
Indulgent Brookland Cowl – Emma Sadler
Indulgent, Luxurious Brookland Cowl by Emma Sadler
The Brookland Cowl, a stranded colourwork piece, was designed after deciding I wanted a lovely thick material for the winter months that didn’t have a wrong side. Sometimes when you are wearing a cowl it flips over and you don’t see the pattern anymore. That won’t happen with this one. It is also a great project for practising your fair isle or stranded colourwork skills.
The Brookland Cowl is knitted in one piece, in the round. You start with a provisional cast on and finish by grafting the stitches together. This means there is no seam visible when you have finished and any ends are hidden inside the cowl.
There is a repeated section in the middle of the cowl, so you can make the cowl longer or shorter depending upon your personal preference.
The cowl patter uses DK wool in three colours. The main, dark brown colour, a lighter brown and a contrasting blue to add a pop of colour to an otherwise neutral piece.
I’ve shown some close ups of the colourwork and motifs in the Gallery below to give you and idea of how flexible and varied this pattern can be.
This pattern is produced with the invaluable help of my test knitters and my tech editor – Tabitha Thomas Studios
About the Brookland Cowl Stranded Pattern
The Brookland Cowl stranded colourwork pattern is knitted with dk weight yarn. You could substitute any DK weight yarn. I used 4mm needles and Paintbox Yarns Simply DK . You can choose to lengthen or shorten the loop of the cowl to suit your preferences, there is a repeated pattern which you can work as many times as you like, or crop to make a shorter loop to wrap once around the neck. It’s up to you.
You’re only ever working with two colours at a time to keep things simple.

Gorgeous Brookland Cowl Stranded Colourwork Pattern Information
Published in | Emma Sadler’s Ravelry Store |
Craft | Knitting |
Category | Accessories – Cowl |
Published | March 2019 |
Suggested Yarn | Paintbox Yarns Simply DK |
Yarn Weight | DK / 8 ply (11 wpi) |
Gauge/Tension | 18 stitches and 26 rows = 10 cm in Stocking stitch in the round |
Needle Size | US 6 – 4.0 mm |
Yardage | 115 – 900 yards (105 – 823 m) |
Sizes Available | One size 88cm/35inches |
Languages | English |

Gorgeous Brookland Cowl Pattern Gallery
Brookland Cowl Emma Sadler close up Brookland Cowl Emma Sadler Brookland Cowl Emma Sadler close up of stranded colourwork close up of stranded colourwork close up of stranded colourwork close up of stranded colourwork close up of stranded colourwork close up Brookland Cowl Emma Sadler Stranded Cowl colourwork pattern Fair Isle pattern, stranded colourwork cowl
As always, when I’m knitting for the knitworthy members of my family or dear friends, I consider how they’re going to wear it, wash it, the colours they love and what styles they wear. In this case, it’s for me and I saw this yarn and felt it was perfect for the cowl. I chose colours with good contrast, two browns and a pop of colour from the blue. What colours will you choose for your Brookland Cowl?
I will consider that intarsia, or Fair Isle with three or more colors in a row, prepares nobody for sleep and cursing loudly while flinging knitting around the living room is about as far away from soothing as you can get.”
― Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, At Knit’s End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much
See our other patterns
Arthur’s Seat Blanket, Arundale Vest Pattern, Ashram Pilates Socks, Autumn Cape, Autumn in Robin Hood’s Bay Boho Hat, Spring in Robin Hood’s Bay Boho Hat, Winter in Robin Hood’s Bay Boho Hat, doing alright
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