The Kitsune Cowl is named for the foxes of Japanese folklore. These foxes grow more tails as they get older and wiser, with an apparent maximum of nine tails.

This cowl is knit top down, starting with a solid garter stitch border knit in the round, which breaks into nine bias garter stitch stripes, in three colors, each of which ends in a lacy fox tail.

The stripes are joined by knitting through the slipped first stitch of each row of the previous stripe. Only one color is worked at a time, and you only need 50 grams (about 200 yards) of each, making this an easy and affordable way to get some striking colorwork into your wardrobe.

Skills used in this pattern include knitting in the round (for the top border), k2tog, ssk, yo, picking up and knitting from a slipped stitch edge, and a centered decrease. The lace tails are given both in chart and written form.

Materials and Notions

• Knit Picks Stroll Tonal (75% Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Nylon, 462yds/422m per 3.5oz/100g skein); 1 skein, Harvest (color A), or other fingering weight yarn
• Knit Picks Stroll (75% Superwash Merino Wool, 25% Nylon, 231yds/211m per 1.75oz/50g ball); 1 ball Cork (color B); 1 ball Pumpkin (color C), or other fingering weight yarn
• US 3/3.25mm needles, 16-20”/40-50cm circular, or size needed to get gauge
• stitch holder or waste yarn
• 3 locking stitch markers or safety pins (optional)
• tapestry needle or crochet hook for weaving in ends

I’d like to thank my Ravelry testers (contemax, yukachan08, edelfrau, and NickEck), and my tech editor (eledixon), for all their hard work!