Waylon Cowl by Lesley Anne Robinson

Waylon Cowl

Knitting
June 2024
DK (11 wpi) ?
18 stitches and 20 rows = 4 inches
in even two-color brioche stitch knit in the round (taken after blocking)
US 6 - 4.0 mm
487 yards (445 m)
One size: 25'' / 63.5 cm circumference at narrowest and 16.5'' / 42 cm at deepest point, measured after blocking.
English
This pattern is available from sistersunitedmt.org for $7.00.

Purchase this cowl pattern at Sisters United and support this important initiative!

Waylon Cowl Kits Pre-order : available at The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers!

Little Heart Bundle : Sisters United Fundraiser

Waylon Cowl : A simple two-color brioche kerchief-style cowl, knit completely in the round with increases cascading down the center to create this easy-to-wear shape.

Waylon was designed especially to support Sisters United, an initiative started by Candice English of The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers to raise money to help empower indigenous women and children. In January of 2020, Sisters United became its own 501c3. Purchasing this pattern from Sisters United means that you are supporting this very necessary cause. None of the money earned from the pattern goes to Knit Graffiti Designs, it all goes to support Candice and Sisters United.

Read more about it and purchase the pattern here: https://sistersunitedmt.org/

Yarn Notes:
Grab 2 skeins of DK weight yarn in contrasting colors for this quick cowl project! This is a fantastic introduction to two-color brioche if you are new to this fascinating technique. If you are new, I highly recommend choosing yarns with high contrast, and preferably with little to no speckles. Use your lightest color as your Main Color, and darker as your Contrast. If you are a more experienced brioche knitter, the sky is the limit with this project! Brioche fabric is a wonderful backdrop for those speckled and variegated yarns, like The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Juicy DK. Their speckles are AMAZING!!

Skill Level:
Beginner Brioche Friendly!!! I designed this cowl for knitters who want to learn two-color brioche. Learning two-color brioche in the round is a fantastic and straight forward way to learn, I highly recommend it!

Techniques Used:
knit, purl, brioche knit (brk), brioche purl (brp), sl1yo, brioche increase (brkyobrk), Two-Color I-cord cast on and bind off, knitting in the round

Video Tutorials included in pattern:

Two-Color I-Cord Cast On: http://bit.ly/TwoColorICordCastOn

Two-Color I-Cord Bind Off (includes instructions on grafting your cast on): http://bit.ly/TwoColorICordBindOff

Construction Notes:
The name of this cowl is inspired by country music artist Waylon Jennings, who wrote and performed the song, “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way” - the namesake for the Main Color yarn used in this pattern. A true country classic.

This cowl is knit in the round from the top down, beginning with a beautiful two-color i-cord cast on that will blend into the two-color brioche. Once the stitches are cast on, you will work a couple of Setup Rounds to get the brioche stitches on your needles. Then you will begin increasing in the center of the cowl to create a lovely kerchief-style that is so easy to wear! These increases will continue until you bind off the cowl, which will mirror the cast on using a two-color i-cord bind off.

This cowl is so easy to wear over any outfit! Just throw it on and your’e ready to go with a fabulous accessory!

I truly hope you enjoy brioche knitting!

» One Size:
25’’ / 63.5 cm circumference at narrowest and 16.5’’ / 42 cm at deepest point, measured after blocking. Schematic included with pattern with additional measurements.

» Gauge:
18 sts x 20 rounds = 4’’ / 10 cm; measured in even two-color brioche stitch knit in the round (taken after blocking).

MATERIALS:

» Yarn: DK weight
Main Color (MC): 234 yds / 214 m
Contrast Color (CC): 253 yds / 231 m

» Shown in: The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Juicy DK (100% Merino Wool; 274 yds / 251 m per 100 g)
MC: 1 skein in Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way (light speckled)
CC: 1 skein in Crow Camp (blue)

» Needles:
16’’ / 40 cm US 6 / 4.0 mm circular needles. Circular needles are use for knitting in the round. You may need to change your cable length as the cowl progresses.

Adjust the needle size as needed to achieve the proper gauge.

» Tools:
Stitch marker for noting beginning of round, additional contrasting stitch marker for noting increases, row counter or your preferred method for tracking your knitting, tapestry needle for weaving in ends

» Credits:
Many thanks again to Candice English and The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers their amazing yarn support and inspiration!! I am so proud to know Candice and think that her work with Sisters United is so necessary. Thank you to my tech editor Chaitanya Muralidhara (@beginswithac) for all her help in editing my pattern!! Also a HUGE thank you to all my Patrons and test knitters for their help in testing out this pattern!! Be sure to check out their projects for some serious color inspiration!!