Uisneach Cowl Pattern

There is an old Irish legend (which are really almost indistinguishable from the actual history, once you go back far enough) about “Deirdre of the Sorrows”. She is said to have been a stunningly beautiful woman, who was meant to marry one Irish king against her will, but instead ran away with her true love and his brothers, known as the sons of Uisneach.
(We won’t go too much into her fate, but with her name, you might be able to imagine what happened to her).

Mazes have been created by the Celtic inhabitants of Ireland centuries ago to calm the spirit. You can still find them in several locations across the island, where walking the lines is used as a type of meditation. The Hill of Uisneach was the spiritual center of Ireland and I am sure even though no mazes survive, that there was at least one there.
The maze patterns on this cowl are my interpretation of these ancient mazes. The mosaic knitting technique, together with the Merino Singles result in a wonderfully soft, yet warm fabric.

Difficulty
Intermediate, or adventurous beginner

Sizes
This cowl comes in one size which sits close, but not too close, to the neck. The pattern can easily be adapted for a different circumference by working a greater or lesser number of repeats. Just make sure the number of stitches you cast on is a multiple of 26 and you’re good to go.

Yarn
Single ply, Fingering weight 100% Merino
Colour A: approx. 170m/ 186 yards
Colour B: approx. 130m/ 142 yards

Sample worked in Malabrigo Mechita (384m/420 yards per 100 grams) in colourways 412 - Teal Feather (Colour A) and 83 - Water Green (Colour B)

Needles
3.5 mm (US size 4) circular needle, or size required to match the gauge
2.5 mm (US size 1.5) circular needle, or size 1mm smaller than the gauge needle size

Notions
Stitch Marker (One to mark the end of a round, optionally six more to place between pattern repeats)
Darning Needle

Gauge
27 sts x 51 rows = 10cm/4in worked in mosaic pattern in the round
Take the time to check your gauge, as differences will affect the size of the finished cowl as well as the yardage required.

This pattern has been professionally edited and tested. Upon payment you will receive a PDF document with the knitting pattern.