In just one evening, or short road trip you can easily hand knit a cozy cowl scarf for yourself or others as a perfect gift for children, women & men. This knit cowl scarf pattern is knit in the round using a knit and purl stitch.
Learn how to knit a cowl scarf for beginners with this step by step tutorial and free pattern.
Knitting is one of those crafts that once you start one project, you complete 10 before moving onto another pattern. I absolutely love this knit cowl pattern because it’s super simple for a beginner knitter like me and has a beautiful finished result.
The best part about knitting these cowls is that the scarf is knit in the round, which means to complete the project you knit on circular needles. circular needles are in fact much easier to knit with and manage your project with than 2 needles.
The extra helpful part is once you’ve cast on and joined in the round then you just keep knitting around and around and around until you finish and never once have to switch needles and start another row like with two needles.
And the best part about this pattern is that once you’ve got the hang of it, which trust me won’t take long, then you can easily complete your project in 1 day or evening. It’s a perfect project for a gift and to complete while on a road trip or binge watching your favourite show.
So enough about why I love it, let me show you just how to knit a cowl scarf in one evening.
Cowl Knitting Pattern
DOWNLOAD the Printable PDF Version HERE
LEARN WHY CIRCULAR NEEDLES ARE EASIER TO KNIT WITH
I love knitting on circular needles for so many reasons. The most important one is there’s less of a chance I’ll loose one in the couch or the toddlers will run away with it when I’m not looking.
Circular needles can easily be used to knit lay flat projects like blankets, dishcloths, and scarves.
MORE BEGINNER CIRCULAR NEEDLE PATTERNS
Techniques:
Knit in the round on circular needles
Knit Stitch
Purl Stitch
Seed Stitch ( KPKP repeated)
Cast On
Cast Off
Weave in ends
Materials:
Yarn Weight: Aran
Yardage: 1 skien
Suggested Yarn: Honey Bee
Needle Size: US 9 {5.5mm} circular needles
Scissors
Free Cowl Knitting Pattern:
CO 55 STS {or any odd number of STS}
All rows: *K1, P1* {Seed Stitch}
{knit the purl stitches and purl the knit stitches}
Work in Seed Stitch for 1 full skein.
Leave enough yarn to bind off and sew seam.
BO in pattern.
Abbreviations:
* – * – repeat pattern
BO – bind-off in pattern
CO – cast-on {long-tail cast-on method}
K – knit stitches {K1 means to knit 1 stitch}
P – purl stitches {P1 means to purl 1 stitch}
STS – stitches
Knitted Cowl Free Pattern Notes
Start by casting on 55 stitches in the round. As a beginner knitter, I highly recommend casting on by knitting a stitch and adding that stitch to the same needle instead of transferring over to the opposite needle.
I’m a left handed knitter, and this pattern is still super easy to complete as a beginner. If you’re a new left handed knitter or are teaching a left handed person then I recommend reading this post for helpful left handed knitting tips.
Once you’ve cast on your 55 stitches, switch hands. Twist your first stitch 1 whole rotation around the needle to create a twist in the stitches. Once you’ve twisted that stitch, then join in the round.
From then, you’ll knit 1, purl 1 for approximately 20 rounds until you get to the end of the skien
This way you’re stitching, with your working needle in front, and behind back and forth back and forth.
How do you tell where you left of? I always make sure I stop on a purl stitch so I know my next stitch when I return to my work will be a knit stitch. If you can’t remember what your next stitch will be then it’s helpful to look at the pattern of your last row of stitches.
For example, because this pattern has an odd number, each row will go from top to bottom k,p,k,p etc or p,k,p,k. If you can identify when stitch was completed on the last row then you’ll know your next stitch is the opposite.
SIMPLE SEED STITCH DISHCLOTH
If you’re looking for another knitted pattern for beginners that’s super simple, quick and easy and looks more impressive than it truly is, The Simple Seed Stitch Scrubbie is just what you need.
Pin the Pattern for Later Knitting
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