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Uisneach Cowl
£4.29
Downloadable PDF
2 Select Colors
Malabrigo Mechita
Teal Feather (MTA412)
Out of stock — not added to kit
× £17.99
Malabrigo Mechita
Water Green (MTA083)
Out of stock — not added to kit
× £17.99
3 Accessories
Product Description
Mazes have been created by the Celtic inhabitants of Ireland centuries ago to calm the spirit. You can still find them in several locations across the island, where walking the lines is used as a type of meditation. The Hill of Uisneach was the spiritual center of Ireland and I am sure even though no mazes survive, that there was at least one there. The maze patterns on this cowl are my interpretation of these ancient mazes. The mosaic knitting technique, together with the Merino Singles result in a wonderfully soft, yet warm fabric.
The cowl matches the Uisneach Hat; the pair can be made from just two contrasting skeins of Fingering weight, single ply Merino wool.
Uisneach Cowl by Sandra Conway
What is Being Made
The Uisneach Cowl is a knitted cowl design inspired by ancient Celtic mazes found across Ireland. The design draws conceptual influence from the Hill of Uisneach, which served as the spiritual center of Ireland, and interprets historical maze patterns through a contemporary knitting technique. This cowl is intended as a meditative wearable, echoing the traditional use of maze-walking as a calming spiritual practice.
Techniques and Construction
This cowl is constructed using the mosaic knitting technique, a method that creates intricate patterned effects by strategically slipping stitches to form designs. Mosaic knitting allows for complex colorwork without the complexity of traditional stranded colorwork, making it accessible to intermediate knitters while producing visually striking results. The technique, combined with the yarn choice, creates a fabric that is both soft and warm.
Stitches Used
The pattern employs mosaic knitting stitches worked in the round on circular needles. While specific stitch abbreviations are not detailed in the provided content, mosaic knitting typically uses basic knit and slip stitches arranged to create the maze-inspired colorwork patterns that define this design.
Materials Required
- Yarn: Malabrigo Mechita (384 meters/420 yards per 100 grams), a 4-ply weight yarn. Two colorways are used: Colour A requires approximately 170 meters (186 yards) in colourway 412 - Teal Feather, and Colour B requires approximately 130 meters (142 yards) in colourway 83 - Water Green.
- Needles: 3.5 mm (US size 4) circular needle for main knitting, sized to match gauge, and 2.5 mm (US size 1.5) circular needle, approximately 1 mm smaller than the gauge needle size, for ribbing or finishing.
- Notions: One stitch marker to mark the end of rounds during circular knitting.
Difficulty Level
This pattern is rated as intermediate difficulty, making it suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to explore mosaic knitting techniques and two-color colorwork.
```Specifications
| Brand: | Independent Designer |
| Yarn Weight: | 4 Ply |
| Featured Products: | Malabrigo Mechita |
| Pages: | 7 |
| Designer: | Sandra Conway |
| Craft: | Knitting |
| Format: | Downloadable PDF |
| Languages: | English |
| Number of Patterns: | 1 |
| Skill Level: | Intermediate |
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