A little while ago, my husband Dan was searching for a new knitting challenge.

He wanted a project that would give him lots of scope for improving his colour work skills. This was a fabulous opportunity for me to design him something very special, and I happily got straight to work !

I wanted this design to include sections of gentle rhythmic patterns, combined with something a little more involved.

I chose yarns that created an almost antique look, like a faded tapestry hanging on a castle wall.

This reminded us of a visit we made years ago to Sweetheart Abbey, and as I also designed this for my husband - the Sweetheart Cowl it had to be !

Cowl Details

The cowl features a large central colourwork panel, reminiscent of love hearts or four-leaf clover. Either side of this you have smaller sections that remind me of a medieval tiled floor, and the crumbling walls surrounding it.

The cowl is bordered top and bottom by a pretty textured rib.

The colourwork patterns are fully charted.

Yarn

You will need 2 skeins of fingering weight yarn of 437 yards (400 metres). One skein should be a solid colour and the other a variegated, so this is a great project for going stash diving !

To achieve the aged and faded look of the pattern sample, your variegated skein should include one colour that matches or closely matches your solid colour.

The pattern sample was knitted using one skein of Regia Merino Yak in shade 7505 ‘Puder Meliert’, and one skein of Fondant Fibre yarn in ‘Happy Christmas Harry’.

Exact amounts used were 95g of the Regia and 45g of the Fondant Fibre. This may vary if your gauge differs from mine.

Size

The cowl measures 26 inches (66 cm) in circumference and 19.5 inches (49.5 cm) in length.