This is a free crochet pattern for a quick, easy jumbo crochet cowl that’s super warm and totally stylish. It’s a basic wardrobe piece; you can dress it either up or down, depending where you want to go. This cowl would look fantastic with tailored career wear including pants suits, skirt suits or dresses. It would also be ideal to pair with casual wear: jeans, khakis, slacks or trousers. It’ll look great with all kinds of outerwear, from raincoats to casual jackets to dressy coats.
I’m planning on wearing my cowl with my outdoor gear. Here you can see me dressed in the cowl plus my Ice Rider snowmobiling bib and a wool sweater. I don’t know how to ride a snowmobile, but I spend a lot of time aboard a sailboat, and I wear the Ice Rider when I have to do night watches in the cold.
This cowl would make a fabulous addition to anybody’s cold-weather gear; wool is ideal for wearing in snow, ice, rain or other situations when you’re likely to get splashed with water. The wool retains warmth even when it’s wet, unlike other fibers such as cotton.
This is now the thickest, warmest scarf I own.
Skill Level: Easy
This crochet cowl is made using basic crochet stitches, and it’s easy enough for confident beginners who have practiced the half double crochet, chain stitch and slip stitch to the point of mastery.
Materials You’ll Need to Crochet this Cowl:
You’ll need a jumbo weight yarn to crochet this cowl pattern. Originally, the suggested yarn for this pattern was Super Tuff Puff by Knitpicks, which is a hefty jumbo weight wool yarn that is heavier than bulky, chunky or super bulky weight yarns. You might already be familiar with Tuff Puff by Knitpicks; Tuff Puff is a bulky weight yarn, and Super Tuff Puff yarn is was a trendier version that’s even bulkier. This yarn has now been discontinued.
I am planning to re-work this pattern using Cascade’s Magnum yarn, which is a much softer and more luxurious yarn. The yarns are similar but not totally comparable, so I am not sure if the pattern will need tweaking to make it work out. You can try it if you like or substitute any comparable jumbo-weight yarn.
If you have Super Tuff Puff stashed and you want to use it to make this cowl, the following pattern note applies: In theory, this is a one-skein pattern. However, you may wish to buy two skeins; if you want to make a gauge swatch, you’ll either need the second skein or you’ll have to unravel and re-use the yarn from your gauge swatch. Also, if your gauge is just a little bit off, you risk running out of yarn. I used the entire skein of yarn to make the sample cowl.
Crochet Hook: I used a 8.0 mm Boye crochet hook to make my sample cowl. Boye labels this as an “L” hook, but I recommend checking the size in mm because standards vary between manufacturers, particularly with the labeling on extra large crochet hooks like these. You may need to use a different crochet hook size to achieve the correct gauge for this pattern.
Gauge:
15 sts = about 8 inches.
3 rows = about 3.5 inches.
Finished Crochet Cowl Measurements:
- The cowl measures 41 inches in circumference when laid flat and measured around the outside of the piece.
- It measures about 20.5 inches wide when laid flat.
- It measures about 3.5 inches high.
Abbreviations Used in This Pattern:
- BLO = back loop only
- ch = chain
- hdc = half double crochet
- rep = repeat
- sl st = slip stitch
- st = stitch
Design Notes:
Ordinarily, I’d suggest using a tapestry needle for weaving in your ends when you are finished crocheting a project. In this case, you might not have a tapestry needle that’s large enough for using with this yarn. No worries; I was able to weave my ends in securely and invisibly with the same crochet hook I used for crocheting the cowl.
Crochet Cowl Instructions:
ch 77. sl st into the first ch in the round to form a ring, being careful not to twist the chain.
Round 1: ch 3; this counts as 1 hdc plus 1 ch st, now and throughout.
Work in back bumps of your ch sts. Skip next ch, *hdc in BLO of next ch, ch 1, skip next ch.* Rep the sequence of instructions between *s all the way around. At the end of the round, sl st in 2nd ch of the round to join the end of the round to the beginning.
Round 2: sl st in next ch-1 space, ch 3, *hdc in BLO of next hdc, ch 1, skip ch-1 space.* Rep the instructions between *s all the way around. At the end of the round, sl st in 2nd ch of the round to join the end of the round to the beginning.
Round 3: Rep row 2.
End off. Weave in loose ends. That was quick and easy, wasn’t it?
Enjoy your new cowl!
Related Resources:
- Our picks for the best crochet scarf pattern books
- Easy, Basic Crochet Scarf Pattern for Beginners
- Crochet Scarf Patterns
- Crochet Cowl Patterns by Sharon Silverman
Posted By: Amy Solovay
This page was last updated on 7-22-2023.
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