How to Knit a Cowl {EASY!}

Do you adore the look of cables?  Wondering how easy it is to make a round knit cable cowl for your neck?  If you have never knit something ‘in the round’, you may be intimidated by the process.  Have no fear!  Today I will show you how to knit a cowl in the round, and it is EASY! Keep reading for this simple cabled cowl knitting pattern.  The stitches are repetitive, so I know you will get the hang of them! 

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FREE KNIT COWL PATTERN

How do you knit a cowl in the round?

When knitting in the round using a circular needle, the stitches are joined to make a circle.  This happens right after you cast on the initial stitches, as you begin the first Round.  (You will be working in ‘rounds‘ instead of back-and-forth ‘rows’). Rather than stitching on needles back and forth, alternating between Right Side (RS) and Wrong Side (WS) facing you, the RS will always face you as continuously stitch around.

This knit cowl is straightforward to knit once you join the first round and get the hang of the cable stitches.  After 2 rounds of knit1, purl 1 ribbing, six rounds of cable pattern stitches are simply repeated around the cowl. Lastly, you’ll finish with 2 more rounds of ribbing.

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

Supplies

• Size 13 (9.0 mm) CIRCULAR KNITTING NEEDLES, 24” length
• approx. 85 yards of Bulky weight (size 5) yarn to make 1 cowl.   I used Charisma acrylic yarn by Loops & Threads in color ‘Mist’ (found at Michael’s craft store).
• cable needle
• stitch marker (SM)  (I just used a piece of contrasting yarn as a marker)
• scissors, tapestry needle
• optional – LEATHER TAG to indicate HANDMADE by you!

Abbreviations

K – knit stitch                                                           P – purl stitch

Sts – stitches                                                            Rep – Repeat

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

[ ] – repeat pattern inside brackets                      

PATTERN INFORMATION

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

• but you can also get the ad-free, printable pdf pattern for both the COWL AND COORDINATING FINGERLESS MITTENS as part of a bundle in the ETSY SHOP!  The pdf has step-by-step tutorial photos included.

NOTES: You will be knitting the cowl in the round with a circular needle, joining the stitches in the first round.   The Right Side (RS) will always be facing you as you knit.  The cowl is knit from the bottom up.

The finished cowl measures approximately 26″ circumference by 6.5” width. The cable stitches will appear vertically around the cowl, while the ribbing will appear at the top & bottom.

You can expect the cable knit cowl to take about 2.5 hours total to knit.  It is a great idea to time yourself knitting Rounds 3-8 and estimate your finished time from there.

Special Knitting Stitches:

C6F – “cable 6 front” – slip next 3 sts onto the cable needle and hold at front of work, knit next 3 sts from left hand needle, then knit 3 sts from cable needle.

CHUNKY KNIT COWL PATTERN

Gauge: 4″ x 4″ = 14 rows by 12 sts

How many stitches do I cast on for a cowl?

Beginning with the size 13 circular knitting needles, cast on 77 sts with the size 5 yarn.  This will ensure a roomy 26” circumference for your cowl. 

{Joining in the Round}

Place a stitch marker (SM) after the last stitch you casted on.  This will help you to count each round going forward.  In each subsequent round, simply slide the SM to the other needle. (I just used a piece of white yarn as my stitch marker)

At this point, your ‘right-hand’ needle holds the last st casted on, while the ‘left-hand’ needle holds the first st casted on.

Next, being careful that the stitches on your circular needle are not twisted, join the last st casted on with the first st in round by knitting the first st. 

(a photo of this initial join is provided in the pdf file on Etsy)

Cowl Ribbing – Bottom

Rounds 1-2: K1, p1 around until last st. K last st. 

Cowl – Main Cable Pattern

{Can you knit cables in the round? – Yes!  Knitting cables in the round is no different than knitting them straight.  Simply place the designated stitches on a cable needle as you follow the pattern.}

Rounds 3-4: [P5, k6] seven times.

Round 5: [P5, c6f] seven times.

(photos of these cable stitches are provided in the pdf file on Etsy)

Rounds 6-8: [P5, k6] seven times.

Rounds 9-20: Repeat Rows 3-8 twice.

After round 20, the cowl will look like this:

Cowl Ribbing – Top

Rounds 21-22: K1, p1 around until last st.  K last st.

Remove SM.

Bind off knitwise.

Weave in ends, being sure to join the top round of the cowl:

Optional – add a ‘Handmade’ tag

If you wish to add a tag to indicate that your gorgeous cowl was handmade, feel free to add a sweet ‘handmade’ tag to the cowl.

Simply sew on the leather tag with coordinating thread.

Important Tips for Knitting your Cowl

Some things to keep in mind as you knit the cable cowl are:

• Make sure your stitches are not twisted when you first join in the round after casting on stitches.
• Use a Stitch Marker (SM) to keep track of each round
• The Right Side (RS) is always facing you as you knit each round.
• Feel free to add more ribbing rounds (see Round 1) to the top and bottom of your cowl if you would like a higher cowl.

How to wear your chunky knit cowl

To wear your finished cable knit cowl, just pull it over your head and let it rest on your shoulders.  If you added an embellished leather tag, be sure to showcase it in the front. 

I just adore the cable stitching along the cowl and on the coordinating fingerless mittens…

I hope you enjoyed this cowl knitting pattern (FREE!).  Once you get rounds 3-8 down, the project will become repetitive and simple.  I know you can handle the cable stitches and knitting in the round if you are a beginner.  This is a perfect project to practice those skills on, as it isn’t too complicated. 

Don’t forget that the cable cowl knitting pattern is also available in a pdf pattern bundle with the coordinating fingerless mittens.  The cable stitches are the star of the mitts, too!  Grab the COWL AND MITTS BUNDLE in my Etsy shop.

Love cowls? Check out these other cowl knitting patterns…

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