One Tree Hill Cowl Knitting Pattern
One Tree Hill Cowl Knitting Pattern Introducing the One Tree Hill Cowl knitting pattern which was published today and is now available for sale. This knitting design is part of my ongoing series of cowls using Woven Floats Technique. In the foreground is a grove of pine trees that reach for the sky. In the background, a gentle slope leads up the hill to a sole tree which stretches out over the jagged cliff edge as if to challenge the winds. Buy this knitting pattern Let’s look at the basics first. Approximate Dimensions Small: Circumference 60cm (23 ½″) x height 20 cm (7 ¾″) Regular: Circumference 90 cm (35 ½″) x height 20 cm (7 ¾″) Large: Circumference 120 cm (47 ¼″) x height 20 cm (7 ¾″) Gauge: Approx 20 sts x 25 rows on 4mm (US size 6) needles for 10cm x 10cm after blocking. As with most cowls, the gauge does not need to be too accurate. What's Included? Tutorial for the technique including instructions, troubleshooting and photos. Picture chart and written chart instructions. Tips for variations on the pattern. Yarn Choose 2 contrasting DK weight or Light Worsted weight yarns. Small MC - tree colour: 115m / 123 yards CC - background colour: 100m / 110 yards Regular MC - tree colour: 170 m / 185 yards CC - background colour: 150 m / 164 yards Large MC - tree colour: 230 m/ 250 yards CC - background colour: 200 m / 218 yards Equipment 4mm (US size 6) circular needle Small size 40-60cm (16-24″) long Regular size 80cm (32″) long Large size 100cm (40″) long Darning needle Open lock stitch markers in three colours
What Was The Inspiration For The Cowl Knit Pattern Design?
Whilst working on the Woven Floats knitting pattern series, I loved how easily the technique creates wide, shallow diagonal lines. I thought it would suit the sloped branches of pine trees very well. Also noting, I haven’t yet designed anything in green, I was ready to start playing in this hue. Where is One Tree Hill?
One Tree Hill is a significant landmark in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, where I was born. As a child, I remember it having a smooth gentle, narrow road that winds up to the top. Then some steep, jagged areas down the other side filled with bush scrub which could not be traversed. The history we were taught about this area (and, indeed the whole world) leaves a lot of blanks which need to be filled in. We were told the hill was initially used as a fortress then later abandoned by the Maoris. The Maori tribes came from the Polynesian islands and allegedly landed in New Zealand only around 5-600 years ago. There have been archeological finds around One Tree Hill. They appear to be weapons, bones and other objects. As a fortress, the hill has carved layers which you can easily see in modern photos. These days you can drive up the road, park in the car park and walk around. The view looks out in all directions, 360 degrees. At this narrow point of New Zealand, you can see both the East and West coasts. At the apex stands a modern built obelisk as a memorial. There was a single tree up there through most of my life. If stood as an icon representing home to me. Whenever I flew back into Auckland during the day, I would look for the tree out the plane window, knowing I’d made it home. The Fall of the Tree Unfortunately, a political activist thought it would be a great protest to cut the tree down. I refuse to mention his name. Anyone who causes so much harm should never be made famous, in my eyes. The police stopped him part way through. However, a few years later, more activists added to the damage. Tragically, the tree had to be removed. Auckland fell into mourning for the tree which was most dear to us. It even had its own obituary in the newspaper. People shared so many personal stories. Marriage proposals and marked life events, all connected to the hill and the tree. That was in the 1990s. For at least 15 years after that, the bureaucrats fought over what tree should be planted as replacement. I think that, in the end, they decided to plant a grove of trees. It idea is to let them grow and just keep whichever one is the strongest. If they’d stopped arguing and just got the job done, 15 years would be ample time to grow a new tree already! A Walk Down Memory Lane Around the base of One Tree Hill is the truly beautiful Cornwall Park. This land was donated by the owner John Logan Campbell in 1901 to always be freely available to the public. The park is filled with paddocks of sheep and cows. There are deciduous trees which colourfully mark the seasons. There's a large flock of unwanted roosters, a small function centre and an archery range. I spent many hours in this park as a single, as a lover and as a young mum. I loved to sit about half way up the hill. There, I could watch the storms roll in from the West, across the land and out to sea in the East. Sometimes I was peaceful, sometimes introspective. I even went there to comfort myself when things weren’t going so well. It is a very special place. More about One Tree Hill or Maungakiekie. One Tree Hill is, I’m sure, still at the heart of many New Zealanders. I could have added the obelisk and the shape of the old tree in the knitting pattern design but prefer to look forward to a new tree growing at the summit.
Yarns Used In The Design Sample
As a rule for this series, the challenge was that I was not allowed to buy any more yarn. I didn’t have any pine tree green so, I appealed to the local Knitters Guild. One of the darling members, gave me two balls of KnitPicks (USA) Swish which is a light worsted weight yarn. Thanks, Kate! I used this for my Main Colour (MC). The shade is “Lost Lake Heather” and has a gorgeous, earthy deep blue green hue with a subtle fleck to make the heather effect. https://www.knitpicks.com/lost-lake-heather/p/25146
The weight of the Swish yarn beautifully matched Morris and Sons (an Australian company) Estate 8ply wool which was chosen for the Contrast Colour (CC). The heather effect in the colour “Building” has a wonderful soft handle. I could easily see myself making a thick cabled sweater from this yarn! https://morrisandsons.com.au/collections/8-ply-yarn/products/morris-estate-8ply The two worked very beautifully together. I enjoyed every minute of making this cowl.
Knitting Yarn Options
Choose yarns that have some stability. Avoid yarns that have a lot of drape or elasticity. I saw one knitter used a very silky super wash yarn as the floats and it just didn’t have the bulk to fill out the design. - You can use solid colour yarns for a strong look. - Heather colour yarns make for a more gentle, subdued look. - Splashed, dotted or printed yarns paired with a solid can make the cowl look more impressive and more complicated than it actually is. - Colour tip: If you are unsure about what to pair with a hand dyed or printed yarn, opt for one of the alternate colours already featured in a small way. - A slow variegated yarn that gradually works its way through several colours can be fun too. Match it to a solid colour that stands out and compliments, but does not match, any of the variegated colours. - If you choose a cake yarn that graduates from dark to light, you can change the opposite colour using two solids from light to dark so the picture remains visible. Use dark contrast for the light end of the cake and light contrast for the dark end of the cake. This design is the second in the series using heavier yarns. The Peru Double Cowl uses fingering weight yarn which is a little more difficult to work. It was meant to be released later in the series but I couldn’t wait to make it! I have numbered them based on their level of difficulty so the Woven Illusion Cowl is number one, One Tree Hill is number two and the Peru Double Cowl is number 5 coming after all the heavier weight cowls.
Size options
The chart in the One Tree Hill knit pattern is approximately 30cm (12 inches) wide and is repeated around the circumference. The Small size cowl (2 repeats) is slim fit and quick to make, compared to the others. It’s quite efficient and just fits over the head. It's an ideal size for a man or woman of small to medium body build. Regular size is as you see in the sample. It’s a bit bigger so reaches further down the chest and makes a more luxurious, cosy look. You can fold it at the front for extra coverage on a windy day. Large size is the length of the Peru Double Cowl which means you can wrap it twice around the neck or once around the neck and once up over the head to keep your ears warm. When wrapped only once it will lie down the front of the chest (or down your back = very dramatic) and is bound to turn heads like a work of art.
Buy the pattern
The design is simple enough to start learning Woven Floats Technique if you’ve not use it before and makes a lush, warm garment, ideal for mid-season through to mid-Winter. Feel free to message me with your colour choices if you want a second opinion. Buy this knitting pattern
Learn more about Woven Floats Technique Learn more about Designer Annabelle Drumm Read the full article
