Midgard Serpent Cowl

Midgard Serpent Cowl by Anna Dalvi

What is Being Made

The Midgard Serpent is a knitted cowl designed by Anna Dalvi, a versatile neckwear piece that combines elegance with intricate colorwork. This cowl features a finished circumference of 23.5 inches (60 cm) and a height of 10.5 inches (26.5 cm), making it an ideal accessory for layering and everyday wear. The design showcases a striking two-color construction that creates visual interest and depth through strategic color placement.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several advanced techniques to achieve its sophisticated appearance. The cowl begins with a picot hem at the bottom, which creates a decorative, scalloped edge that adds refinement to the finished piece. The construction utilizes provisional cast-on, a technique that allows stitches to be picked up later for seamless joining. The hem is folded with the wrong sides together and grafted using a two-needle technique, where stitches from both the working needle and a spare needle are transferred together to create a clean, professional finish. The pattern incorporates two-color knitting with contrasting yarn colors—Eastern Amberwing and Eastern Tailed Blue Butterfly—that are worked in alternating sections to build the design.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (K): The foundational stitch used throughout the majority of the cowl
• Knit two together (K2tog): A decrease stitch used in the picot eyelet row to create the decorative openings
• Yarn over (yo): Creates the characteristic holes in the picot hem, worked in alternation with K2tog decreases
• Slip stitch (Sl1): Used during the grafting process to transfer stitches from one needle to another

Materials and Specifications

The Midgard Serpent Cowl is worked in sport weight yarn, specifically Bugga! in two contrasting colorways. The yarn composition is 70% merino, 20% cashmere, and 10% nylon, providing a blend of softness, breathability, and durability. Each skein yields 412 yards (377 meters) per 4 ounces, and the pattern requires 2 skeins total—one in each color. The project calls for 2 sets of US 4 (3.5 mm) circular needles, allowing for the two-needle grafting technique used in the hem construction. Additional materials include waste yarn for the provisional cast-on, stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats, and a large-eyed, blunt needle for finishing. The recommended gauge is 20 stitches and 39 rows over 4 inches when worked in pattern and blocked, ensuring proper fit and drape.