The tall beech trees stretch their elegant arms towards the sky, with their trunks like pillars of a Gothic cathedral, and their emerald canopy like graceful arches and vaults. Here and there, the sun shines through the foliage and casts a kaleidoscope of dappled light upon the forest floor. The wind whispers through the branches. Time slows down.
The Hêtraz cowl is inspired by the Sonian Forest in Belgium, also called a forest cathedral. It is a remnant of the ancient beech forests that have survived since the last ice age.
Hêtraz sports complementary lace stitch patterns, forming delicate leaves bordered by wavy lines like cathedral vaults. The cowl is reversible, with a clear A side and B side.
Let Hêtraz be an invitation to slow down and enjoy the whispers and marvels of Nature.

The cowl name is a word play on hêtraie, beech forest in French, and the river Zenne that flows nearby.

For best effect, use a round yarn with good stitch definition. Yarn weights ranging from Fingering to Worsted would be suitable. As for colorways, I would recommend solid, semi-solid yarns, or a single skein gradient.

Do you like the Hêtraz cowl? You might like those patterns too: The Aventurijn cowl, and the Arboricole cowl. For endless fun with leaf- and tree-inspired lace! Check them out!

Yarn
The Fiber Co. Canopy Fingering (Fingering; 50% Baby Alpaca, 30% Merino, 20% Bamboo; 183 meters / 200 yards per 50 grams); 3 skeins; sample uses 126 grams in color Red Ginger.

Or any of these alternative yarns:

• HiKoo Madrona (Fingering; 30% Alpaca, 30% Merino, 20% Bamboo, 20% Nylon; 368 meters / 402 yards per 100 grams); 2 cakes.
• Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud Fingering (Fingering; 100% Alpaca; 183 meters / 200 yards per 50 grams); 3 skeins.

Needles
3.25 mm (US size 3) 80 cm / 32 inches circular needle or size to obtain gauge.

Gauge
26.5 stitches and 36 rows = 10 cm / 4 inches in Stockinette stitch, unblocked.
20 stitches and 32 rows = 10 cm / 4 inches in stitch pattern B – Seedling, blocked.
20 stitches and 35 rows = 10 cm / 4 inches in stitch pattern D – Beech Canopy, blocked.
Note: obtaining the gauge given is not crucial but will affect the finished size and the yardage needed.

Notions
Removable stitch markers: 1 in color A (beginning-of-round marker), 13 in color B (optional). Tapestry needle. Blocking pins. Blocking wires (optional).

Size
One; easily customizable.

Final measurements
Circumference (c): 112 cm / 44 inches, height (h): 40 cm / 15.75 inches, see schematic.

Skill level
Basic stitches, increases, double decreases (knits and purls), twisted stitches. Relatively easy to memorize stitch patterns. Easy patterning on all rounds. Lace patterning on odd rounds only. Elastic BO.
Video tutorials are provided for the stitches and techniques used (see Section Tutorials on page 8).

Pattern notes
This pattern is worked in the round. The stitch count
remains constant throughout the whole pattern. Suggestions are given to customize the pattern.
Charts and written instructions are provided as well as clear video tutorials for the used stitches and techniques.

Pattern support
For questions about this pattern, please PM me on Ravelry or send me an email. Contact details are provided.

Thank you note
I’d like to send a big thank you to my truly awesome test knitters on Ravelry: knitinmarmot,Myllim. Thanks a lot for your time and dedication, for helping me make this pattern even better and for showing how the pattern would look like with different yarns!

Want to get a free cowl? Read on!

We all love knitting, right?! I certainly do! I’d like to gift you a cowl and doing so spread the love for knitting even more :-) This gift is available to everyone.

Curious about which cowl that is? Head over to the Skeinwalker freebie page to find out!. Upon registering and confirming your email address, you will receive the link to download the pattern PDF, and you will get a free subscription to The Explorers Weekly newsletter, with tips, inspiration, updates on new pattern releases along with exclusive coupon codes for discounts that I don’t share anywhere else.