Post and Rail Cowl in Cascade Yarns 128 Superwash - C217 - Downloadable PDF

Post and Rail Cowl in Cascade Yarns 128 Superwash – Pattern Summary

The Post and Rail Cowl is a beautifully designed knitted cowl created by Betty Balcomb and published by Cascade Yarns. This intermediate-level knitting pattern produces a finished cowl measuring approximately 27 inches in circumference and 13 inches deep — a generous, cozy wrap that sits elegantly around the neck and shoulders. The pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF, making it an accessible project for knitters looking to expand their colorwork skills without committing to a purchase.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a two-color knitted cowl worked entirely in the round. The finished piece is a wide, tube-style cowl with enough depth to be worn loosely draped or doubled up for extra warmth. The design is named for its "post and rail" visual effect — a structured, graphic stripe pattern created through clever use of slipped stitches rather than traditional colorwork techniques. The result is a bold, textured fabric with clean color separation and a polished, professional appearance.

Design Highlights and Techniques

Designer Betty Balcomb combines two of her favorite design elements in this cowl: two-color slipped stitch colorwork and the use of Cascade 128 Superwash yarn. Rather than using stranded colorwork (also known as Fair Isle or two-handed knitting), this pattern achieves its striking two-color effect through slipped stitches — a technique where certain stitches are passed from one needle to the other without being knitted, allowing the color from a previous row to show through on the current row.

This approach has several practical advantages for intermediate knitters:

• No floats or stranding — only one color is actively worked per row, eliminating the need to manage yarn tension across the back of the fabric.
• Color changes every single row — because the cowl is worked in the round, the yarn never needs to be cut between color changes. Each color simply waits at the side until it is needed again, making the process smooth and efficient.
• Thin, graphic stripes — the row-by-row color alternation creates the characteristic fine striping and post-and-rail visual rhythm that gives the cowl its name.

Working in the round on circular needles is central to the construction of this cowl. It eliminates seaming entirely and allows the color-change technique to function at its most effective, since both yarn strands are always accessible at the same point in the round.

Stitches Used

The Post and Rail Cowl uses a focused set of stitches that are well within reach for an intermediate knitter:

• K2, P2 Ribbing — the cowl begins with several rows of knit-two, purl-two ribbing worked in both colors. Ribbing creates a flexible, structured edge that helps the cowl maintain its shape and drape neatly.
• Slipped Stitches — the signature technique of the pattern, used throughout the main body to create the two-color post and rail effect without stranding.
• Stockinette Stitch — referenced in the gauge section, indicating that the main body fabric is rooted in a stockinette-based structure, which when worked in the round means knitting every round.
• Cast On — the pattern begins with a long-tail or standard cast on of 108 stitches using the darker of the two colors.

Color Selection

Color choice is a critical element of this pattern. Betty Balcomb specifies that the two colors must have a sharp contrast in order for the post and rail effect to read clearly. The cowl pictured in the pattern uses Cascade 128 Superwash in colors #841 and #856. The darker color is cast on first and used to begin the ribbing, with the lighter color introduced after the first row. The two colors then alternate throughout the entire cowl, with the darker shade typically anchoring the "post" elements and the lighter shade filling the "rail" sections.

Materials and Yarn

The pattern calls for Cascade 128 Superwash yarn, a chunky weight yarn known for