I designed this cowl to help raise awareness and funds for Papyrus UK, the national charity for the prevention of young suicide. I chose a star design to remind the wearer that even in the darkest night the stars are still shining brightly above the clouds, we may not be able to see them, but they are still there.
It is a companion pattern to the Adam’s Star Fingerless Gloves (available here) that I designed and released a year after losing our nephew. Every year hundreds of families lose a loved one to suicide and, sadly, it remains the main cause of death in young people under the age of 35 in the UK. With early intervention and support we can change this. Papyrus is equipping young people and their communities with the skills to recognise and respond to emotional distress. They also run a helpline HOPELINE247 for those who are struggling and anyone worried about a young person, which is staffed by trained professionals.

This cowl is named in memory of my nephew Adam and all profits from the sale of this pattern will go to the charity Papyrus https://www.papyrus-uk.org/

Method:
This stranded colorwork cowl is knit in the round from the bottom up. Featuring easy to memorise colorwork motifs with minimal long floats it can be worked in two or more contrasting colors. Photo tutorials for the Provisional Crochet Cast On, the Provisional Tubular Cast On, and the Tubular Cast Off used in this pattern are included.

Please note the colorwork design in this pattern is charted not written out. You need to be prepared to read and work from charts in order to enjoy knitting this design.

Size:
This pattern is written in 3 sizes. All instructions that differ depending on the size you are knitting are indicated with
parentheses and color coded like this: S (M, L).

Size - Finished Circumference - Finished Height
S - 25½” (64.5 cm) - 9¾” (24.5 cm)
M - 29¾” (75.5 cm) - 9¾” (24.5 cm)
L - 55¼” (140 cm) - 9¾” (24.5 cm)

Yarn:
This pattern works well with two contrasting colors of 4 ply (fingering) yarn. You can use any 4 ply (fingering) yarn that you like and with which you can get tension/ gauge.

Please note I do not recommend using yarns with a high cotton content as cotton doesn’t stretch as much as other fibers and this will affect the fit of your cowl.

This is a great pattern to experiment with color and use mini skeins or any leftovers lurking in your stash. Be creative, have fun, but keep in mind changes will affect yardage and number of ends to weave in. The amounts of each color required will depend on how many colors you pick, where you choose to use them in the cowl, and which size you are knitting. As a guide for the cowl pictured (size S in two colors) I used the following quantities of Cygnet Truly Wool Rich 4ply:

MC – 1952 Regal Purple approx. 250 metres (273 yards)
CC – 2041 Yellow approx. 95 metres (104 yards)

Other Materials Required:
Smooth waste yarn for provisional cast on
Stitch Markers (including 2 locking ones)
Tape Measure
Scissors
Darning needle.