This cowl is worked as a long tube: it starts with a provisional cast-on and is worked in the round in two-color stranded stockinette, then the live stitches at the end are grafted to the live stitches released from the provisional cast-on.

The approximate measurements are 80” around and 10” deep. While exact gauge is not crucial for a non-fitted garment, you want to get close to the stated gauge for the desired effect. The gauge listed is after blocking.

You can use any fingering weight smooth wool or wool blend: 900 yards of each color. I used Elsa Wool Company Woolen-Spun Fingering Weight Cormo: 2 skeins cream (background color) and 2 skeins medium grey (foreground color). When choosing yarns, you want to ensure enough contrast between the two colors. I recommend using solid or heathered colors only: using a variegated colorway will obscure the pattern. The colors I chose are understated, but have enough contrast to show the design clearly. You could go for a more dramatic effect with bolder colors and strong contrast.

While the knitting instructions are written out, the colorwork design is charted only, and consists of different Norwegian-style motifs: no two motif panels are repeated in the cowl. Some are traditional Norwegian designs, some I made up, and some are a hybrid of traditional and made up.

The knitting itself is relatively simple: if you have done two-color stranded knitting in the round, you will have no difficulties with this pattern. While it looks complex, remember that you are only working one row at a time. There are few particularly long floats needed and because the wrong side of your work is inside the tube, you don’t have to worry about weaving your floats: just make sure to keep your stitches spread evenly and your tension loose as you change colors.

The design is presented in 18 large clear charts.