Leeward - Cowl Knitting Pattern For Women in The Yarn Collective Bloomsbury DK by Ella Burch

Leeward Cowl Knitting Pattern by Ella Burch – Detailed Pattern Summary

The Leeward Cowl is a beautifully structured knitted cowl designed by Ella Burch for women. Published as a downloadable PDF pattern, it is worked in The Yarn Collective Bloomsbury DK yarn and showcases an impressive combination of cable and textural stitch work. This is an intermediate-level knitting pattern that will appeal to knitters who are comfortable with cable techniques and reading multi-row stitch panels.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a cowl — a closed-loop neckwarmer worn around the neck and shoulders. The Leeward Cowl features a richly detailed cable panel at its centre, flanked by elegant reverse stocking stitch and additional cable columns, giving it a sophisticated, layered texture. The cowl is worked flat and then seamed to create the finished loop shape. Its generous dimensions make it a cosy and stylish accessory suitable for cooler seasons.

Materials Required

Yarn

• Yarn: The Yarn Collective Bloomsbury DK
• Weight: DK (double knit)
• Quantity: 2 balls, each 100g / 3.5 oz, approximately 240m / 263 yards per ball
• Colourway shown: Surf 105
• Total yardage: Approximately 480m / 526 yards

Bloomsbury DK by The Yarn Collective is a premium yarn well suited to stitch definition, making it an excellent choice for the intricate cable work featured in this design. Its smooth construction helps cables stand out crisp and clear against the reverse stocking stitch background.

Needles and Tools

• Main needles: 4mm (UK 8 / US 6) knitting needles
• Tension swatch needles: 3mm (US 2.5) needles (used for measuring tension in stockinette after blocking)
• Cable needle (essential for all cable crossings throughout the pattern)

Tension and Gauge

• Stockinette stitch: 25 stitches x 30 rows = 10cm / 4 inches, using 3mm / US 2.5 needles, measured after blocking
• Reverse stocking stitch: 22 stitches x 28 rows = 10cm / 4 inches, using 4mm / UK 8 / US 6 needles
• Central pattern panel (36 stitches): measures 10cm / 4 inches in width

Achieving correct tension is particularly important in this pattern, as the interplay between the cable panel and the surrounding reverse stocking stitch sections relies on accurate stitch and row counts to produce a well-proportioned finished cowl.

Construction Method

The cowl is cast on with 94 stitches using 4mm needles. The fabric is worked flat across all stitches, with the central 36-stitch pattern panel positioned precisely within the row. Once all 40 rows of the pattern panel have been completed five times in full (ending on a right-side row), the work is cast off in pattern on the wrong side. The cowl is then seamed and pressed carefully following the instructions on the Bloomsbury DK ball band to finish.

Stitch Techniques Used

Cable Stitches

Cable knitting is the defining technique of the Leeward Cowl. Cables are created by temporarily placing stitches onto a cable needle, holding them either at the front or back of the work, knitting the next stitches from the main needle, and then knitting the held stitches. This crossing action twists the fabric and creates the characteristic rope-like or plaited cable appearance. The following cable abbreviations are used in this pattern:

• C4B – Cable 4 Back: slip 2 sts to cable needle and hold at back, K2, then K2 from cable