Just one skein of yarn, a few hours of knitting, and a quick seam! Free pattern + free video tutorial.
Size: approximately 40” long (before seaming into a moebius) and 7” wide
Needles: Size 15 US, 24” or 32” circulars
Yarn: One skein of Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick and Quick (a super bulky weight yarn), 106 yards (The colors I used were Cranberry and Charcoal)
Additional Materials: tapestry needle for weaving in ends and seaming
Gauge: 2.5 stitches per inch in stockinette
This pattern is a FREE RAVELRY DOWNLOAD, and the video can be viewed at the bottom of this post. (There are also links to the three parts of the video in the pattern.)
I am getting many questions about modifying this pattern. It’s a simple pattern and easy to modify. Here are some guidelines:
You can use any yarn/needle combination you like. To knit the pattern as written, you will need to find a yarn/needle combination that gives you 2.5 stitches per inch. (You can also get gauge by holding more than one strand of thinner yarn together.) If you would like to use a different gauge, you can knit a swatch, measure your stitches per inch, then determine how many you will need to cast-on to get 40″ total length. Remember, you will need to cast on a multiple of 4, plus 2 extra stitches for the seam.
If you use a different yarn weight and gauge, here is how you can determine the yardage you will need. Start with a full skein/ball of yarn, and measure that on a kitchen scale. Knit the first 5 rows of the pattern, and measure the yarn again. Subtract the weight of the used skein from the weight of the full skein. This number is 1/4 of the number of grams/ounces you will need to finish the cowl. If your gauge is considerably smaller and you’d like to work more than 20 rows, you will need to double the weight of the first 5 rows, then multiply it by as many 10 row repeats as you’d like to work.
Hi Stacy,
Do you think I could use a different stich for this?
Maybe one of the fancy combo stiches here?
https://verypink.com/category/combos/
Is any of them suitable for a cowl like this?
Thanks!
Aliki – you would need to test knit it for yourself, I can’t really answer that off the top of my head. This stitch was chosen because it looks good on both sides, it lies flat, and the stitch combo made a gauge in this yarn that worked for the overall look and plushy-ness of the cowl.
Good luck!
S t a c i
Staci, Excellent pattern, Made it in one night for my daughter.
Hi Staci,
I’m a new knitter. I knitted this cowl and it is a bit short for my liking. Could I knit this same pattern in the opposite direction by casting on 18 stitches and knitting to my desired length?
I love your site and tutorials! Thanks so much…
Hi Staci, I’m new to knitting but I thought I would try this scarf. I have a question regarding this pattern. This pattern says to repeat the stitches that have ** around it until you get to the last 5 stitches. When you start the second row do you just knit just what’ts in ** until you get to the last 5 stitches? Thank you, Barbara
Thank you so much, this turned out beautifully and it was so fast. Thank you also for sharing how you stitched the seam, it looks great. Your detailed instruction really remove unnecessary frustrations and guesswork from the project.
I want to make a flat, straight basket weave scarf. I found this scarf of yours on YouTube. Once I’m better at this, I’ll make your scarf, it’s lovely. For now, I’m doing 28 stitches, changing every 4 (knit/purl).
My problem is, my stitches all look the same. There is a pattern developing and it’s clear where I change stitches, but that’s all. I pay close attention, and know that I change stitches, but the ones that look like a chain (purl ?), only happen once in awhile. Most are the bump type of stitch. I watched you knit/purl, and many others, and feel I’m doing the same thing. Any idea what I’m doing wrong?
Well duh. I watched yet another video and figured out my mistake. I’d delete this if I could, but just know that the problem was solved. Thank you.
Thanks for the patter(s) & video(s)..
Hi Staci,
Thank you so much for this great pattern. I just finished knitting it using the yarn you suggested and the size 15 needles. When I was done I measured the length (before seaming) and it was approximately 36 inches instead of the 40 inches I was expecting from the pattern description. My question is this: if you cast on 90 stitches and have a gauge of 2.5 stitches per inch, wouldn’t the final length be 90 / 2.5 which is 36 inches? Does the 40″ inch length come from blocking and steaming? I apologize in advance if this is a stupid question. I am a beginner.
Kathy – yes, you will want to wash and block the cowl to get the finished measurements.
S t a c i
Love the scarf and the video. I made this scarf and I get so many compliments. Can you convert the instructions to crochet with chunky yarn? I would like to teach my mother how to make this scarf but she only crochets.
Thanks!
Linda
I followed the pattern and cast on 90 stitches, I didn’t realise that this means that you don’t get opposite knit and purl at the ends of the rows so when I do the join I’m going to get 9 stitch blocks.
Hi Staci. Thanks for this pattern.
I was wondering – how do you wrap the finished cowl to look like your picture?
Is it twisted? Tucked?
Thanks
Miki