The Lotus Pond

Back then, moving to another country shook my own little world; the culture shock was real. At first, I tried to fight or escape the “annoyances” of my country of adoption. Years pass. Life events occur. All shaping more understanding, openness, calm and a new (internal) world order. Turmoil branched out into embracing it all, my way. From a gigantic melting pot of feelings, habits, cultural differences and quirks emerged something new and better. The Lotus Pond cowl is my metaphor for this process where something beautiful can rise out of the mud. On its own. In its own time.

A sequence of patterned brioche stripes take center stage, creating leaves and flowers opening to the sky. Light and dark colors alternate and let the patterning pop rhythmically. Let the journey begin; it is the destination!

For best effect, use a round yarn with good stitch definition. Yarn weights ranging from fingering to DK would be suitable. As for colorways, I would recommend one solid or semi-solid for the main color, and one solid, semi-solid, speckled, or gradient yarn for the contrast color. Choose two colors that have enough contrast in value (dark vs, light)

Did you always want to try out brioche knitting? Then this pattern is for you! The Lotus Pond cowl pattern comes with numerous video tutorials to learn how to work brioche in the round. And if you’d like to try more brioche knitting, be sure to check out the Humbelli cowl!

Yarns
Malabrigo Arroyo (Sport; 100% Merino; 305 meters / 335 yards per 100 grams); 1 skein MC, 1 skein CC; sample uses 59 grams in color 133 Reflecting Pool (MC) and 15 grams in color 096 Sunset (CC).

Needles
3 mm (US size 2.5) 60 cm / 24 inches circular needle or size to obtain gauge.

Gauge
17 stitches and 27.5 rows = 10 cm / 4 inches in Brioche stitch, unblocked.
12.5 stitches and 18 rows = 10 cm / 4 inches in stitch pattern B – Pond, 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), 3 in color B (optional). Tapestry needle. Blocking pins. Blocking wires (optional).

Size
One; easily customizable.

Final measurements
Circumference (c): 70 cm / 27.5 inches, height (h): 33 cm / 13 inches.

Skill level
Basic stitches. Brioche basic stitches. Brioche multiple increases and decreases. Relatively easy to memorize stitch patterns. Working in one-color and two-color Brioche in the round. Italian CO. Italian BO. Video tutorials are provided for the stitches and techniques used in the single pattern (not in the magazine pattern).

Pattern notes
This pattern is worked in the round in brioche.
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: Alison, Babs, Christine, Valeria. 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!
The Lotus Pond cowl was originally published in the magazine yarnpeople Issue 2: Brioche +. The magazine includes a DK version of the cowl worked in GamerCrafting Merino DK with two skeins in MC and one skein in CC.