Free Lace Knit Cowl Knitting Pattern

Looking for a pretty cowl to wear this season? Perhaps a lace knit cowl that’s easy to knit? Recently I fell for a skein of soft pink yarn (at the Dollar Store no less!) and used it for a simple lace knit cowl. The stitches were repetitive, so that made it easy to knit while I had some free time here and there. Those are the best types of knitting patterns – ones that become familiar from repetition, and ones that don’t take too long. You are in luck, because I have the exact pattern for this knit cowl for you today. BONUS – it is a one skein cowl pattern. It will be your go-to cowl for early spring or fall! 

Keep reading to find all of the supplies, knit stitch terms, and pattern steps.

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Lace Knit Cowl Pattern

You will need the following supplies to make the lace knit cowl:

Supplies

• Size 10 (6.0 mm) knitting needles
• approx. 100 yards of Medium weight (size 4) yarn to make 1 cowl.  I used Premier JUST YARN worsted in color Light Pink (Blush Pink).
• 2 wood buttons (optional) and complimentary thread
• scissors, yarn needle

Abbreviations

K – knit stitch                                                          

P – purl stitch

Sts – stitches

RS – Right Side (side that faces you when finished)  

Rep – Repeat           

PATTERN INFORMATION

The free pattern for the lace knit cowl is provided below.

• but you can also get the ad-free, printable pdf patterns for both the cowl and coordinating mitts as part of a bundle in the ETSY SHOP!  The pdf patterns have tutorial photos included.

How to Knit a Lace Cowl

The lace cowl will be knit straight in rows, in a repetitive four-row pattern. 

NOTES: First you will be knitting the cowl as a long rectangle to start, then joining the ends to form the cowl circle.   It is strongly recommended that you count the stitches on your needle after Rows 1 and 3 (and all repeats of these rows).  You want to make sure you did not add or lose stitches.

Special Knitting Terms to Know:

K2tog – knit 2 stitches together

Yo – yarn over (wrap yarn over right needle)

Sk2po – slip 1 stitch knitwise, knit 2 sts together, pass slipped st over

Skpo – slip 1 stitch knitwise, knit 1 st, pass slipped st over

Lace Knit Cowl Pattern

GAUGE: 4″ x 4″ = 21 rows by 18 sts

Knit Cowl Rectangle

Beginning with the Size 10 knitting needles, cast on 23 stitches loosely with your YARN, leaving approximately 10″ tail.

Pattern Rows to repeat :

Row 1 (RS): K2, *yo, sk2po, yo, k1; rep from * to last st, k1.

Row 2: Purl.

Row 3: K1, k2tog, yo, k1, *yo, sk2po, yo, k1; rep from * to last 3 sts, yo, skpo, k1.

Row 4: Purl.

Repeat Rows 1-4 for a total of 156 rows to measure approximately 30″.

You can expect the cowl rectangle to take about 6-7 hours to knit.  It is a great idea to time yourself knitting Rows 1-4 and estimate your finished time from there.

(Looking for more tips on TIME? Learn how to estimate, find, and save time with THIS KNIT & CROCHET PLANNER)

Bind off.

Finish the Lace Cowl

The last steps you will take are to seam up the edges of the cowl, then add embellishments.

The cowl will measure approximately 30″ long by 5” wide when the rectangle is knitted. Once the cowl is seamed together, it measures approximately 24” circumference.

Join Cowl Short Ends

Next, align your original Row 1 edge with the side of the finished end of your rectangle.

Then join these pieces with a simple seam along the length of Row 1. I used a tapestry needle & the tail from Row 1 to sew this seam.

Lastly, weave in loose yarns with the tapestry needle.

Attach Wood Buttons

Optionally, you can attach wood buttons to the seam of the cowl by sewing them on using complementary thread. Now you’ve got a finished simple cowl with a beautiful texture!

Wear your Lace Knit Cowl

Simply pull the cowl over your head to wear.

The wooden buttons add just the right touch.

I designed this early fall cowl knitting pattern to coordinate specifically with these pretty lace mitts:

The soft pink color is perfect for Indian summer and early fall, when the air gets crisp but a heavy cowl is not yet required. 

Grab the pdf pattern bundle for BOTH the LACE COWL and MITTS in my Etsy shop!  You will receive step-by-step instructions and helpful photos in the pdf files.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial on how to knit a lace cowl.  Send me pics if you make one! 

Looking for more knit scarf or cowl ideas? Check out this FOREST GREEN KNIT COWL or this CHUNKY CABLE KNIT SCARF.

Remember to pin the knitted lace cowl for later….