet cast-on, which provides a flexible and neat foundation edge. The piece is worked flat with a slipped stitch edge to maintain clean selvages throughout the knitting process. Once the scarf reaches the proper circumference, it is ingeniously attached on one side as you knit, eliminating the need for a separate seaming step and ensuring a seamless integration of the two ends. This construction method draws inspiration from Lynne Barr's Reversible Knitting techniques, allowing the cowl to showcase its reversible wavy texture from both sides.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

The Kanagawa Cowl employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its distinctive appearance:

• Crochet Cast-On: A flexible cast-on method that creates a particularly nice edge suitable for items designed to be worn close to the neck
• Slipped Stitch Edge: Used throughout to create clean, professional selvages on both sides of the flat-worked piece
• Stockinette Stitch: The primary stitch pattern that forms the base fabric
• Knit Two Together (K2tog): A basic decrease stitch incorporated into the pattern
• Slip Stitch (Sl 1): Worked purlwise to maintain edge consistency
• Cable Needle Technique: While a cable needle is used in this pattern, it serves the specialized purpose of picking up stitches rather than working traditional cable twists

Materials and Gauge

The Kanagawa Cowl is designed to be worked in worsted weight yarn. The pattern calls for 3 skeins of Noro Silk Garden, a luxurious blend consisting of 45% Mohair, 45% Silk, and 10% Wool. Each skein yields 110 yards (101 meters) per 50 gram weight. The colorway shown in the pattern is colorway 282. Knitting needles required are US 8 (5.0mm), paired with a US H (5.0mm) crochet hook for the cast-on and a cable needle for stitch pickup work.

The recommended gauge is 18-20 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches (10 centimeters) in stockinette stitch, which helps ensure the cowl achieves the intended finished dimensions and drape.

Skill Level

This pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters who have mastered basic stitches and are ready to explore more complex construction methods and specialized techniques like reversible knitting and mid-project joining.