Winter Hellebore is a coordinating colorwork hat and cowl set inspired by the hellebore flower, one of the first blooms to appear in late winter. The repeating floral motif shows off contrast colorwork beautifully.

Both the hat and cowl are worked in the round from a provisional cast on. The hat features a single motif repeat on a folded brim, while the cowl's motif gradually shrinks so the background color becomes more prominent across the fabric. The cowl is joined to the cast on edge using kitchener stitch for a seamless finish.

Design Details

The motif is charted and repeats predictably, making it a great first colorwork project while still staying engaging to knit. The folded brim on the hat adds warmth and structure, and the cowl’s continuous tube construction allows it to be worn long or doubled.

Pattern Highlights

• Coordinating set designed to be worn together or separately

• Floral stranded colorwork motif with clear repeats

• Folded brim hat for a comfortable fit around the ears

• Seamless cowl joined with Kitchener stitch

Construction Overview

Both pieces begin with a provisional cast on and are worked in the round.

The hat works one repeat of the Hellebore motif across a folded brim, then transitions to stockinette for the crown shaping.

The cowl repeats the Hellebore motif while gradually reducing the motif prominence, allowing more of the background color to show. After knitting to length, the live stitches are joined to the cast on edge using Kitchener stitch.

Yarn Notes

We knit our samples in Less Traveled Yarn Concorde Singles, a fingering weight superwash merino that gives clear stitch definition for the colorwork motif while still creating a soft, flexible fabric.

The yarn balances structure and comfort nicely, so the stranded stitches stay crisp and readable but the hat and cowl remain comfortable to wear. Any fingering weight yarn with good stitch definition will work well for this pattern.

Fiber: 100% superwash merino

Weight: Fingering

Needles & Gauge

US 2 (2.75 mm) circular or DPNs — hat brim

US 4 (3.5 mm) circular or DPNs — hat body and cowl

Gauge (knit in the round, blocked)

Hat Brim: 28 sts x 36 rows = 4" in colorwork on US 2

Hat Body: 26 sts x 34 rows = 4" in stockinette on US 4

Cowl: 26 sts x 28 rows = 4" in colorwork on US 4

Finished Measurements

Small Hat

Fits 21–22" head

Blocks to approx. 10" wide x 9.5" deep

Large Hat

Fits 23–24" head

Blocks to approx. 11" wide x 10" deep

Cowl

Approx. 8" wide x 26" circumference

Yardage Requirements

Hat

MC: 220–250 yards (200–230 m)

CC: 40–70 yards (36–64 m)

Cowl

MC: 300 yards (275 m)

CC: 220 yards (200 m)

Let’s Knit Together

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