553 New Directions Cowl - Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Amherst

553 New Directions Cowl – Knitting Pattern for Women by Kirsten Hipsky

The 553 New Directions Cowl is a beautifully structured, beginner-friendly knitting pattern designed by Kirsten Hipsky and published by Valley Yarns. This downloadable PDF pattern produces a cozy, wearable cowl with a finished size of 6 inches wide by 40 inches around, making it a generously sized accessory that sits comfortably around the neck and shoulders. The design is inspired by the popular Multi-Directional Cowl concept, featuring a clever two-part construction that gives the finished piece its distinctive character and visual interest.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a seamed cowl worked in two separate sections that are later joined together. The Wide Section forms the main body of the cowl, while the Long Section is picked up directly from the edge of the Wide Section and worked perpendicular to it. This multi-directional approach creates a dynamic interplay of textures and stitch directions, giving the cowl a polished, intentional look despite its beginner-level construction. Once both sections are complete, they are sewn together to form the finished circular cowl.

Construction and Techniques

The cowl is worked flat in two separate pieces and then seamed to complete the circular shape. This construction technique is ideal for knitters who are comfortable working flat rows and performing a basic seam join. Key construction steps include:

• Casting on 80 stitches for the Wide Section
• Picking up and knitting stitches along the edge of the Wide Section to begin the Long Section — a technique that creates a seamless visual transition between the two parts
• Seaming the live stitches of the Long Section to the right edge of the Wide Section to close the cowl into its final shape
• Blocking the finished piece to even out stitches and open up the fabric
• Weaving in ends for a clean, professional finish

The pick-up-and-knit technique used to begin the Long Section is a fundamental knitting skill that, once learned, opens up a wide range of construction possibilities. It allows the knitter to work in a new direction from an existing edge without a separate cast-on, which is central to the multi-directional aesthetic of this design.

Stitches Used

The pattern relies on a simple and satisfying combination of two classic stitch patterns:

• Garter stitch – formed by knitting every row, this stitch creates a squishy, ridged fabric that lies flat and has excellent elasticity. The gauge for this pattern is set in garter stitch at 16 stitches and 32 rows to 4 inches.
• Stockinette-based ridge pattern – a six-row repeat that alternates a wrong-side purl row (with knit edge stitches) with five knit rows. This creates raised ridges on the right side of the fabric, adding subtle texture and visual rhythm. The Wide Section features 8 total ridged sections on the right side of the fabric.

The combination of garter stitch and these textured ridges gives the cowl a tactile, handcrafted quality that showcases the softness of the yarn beautifully. The edge stitches are consistently maintained as knit stitches on both right and wrong side rows, ensuring tidy, stable selvedges throughout.

Materials

The pattern calls for 2 skeins of Valley Yarns Amherst, a 100% merino wool yarn that comes in 50g skeins with approximately 109 yards per skein. The sample shown in the pattern was knitted in the colorway Lake. Valley Yarns Amherst is a worsted weight yarn, making it quick to knit up while still producing a fabric with excellent drape and warmth. Merino wool is particularly well-suited to a cowl like this, as it is naturally soft against the skin, breathable, and responds beautifully to blocking.

Recommended needles are US size 9 (5.50 mm), or whatever size is needed to achieve the specified gauge. As with all knitting projects, checking gauge before beginning is strongly recommended to ensure the finished cowl matches the intended dimensions.