This is my nod to Swedish Bohus knitting, one of the loveliest styles of colorwork I know. This cowl is created by casting on the circumference of the cowl provisionally, knitting one side, working a turning round, and then working the other side. Once the knitting is completed you will remove the provisional cast-on and place the beginning stitches on a second circular needle. Folding the piece in half at the fold line with the right side outside, you will either graft the beginning stitches to the end stitches or work a three-needle bind-off.

The outside pattern is my interpretation of traditional Bohus patterns and the inside, or lining, is a simpler wave pattern.

I selected a mostly monochrome palette for this cowl, and mixed in some mohair yarns with smooth yarns, as well as holding two laceweight yarns (Rowan Fine Lace and Rowan Kidsilk Haze) together for a couple of the colors to make one fingering weight strand. You could substitute all smooth fingering weight yarns for the yarns I have used, or do a mix of smooth and fuzzy yarns. You can also create your own colorway. Note that Colors A, B, and C are background colors and are pale, while colors D, E, F, and G are the more intense foreground colors. If you plan to create your own colorway, I advise you to knit a swatch with the colors you want to use to ensure that you have good contrast as well as colors that go well together. I’ve provided a swatch chart and instructions in the pattern.

The pattern is written in detail, with links to demos of techniques needed, and the colorwork is charted in large easy-to-read charts.

My actual yarns used:

Color A: Rowan Super Fine Merino 4 Ply (100% Wool), 50 grams/181 yards, Color # 262, Cream, 2 skeins
Color B: Rowan Fine Lace (80% Suri Alpaca, 20% Merino) 50 grams/437 yards, Color # 922, Cobweb, 1 skein, and Rowan Kidsilk Haze (70% Mohair, 30% Silk), 25 grams/229 yards, Color # 642, Ghost, 2 skeins: hold these 2 yarns together to knit
Color C: Rowan Super Fine Merino 4 Ply (100% Wool), 50 grams/181 yards, Color # 269, Marble, 2 skeins
Color D: Rowan Mohair Haze (70% Mohair, 30% Wool), 25 grams/112 yards, Color # 522, Cradle, 2 skeins
Color E: Rowan Pure Wool 4-ply (100% Superwash Wool) 50 grams/174 yards, Color # 402, Shale, 1 skein
Color F: Rowan Finest (50% Merino, 30% Alpaca, 20% Cashmere) 25 grams/95 yards, Color # 068, Rapture, 3 skeins
Color G: Rowan Fine Lace (80% Suri Alpaca, 20% Merino) 50 grams/437 yards, Color # 934, Noir, 1 skein, and Rowan Kidsilk Haze (70% Mohair, 30% Silk), 25 grams/229 yards, Color # 599, Wicked, 1 skein: hold these 2 yarns together to knit

Actual Yardage Used:

Color A: 350 yards
Color B: 250 yards
Color C: 325 yards
Color D: 150 yards
Color E: 174 yards
Color F: 250 yards
Color G: 200 yards