Heartwood Cowl

Heartwood Cowl by Amy van de Laar

What is Being Made

The Heartwood Cowl is a knitted cowl designed by Amy van de Laar featuring a distinctive texture created by a thicket of cabled hearts and ribbing. This is a versatile neckwear piece that encircles the neck with a dense, squishy, and substantial fabric. The pattern offers three height options to suit different preferences, with the shortest option requiring only a single skein of yarn, making it an accessible project for various skill levels and yarn stash sizes.

Techniques Used

This advanced knitting project employs several key techniques to achieve its textured appearance and structural integrity. The pattern utilizes the Long Tail Cast On method to begin the project with a secure foundation. Work is completed in the round, which creates a seamless, tubular fabric ideal for a cowl construction. The primary texture comes from 2-over-2 cables combined with six-stitch cables, which create the characteristic heart motifs and ribbed sections throughout the design. Both charts and full written instructions are provided, allowing knitters to follow their preferred method. The finished cowl benefits from blocking to achieve relaxed, refined finished measurements.

Stitches Used

The Heartwood Cowl relies on cable stitches as its primary design element. The pattern features 2-over-2 cables that form the bulk of the textured pattern, interspersed with six-stitch cables that create the heart motifs. Ribbing is also incorporated throughout the design to provide structure and elasticity to the finished piece.

Materials

The Heartwood Cowl is designed to be knitted with fingering-weight yarn. The pattern calls for 1 (2, 2) skeins of Happy Hank Co Classy Fingering, which is 100% superwash merino with 437 yards per 100 grams. The yarn choice of superwash merino provides durability and easy care for this neckwear piece. Standard knitting needles appropriate for fingering-weight yarn are required to work this project.

Finished Measurements and Customization

The Heartwood Cowl is offered in three height options with finished measurements of 7.5 inches (19 cm), 10.75 inches (27.5 cm), and 14 inches (36 cm) from cast-on to bind-off. The circumference is 24 inches (61 cm) after blocking and is easily adjustable to personal preference. A change of 24 stitches in the cast-on number will produce a 2.5-inch (6 cm) change in circumference. For a taller cowl, each additional 32-round repeat adds 3.25 inches (8 cm) in height, allowing knitters to customize the piece to their exact specifications.