From early childhood I have loved owls, so when we found shortly after moving in here that we have tawny owls living close by I was delighted! We often hear their distinctive call after dark from early autumn to late winter. It was inevitable that I would need to design some owl patterns and I have named these Peffery after the river which flows nearby. I feel very lucky to have Tawny neighbours, especially as in the UK the Tawny Owl was moved onto the Amber List of Birds of Conservation Concern in 2015.

Method: This stranded colorwork cowl is knit in the round from the bottom up starting with a rolled hem. Featuring cute owls, their distinctive call, and leaves it can be worked in three or more contrasting colors.

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:
Pattern is written in 4 suggested sizes, but the circumference is easily adjusted to any length (notes for doing this are included). All instructions that differ depending on the size you are knitting are color coded and indicated with parentheses like this: S (M, L, XL).

Size - Finished Circumference - Finished Height
S - 21 ¼” (54 cm) - 8” (20 cm)
M - 26 ⅝” (67.5 cm) - 8” (20 cm)
L - 32” (81 cm) - 8” (20 cm)
XL - 58 ⅝” (149 cm) - 8” (20 cm)

Yarn:
This pattern works well with three (or more) solid colors of DK yarn. You can use any DK yarn that you like and with which you can get tension/ gauge. I have chosen to use a 100% wool yarn because the resulting fabric “breathes” better than an acrylic yarn would - this helps you not overheat as you warm up when you’re out and about.
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 three colors) I used the following quantities of Drops Karisma:

MC – 47 Forest Green approx. 120 metres (131 yards)
CC1 – 11 Orange approx. 30 metres (33 yards)
CC2 – 77 Light Oak approx. 28 metres (31 yards)