Tavis

• Description
• Pattern Information
• Techniques

• Tavis is a highly unusual colourwork cowl with a tubular construction and a fascinating unique colourwork motif and can be knitted in two lengths – the longer length shown here which can be wrapped around the neck twice, or a shorter length to be worn without wrapping..

  Tavis was inspired by the unusual construction used to create Helen from The Vintage Shetland Project, a tubular scarf with panels of colourwork amidst bands of stocking stitch. I simplified this quite complex pattern and created Tavis, which just like Helen commences with a provisional cast-on and ends with a grafted seam but is knit simply in the round until being joined into a tube at the very end of the knitting.

  The colourwork pattern itself is inspired by the beautiful simplicity of the steek charts found throughout the book and in particular the very graphic steek chart of Hilda. I adapted these charts to create a colourwork pattern which creates the illusion of up to five colours in any one row, when in actuality, because of the construction method, there are never more than two colours worked in any one row.

  Tavis was designed as a complementary pattern to Steek which features the same striking motifs.

  Tavis is knitted in Byre, a soft, fingering weight blend of Jacobs and Shetland fibres resulting in a natural light grey yarn with darker grey and black heathering. Byre is spun exclusively for us at a nearby Yorkshire mill. We have hand dyed four of the five shades to create a warm, autumal palette.

  The pattern contains clear written instructions and full colour charts, plus a comprehensive schematic diagram and sizing chart.

• Yarn
  Susan Crawford Byre, (Fingering weight) 100% British wool
  (400m/436yds per 100g skein)

  1 × 100g skein each, shades Dry Stone Wall, Loam, Fence Post, Clay and Rusty Tractor

  Please note: A single 100g skein of each shade is sufficient yarn to knit both Tavis and Steek

  Suggested needles

  2 x 3mm (US 3) circular needle (100cm in length for the longer length cowl)
  2 x 3mm (US 3) circular needle (60cm in length for the shorter length cowl)

  Crochet hook: 3.5mm (US E) hook

  Gauge
  27 sts and 37 rounds = 10cm (4in) over stocking stitch and stranded colourwork knitted in the round, after blocking.
  We obtained this gauge using 3mm needles.

  Notions
  Waste yarn
  Removable stitch marker

• Provisional crochet cast-on
  Following a chart
  Stranded colourwork
  Grafting
  

Yarn kits are also available offering a considerable discount on purchasing the yarn separately.
Purchase your discounted yarn kit here