Anyone who knows me well knows that I love, love, love, my Mom. She’s truly my inspiration, my support, and my best friend. I wanted to make her something to thank her for everything she is to me, so I made her a big, comfy red cowl / endless scarf. She loves wearing red, and she often gets chilly, so I thought this would be the perfect cowl. The pattern is below, although keep in mind that if I were going to make this again, I would make it slightly longer, so that there’s more room when wrapped twice.
Supplies:
- 3-4 skeins of Lion Brand Yarn’s Alpine Wool (I used the color “Chili”, 3 oz size skeins). I used 3 skeins, but if I made this again, I would use 4 and make the cowl longer. I picked up this yarn from my local A.C. Moore.
- Size 13US knitting needles
- Darning needle
Instructions:
-Cast on 47 stitches
-Work entire piece in the brioche stitch. (You can learn the brioche stitch online here), or follow these directions: Bring the yarn from the back to the front of the work. Slip the first stitch purl-wise. Knit the next two stitches together. Repeat until the end of the row, and repeat this row until you run out of yarn, or if the length is double the desired width of the cowl. Mine was about 36 inches in length when I finished, which created a fairly tight cowl when looped twice. If you’d like yours to be looser around the neck when looped twice, simply create a longer rectangle. Bind off, leaving a generously long tail to use for stitching the ends together.
Using the long tail that was left after you binded off, fold your rectangle in half, and use a darning needle to stitch the two sides together, creating the cowl. Weave all ends in, and voila — your cowl is complete!
*Hint: If you finish your cowl and it feels a little too tight when wrapped twice around the neck (like mine did!), try stretching your cowl out a bit, by leaving the cowl stretched around a wide chair back, or around a box, etc.
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thanks for sharing this – I love the color! Keep posting!
Loved the scarf. Also think you are an interesting person. Am anxious to try some of your recipes for the grandsons. My daughter is about as organic as you can get. She is a dentist and made all the infant food from scratch even though she has a full time office of her own. Energy abound. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much, JoAnn! Can’t wait to post more recipes soon
Very nice. I’ve been wanting to knit something using the brioche stitch and now I have the perfect pattern. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks! I love the brioche stitch, hope your cowl comes out great!
Thanks so much, Patricia!
I love this pattern! I would like to start it tonight!
For the brioche stitch do you start every row the same being that it is an odd number of stitches? So does every row start: Slip the first stitch purl-wise Knit the next two stitches together and continue on in that pattern?
I have been looking online and haven’t found much… also I was wondering if the first row is knitted or if it just starts right in the pattern. From what I have found I also understand that your yarn is always in the front even when you knit the next two stitches together you are doing that with the yarn in front. Am I correct?
I am really excited to start this scarf for a friend and this info would help me a great deal! Thank you!
Hi Danielle!
Hopefully I’m understanding your questions right –
1. Yes, start every row the same. Bring yarn to front, slip stitch purlwise, and knit 2 together.
2. In terms of the first row, I just start knitting the brioche stitch right away. I’ve heard of people knitting the first full row, so it’s probably fine, but I’ve never tried it personally.
3. Yes, your yarn will be in front even when you’re knitting the two stitches together. It will “end up” in the back after you knit them together, but you’ll bring it forward right after.
Hope this helps!
All my best
You are amazing. Is there anything you can’t do? You bake you cook you knit you work full time. I hope my son meets someone like you. You would make. Great daughter-in-law. Keep knitting
Haha, aww! Thanks!
This is my next project, I will try with 4 skeins as you suggest to make it longer, cowls are such the “in” thing!!!
hello, first off, lovely pattern, thank you so much for sharing! when i stumbled across your blog and saw this pattern, i immediately went out to buy yarn to get started on this project. i’ve never done brioche stitch before because it intimidated me, but your instructions sounded much easier than any other brioche pattern i’d come across. i just casted on and started working the pattern as you said. yarn in front, slip purl wise and knit two together til the end of the row. you said to continue with that same pattern every row until you run out of yarn, but i’ve only worked a few rows and i am already down to 15 stitches. the video shows a different method of the brioche stitch (the one i’d seen originally when i first started knitting that frightened me, lol) and i’m just wondering if you accidently made some type of error in your written instructions or am i doing something wrong? if you slip purl wise and knit two together for every single row, soon you will be out of stitches, cause you’d be decreasing with each knit 2 together, no? sorry if this is a silly question.
oh god, please ignore that comment. i just realized what i did wrong. i’m so embarrassed :-\
No worries
Can this stitch be done in the round?
Hi! It can be done in the round, but the stripes will go the opposite way. Thanks!
My granddaughter sent me your website and asked if I would make this scarf for her. I love to knit things that they really would like and I think it’s a great looking scarf, too. My only question is that sometime 100% wool can be pretty warm. Do you know or has anyone make it with a blend instead of all wool? Sometime changing the yarn can result in it not laying quite the same. I’m not experienced enough to know for sure.
Hi there! I sometimes don’t like wearing wool myself, because it can be a little itchy. I think this pattern would still look nice with a blend! Just make sure you’re using something with a similar weight. Good luck!!
Hey this is so awesome! I was wondering though, do I have to use that type of knitting needle where they’re connected? Or can I use the stick ones that are separated . . .
-Austi
Hi Austi! You can use either, really, but I find the circulars more comfortable and easier to keep all the stitches on
Thanks and good luck!
I’m sorry to sound a bit dense, but this looks like you knitted it on straight needles. I thought you didn’t have to join when knitting circular. I would love to knit this and have never knitted with circulars before so apologies if I’ve misunderstood your directions! It looks lovely!
Hi there! I did knit this “like” straight needles, but just used circulars because I think they are easier to hold all the stitches. Thanks!
This is beautiful… I am going to try this. However, did you really use a US 13 needle with that yarn? I tried it and the loops are HUGE… the workpiece gets way to “airy”, when I do it.
Hmm, I did use a 13US needle, but mine wasn’t airy. Sorry, not sure what’s going on with yours!
I was wondering if it would be possible to join this so that you are knitting in the round? Or circle, new at knitting so don’t have all the terms right. I have knitted a large cowl using the circular needles and it was joined t the beginning, it was done with a seed stitch.
Thanks
Hi there! As far as I know, if you were to knit the brioche stitch in the round, the stripes would be going the opposite way as when you knit it straight across. It would probably still be beautiful, but would just look a little different
Good luck!!
I love this scarf! I started making one myself, but I was wondering… how should I bind off? Any tips would be appreciated!
Thanks so much! I just used the normal bind-off for this cowl. If you finish the project, please do post a photo on our facebook! https://www.facebook.com/knitandbake Would love to see it!
LOVE! looking for a Cowl pattern like this forever! thank you so much for putting it up!
So glad you like it!! If you make it, please do post a photo of your finished work on our facebook
https://www.facebook.com/knitandbake
This is absolutely beautiful. I have made three of these cowls now, all as birthday and christmas gifts and regardless of the yarn I use, they all turn out elegantly and get rave reviews. Thank you for posting these patterns – and for free nonetheless! Keep up the beautiful work!