The landscape near the winding river Seine is home to hidden gems, both natural and man-made. The Castle of La Roche-Guyon stands tall and proud against the chalk cliffs along the river. Its tall buildings are partially carved out of the rockface, and a medieval tower rises up to seamlessly extend the cliff. As I climb the stairs of the tower, I marvel at the tenacious people who carved it out, and at the top, enjoy the view of the valley.

The Yonâh cowl is a tribute to the Castle of La Roche-Guyon. The cowl features zigzagging openwork and ladders of yarn-overs, creating an airy and playful fabric. The elegant, yet edgy, knitted lace meanders like the river Seine and echoes the winding stairs of the tower. Knit your own story of determination, strength, and beauty with the Yonâh cowl!

The name of the cowl is a word play on Château (castle in French) of La Roche-Guyon, a castle near the Seine river. The main stitch pattern is called Falaises de Craie, which means chalk cliffs in French.

For best effect, use a round yarn with good stitch definition. Yarn weights ranging from Lace to Worsted would be suitable. As for colorways, I would recommend solid or semi-solid yarns, or smooth single-skein gradient.

Do you like the Yonâh cowl? You might like those patterns too: The Mettā cowl, and the Abricotine scarf. For endless fun with airy openwork and stacked yarn-overs! Check them out!

Yarn
Onion Tussah Silk (DK; 66% Merino, 34% Silk; 135 meters / 147 yards per 100 grams); 2 balls; sample uses 92 grams in color 220 Vinrød.
Or any of these alternative yarns:
Knit Picks Gloss DK (DK; 70% Merino, 30% Silk; 112 meters / 123 yards per 50 grams); 3 balls.
Madelinetosh Pashmina (Sport; 75% Merino, 15% Silk, 10% Cashmere; 329 meters / 360 yards per 115 grams); 1 skein.
Miss Babs Kunlun (DK; 70% Merino, 15% Silk, 15% Cashmere; 255 meters / 280 yards per 125 grams); 2 skeins (one might not need the 2nd skein).

Needles
4 mm (US size 6) 80 cm / 32 inches circular needle or size to obtain gauge.

Gauge
20,5 stitches and 30 rows = 10 cm / 4 inches in Stockinette stitch, unblocked.
14,5 stitches and 19 rows = 10 cm / 4 inches in stitch pattern B – Falaises de Craie, blocked.
Note: obtaining the gauge given is not crucial but will affect the finished size and the yardage needed.

Notions
Stitch markers: 1 in color A (beginning-of-round marker), 15 in color B (optional). Tapestry needle. Blocking pins. Blocking wires (optional).

Size
One; easily customizable.

Final measurements
Circumference (c): 111 cm / 43.75 inches, height (h): 39 cm / 15.25 inches, see schematic.

Skill level
Basic stitches, increases, decreases, twisted stitches. Stitch pattern requiring some attention. Patterning on all rounds. Elastic BO.
Video tutorials are provided for the stitches and techniques used (see Section Tutorials on page 6).

Pattern notes
This pattern is worked in the round. The stitch count
remains constant throughout the whole pattern. Suggestions are given to customize the pattern.
Charts and written instructions are provided as well as clear video tutorials for the used stitches and techniques.

Pattern support
For questions about this pattern, please PM me on Ravelry or send me an email. Contact details are provided.

Thank you note
I’d like to send a big thank you to my truly awesome test knitters on Ravelry: canopycraft, kallyknits. Thanks a lot for your time and dedication, for helping me make this pattern even better and for showing how the pattern would look like with different yarns!

Want to get a free cowl? Read on!

We all love knitting, right?! I certainly do! I’d like to gift you a cowl and doing so spread the love for knitting even more :-) This gift is available to everyone.

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