Yseulte Cowl

Yseulte Cowl by Corrine Walcher

What is Being Made

The Yseulte Cowl is a knitted neck accessory designed by Corrine Walcher for the Maryland Fiber Art Studio Tour in December 2019. This cowl measures 23 inches around and 9 inches tall, making it a substantial neckwear piece suitable for layering and warmth. The design was originally created with Avalon Springs Farm Avalon Worsted yarn but is versatile enough to work beautifully with yarns from multiple independent dyers and fiber producers.

Craft and Techniques

The Yseulte Cowl is a knitting project worked in the round, which creates a seamless, tubular construction ideal for cowls and neckwear. Knitting in the round eliminates the need for seaming and produces a smooth, professional finish. This intermediate-level pattern requires familiarity with circular knitting techniques and basic shaping methods.

Stitches and Construction

The pattern employs fundamental knitting stitches and shaping techniques including:

• Stockinette stitch — the primary stitch pattern, created by knitting on the right side and purling on the wrong side when working flat, or simply knitting every round when working in the round
• Knit (K) — the basic knit stitch
• Purl (P) — the reverse of the knit stitch, used for texture and pattern variation
• K2tog (knit two together) — a right-leaning decrease that reduces stitch count
• P2tog (purl two together) — a decrease worked on the purl side
• SSK (slip, slip, knit) — a left-leaning decrease technique
• Place marker (PM) — used to mark the beginning of rounds and pattern repeats

The cowl is worked in blocked stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, refined fabric with excellent drape suitable for neckwear.

Materials and Yarn Requirements

The Yseulte Cowl requires approximately 110 yards of yarn, though the full skein of 200 yards provides ample yardage for the finished piece. The pattern was designed with Avalon Springs Farm Pendragon Worsted in mind — a 100% superwash merino wool yarn that offers durability and easy care. The sample shown was worked in the Heart Flame colorway.

The pattern is flexible regarding yarn choice and works well with alternative yarns in the worsted, heavy worsted, DK, and aran weight categories. Suggested alternatives include:

• Flying Goat Farm LiViLy
• Dancing Leaf Farm Charleston
• Wandering Wool Heights
• Withers Wool handspun

Needles and Gauge

The Yseulte Cowl is worked on US size 6 (4.00 mm) needles, with the option of using either a set of 5 double-pointed needles or a 16-inch circular needle. Double-pointed needles are traditional for small circumference circular knitting, while circular needles offer modern convenience and comfort for extended knitting sessions.

The pattern requires a gauge of 16 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches in blocked stockinette stitch, knit in the round. Achieving proper gauge is essential for obtaining the correct finished dimensions of 23 inches around and 9 inches tall. Knitters should always knit a gauge swatch, measure it after blocking, and adjust needle size if necessary to match the specified gauge.

Difficulty Level

This is an intermediate-level knitting pattern, suitable for knitters with foundational skills in circular knitting and basic stitch techniques. The pattern requires comfort with working in the round, reading pattern abbreviations, and executing simple decreases for shaping.