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Rancher’s Cowl

Project Type Scarves/Cowls
Collections Farm & Fiber Knits Fall 2025 Issue
Yardage 1000
Fiber Wool
Weight Worsted
Techniques Colorwork
Author Tressa Weidenaar
Format Project/Pattern
Additional Items Download Flyer

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About This Pattern

When Tressa was designing this cowl, she kept thinking about its function. The final size and length made her picture it around the neck of someone on horseback, chasing cows or sheep around a field. Where Tressa lives in New Mexico, the spring winds are often harsh and pow erful. Cowls are very useful to help keep dust and cold air out of one’s shirt and jacket. This cowl can also serve like a mini poncho and add an extra layer of warmth for the shoulders.

The motifs in this design reflect patterns you might see in Navajo weaving. Crosses are used to respect and remind us of Spider Woman, who taught the first people how to weave. Diamonds have four sides, which can honor the four directions or the four sacred mountains of the Navajo people. Tressa chose to make the diamonds turquoise because it is a color of protection. Many of her designs reflect elements of her home so that she can take them with her wherever she goes.

These patterns and colors are comforting to Tressa and help her remember the land and the people that she comes from. Her hope is that knitters will find ways to make this design their own by incorporating colors that remind them of their own homes and where they come from.

Materials

YARN Peace Fleece Worsted (50% Navajo Rambouillet, 30% domestic fine wool, 20% mohair; 200 yd [183 m]/4 oz [113 g]): Wild Mustard (MC), 2 skeins; Amaranth (CC1), Antarctic White (CC2), and Baltic Blue (CC3), 1 skein each.

NEEDLES Size 8 (5 mm) 24" (60 cm) and 32" (80 cm) circular (cir). Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

NOTIONS 5 Markers (m); tapestry needle.

GAUGE 14 sts and 20 rnds = about 4" (10 cm) in patt and St st, blocked. 15 sts and 23 rnds = 4" in Twisted Rib.

FINISHED SIZE 23½" (60 cm) height, 20" (51 cm) neck opening, 40" (102 cm) bottom circumference.


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