Hi there lovely friends!
The sun has returned to the UK, the bees are still gathering pollen amongst the flowers and the Honey Bee Cowl is ready for you!
This design holds a extra special place in my heart. We have a large garden, and this year my sons have spent so much time happily watching the honey bees buzzing from flower to flower. Watching their fascination with these busy little pollinators inspired me to bring that gentle summer magic onto my needles!
You can find the pattern ready for your winter stash here on Ravelry or here on Gumroad.
About the Design
The Honey Bee Cowl is a stranded colorwork project that pairs structured geometric shapes with the beauty of nature. The top and bottom of the cowl are framed by a rhythmic, honeycomb grid, leading into a central panel featuring bold honey bees hovering amid a soft dusting of pollen.
Knitted in two strongly contrasting shades—a rich, deep purple and a crisp cream—the motifs pop right off the fabric, making it such a joy to watch the bees take shape row by row!
Pattern Details
- Difficulty: Intermediate (Great for those who enjoy reading colorwork charts and managing floats).
- Skills Used: Working in the round, basic ribbing, stranded colorwork using two colours at a time, and reading a chart.
- Materials Needed:
- Your favourite cosy DK weight yarn in two highly contrasting colours (a solid or crisp semi-solid works best so the colourwork motifs show up)
- Circular knitting needles suited to your yarn choice
- Stitch markers
- A darning needle for weaving in your ends
Key Features:
Key Features:
- Completely Seamless – Worked entirely in the round from the bottom up, so there is no sewing or assembly required at the end.
- Neat Finished Edges – Framed with classic 2×2 ribbing at both the top and bottom edges to keep the cowl perfectly in shape and prevent rolling.
- Versatile Styling – Designed to fit comfortably around the neck, it pairs equally well with casual sweaters or dressy coats.
Materials:
- Two contrasting DK weight yarns: the sample used approx. 96g black+blue welsh wool in colour Lanto by Midwinter Yarns for main colour, and approx. 39g of Ultra DK by Bluefaced Yarns/Chester Wool as contrast colour
- 3.50mm Circular Knitting Needle—60cm length
- Darning Needle
- Scissors
How It’s Constructed
The cowl is knit in the round from the bottom up. It starts with simple ribbing that prevents the cowl from rolling up, but without distracting from the colourwork. The colourwork starts with a small repetitive honeycomb chart before moving into a larger centre panel with a flying honey bee surrounded by pollen. It then ends with some more of the relaxing honeycomb and ribbing.
Grab Your Copy
The Honey Bee Cowl is ready for you to download on either shop platform:
- Find it here on Ravelry
- Find it here on Gumroad
I hope this project brings you a few quiet, joyful moments of calm at your casting-on spot.
Best wishes,
Sam xox
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