In England we have four seasons; sometimes all in the same day. Today we have had a bit of everything – sun, clouds, wind, rain, even hail. It was a perfect day to nestle into the cozy warmth of my new cowl.
This is the Highland Rogue cowl, designed by Kate Davies, and knitted with Kate’s 100% wool sportweight yarn, Buachaille. I love this yarn (I used it to knit three pairs of mitts, which you can see here, here, and here). It is a lovely, plump yarn that takes beautifully to both colourwork and texture, and it feels great on the hand.
I have written a few posts about this cowl; it has been on my needles since September. The pattern is not an easy one to “read” on the needles; I had to pay attention to the pattern on every row. This is odd given that it is only a 6-row repeat. Nonetheless, I repeated the pattern in my head over and over again while knitting this. (Perhaps this has more to say about my attention span than the pattern?) While this meant it was not mindless knitting, you can see that the resulting texture is simply gorgeous:
I have used this lovely orange shade called Highland Coo. It is a cool orange, with no yellow tones, and a strong, rich hue that looks good in sun and shade.
I especially like the way it looks against the blues and bold patterns of my Sofi cardigan (which is blogged here). These photos were taken today in Henley-on-Thames, which was a riot of blues, purples, and greens, all of which set off this pop of orange. I work and shop in Henley, so I am here nearly every day, and I am still amazed at what a lovely town it is.
I highly recommend this pattern. If you can manage it, try to knit it with the Buachaille – you won’t regret it!
I finished knitting this a few weeks ago, but couldn’t get it photographed until today. I am glad I waited, as it has been picture perfect (despite the hail). The bluebells are out in England at the moment, as is the wisteria, and everything is bursting with colour.
It’s a long weekend here, and I’ve got something new on the needles. Good knitting, everyone!
Wow, this cowl is awesome! The color, the texture, everything! Well done, it’s been a long project but worth all the patience and attention it required. Agree, this orange pops against your blue jacket and it is such a joyful color. Bravo. Enjoy your long week-end!
It turned out much better than I hoped, Agnes, but I am sure glad that it is done!
That is great! I hear you on patterns that should be simple but aren’t. What a gorgeous finished product , and it does look great with that jacket!
The pattern is really well-written and simple; I think the problem was with my brain that refused to memorise the pattern. In any case, I just needed to keep my brain in the game while I was knitting. Thanks for the comment!
I love the combination of gorgeous yarn and awesome stitch pattern – this cowl is a perfect example.
Me, too. When I was a teenager, I knit a number of sweaters with knit-purl patterns and loved them. So much goodness out of two stitches!
infinite delights!
I love that orange. And is that Wisteria?
It is! The wisteria is blooming all over the place (including my back garden). And the bluebells are blooming at the same time – a purple explosion!
It turned out beautiful – the texture and color are perfect! And you look lovely in it as well! It does look great with your new Sofi cardigan. Great styling for your photos 🙂
Thank you! It is all due to Doug taking some good photos.
They are alovely photos, but also it is beautifully made!
I so love your Sofi and the new cowl goes really well with it. Lovely photos.
Thank you. I never would have thought of pairing them, until I saw the photo of me knitting the cowl while wearing the jacket (in the previous post). And voila!
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