Arcadia is a word that refers to a vision of pastoralism and harmony with nature. The term is derived from the Greek province of the same name. It has developed into a poetic byword for an idyllic vision of unspoiled wilderness, associated with bountiful natural splendour and harmony.

This Cowl design combines two fibre arts: knitting and crochet and so, Arcadian Cowl seemed the perfect name for this pattern. It’s a fairly quick knit in worsted weight yarn, using one skein or less of the recommended yarn.

The circumference allows doubling up for warmth and is customizable. The Kitchener Stitch closing allows you to adjust for personal taste or to maximize skeins of shorter yardage. Better still, to make the best use your skeins of luxury yarns or treasured handspun yarns.

I’ve given the Gender as “unisex”. I’m sure there are some dudes who could probably rock an arcade wheel motif just as well as a girl. This motif is a variation on a very old crochet square of the “Granny” variety.

Tension / gauge for the motif is not critical. The worsted weight is worked on a slightly undersized hook as a design feature and to make it more substantial and the body sections are worked on a slightly oversized needle. I have given links to two (2) photo tutorials that demonstrate the motif and some of the the construction techniques in the written pattern.

Any smooth worsted weight will be fine for this project. Superwash, 100% merino, silk, bamboo, or rayon blended with wool have all tested well. An added bonus? This is a one-skein wonder, using approximately 100m of a 200m skein. Great for stashbusting and using up any leftover odds and ends lurking in the knitting basket