THE LIFE BEHIND IT ALL
THE LIFE BEHIND IT ALL
SNICKERDOODLE KNITS
Creativity, Clarity + Confidence in Knitting
Endless Woods Cowl
Fun, cozy, and your new favorite thing to wear. Endless Woods Cowl is a warm, cozy cowl perfect for cold winter days. It features cables that represent the roots supporting the endless woods and slipped cross stitches that represent the beautiful trees within the woods.
The techniques used in this pattern include cabling, slipping stitches, and I-cord bind off. This is a great project for an adventurous beginner who is confident working in the round and eager to learn some new stitches. More information on techniques can be found here.
Yarn requirements differ based on size but range from one 50-gram skeins of fingering weight held double with a 25-gram skein of mohair to two 100-gram skeins of fingering weight held double with one 100-gram skein of mohair. If you choose to use DK weight instead, yarn requirements range from one to three 100-gram skeins of DK weight yarn. For more information on yarn requirements, click here.
Walking through the forest, it’s silent, but it’s not. You can hear the cicadas chirping in the distance, the squirrels scampering around, a deer startled in the trees. You can hear your own breathing, your every footstep. The snap of a twig.
But it’s a serene type of noise. No sirens, no horns, no music, no yelling, no traffic.
The *most* obvious thing in our move to North Carolina was all of the trees. Little mini forests everywhere, even along the interstate around Charlotte! It gives such a lovely feeling of being close to nature even when you’re in the city.
The Endless Woods Cowl was inspired by the trees that seem to be everywhere and, when you leave the city, stretch on forever. The bottom half of the cowl uses a cabled texture to create a root texture, and the top half uses a slipped cross stitch motif to create the trees.
Endless Woods is one of four fingering weight knitting patterns included in the A New Home Collection inspired my new home, North Carolina.
The lovely combination of mohair and fingering weight yarns make for an extremely cozy and warm cowl. It is perfect for chilly nights spent outside watching the fireflies, when you want to pull something warm and cozy up around your neck.
It's also perfect for outdoor winter activities when you need an extra-cozy layer for under your winter coat. If you knit the long version with the large circumference, it triples as a hood, shoulder warmer, and neck warmer! Scroll down to "Pattern Specifics" for a photo :)
Do you love cables? You'll love the Endless Woods Cowl! The bottom half of the cowl is comprised entirely of a cable texture. The top half uses a slipped cross texture, which is basically a slightly different cable.
These textures make the knit engaging, fun, and interesting to knit; but the textures are repeated, making it simple to follow.
Like some options in your knitting? The upper half (the trees section) includes five different tree motif options! Choose your favorite tree and use it for the whole cowl, or mix it up so your forest has some variety.
This cowl uses cables, slipped cross stitches (which is basically another type of cable), and an I-cord bind off. You have the choice to use an I-cord cast on if you'd like the bottom to match the top. Never knit cables or an I-cord bind off before? Don't worry! When I first tried cables, I thought they were going to be so difficult... but I was completely wrong. In fact, it was knitting cables that got me back into knitting!
All of my patterns include clear, step-by-step (written and charted) instructions with linked video technique tutorials that walk you through the pattern with confidence and joy. I am also available for pattern support if you have questions.
Sizing*
Small (Medium, Large)
Bottom Circumference: 21.5 (28, 34) in / 54.5 (71, 86.5) cm
Top Circumference: 18.5 (24.5, 31) in / 47 (62, 79) cm
Short (Medium, Tall)
Length: 14.5 (21, 27.5) in / 37 (53.5, 70) cm
Yarn
200 (360, 580) yds / 185 (330, 530) m; 50 (90, 145) grams fingering weight yarn AND 230 (370, 600) yds / 210 (340, 550) m; 25 (40, 65) grams lace weight mohair for fingering weight and mohair held double;
OR 200 (360, 580) yds / 185 (330, 530) m; 87 (156, 252) grams DK weight yarn
Designed using Hearts on Fiber MCN sock in Mangrove Forest and mohair/silk in Mahogany. Get color & yarn recommendations here.
Gauge
19 stitches, 21 rounds = 4 in / 10 cm in roots section
13 sts, 22 rounds = 4 in / 10 cm in trees section
Tools
5.0 mm (US size 8) – or size needed to obtain gauge – circular or double-pointed needles, long enough to hold the cowl circumference
Cable needle
Darning needle
1 stitch marker
Construction
Bottom up, in the round
*It is possible to work a different size for the Roots section than the Trees section. In total, there are nine size options. However, I've only provided yarn information for three sizes. These sizes are small circumference with short length (medium circumference with medium length, large circumference with tall length). Note that yarn usage will vary depending on both the circumference and length that you knit.