- Hour and a Half Cowl
- Cowl, U Hook, Simply Soft skein
- Close-up of stitching
At last year’s Knit and Crochet Show, I picked up one of Bagsmith’s size U/25mm crochet hooks and I’d been dying to try it ever since. The inspiration to pick it up came from having just received one of Karen Whooley’s shawl designs, which used a great color combination. I then remembered my hook and put together some of the colors of Karen’s shawl, added a fourth and brought them all home. I am not one of those super-fast crocheters, but I did want to time myself, so, using a super-simple stitch, all 4 strands of yarn held together and my oh-so-smooth hook, I made the above cowl in 90 minutes. No, actually 85 minutes. The pattern is below. Just think how many of these you could make for gift-giving – and each one different by just changing one of the 4 colors. I went in a spiral to be even more of a no-brainer, but you could make a wrap or throw just going back-and-forth. And every color I used (and, of course, more) can be found and ordered at buy.caron.com.
SKILL LEVEL: Easy
TECHNIQUE USED: Crochet
FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Cowl measures approximately 30″/76cm around x 15″/38cm high.
YARN
Caron International’s Simply Soft Party (99% Acrylic/1% Polyester; 3oz/85g, 171yds/156m):
#0004 Teal Sparkle (A): 1 skein
#0006 Purple Sparkle (B): 1 skein
Caron International’s Simply Soft (100% Acrylic; 6oz/170g, 315yds/288m):
#0011 Celestial (C): 1 skein
Caron International’s Simply Soft prints (100% Acrylic; 4oz/113g, 200yds/182m):
#0006 Oceana (D): 1 skein
CROCHET HOOK
One size US U (25mm)
ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
Stitch marker (optional)
Yarn needle
GAUGE
Gauge is not critical for this project.
STITCHES USED
Chain (ch), single crochet (sc), slip stitch (sl st)
NOTE
Piece is worked in continuous rounds (spirals). Do not join and do not turn at ends of rounds. If desired, place a marker for beginning of round and move marker up as work progresses.
COWL
With 1 strand each of A, B, C, and D held together, ch 22; join with sl st in first ch to from a ring. Take care not to twist ch.
Round 1: *Ch 1, skip next ch, sc in next ch; repeat from * around; do not join, work in continuous rounds (spiral).
Round 2: *Ch 1, sc in next ch-1 sp; repeat from * around.
Repeat Round 2 until you run out of one of the skeins of yarn. Fasten off.
FINISHING
Using yarn needle, weave in all ends. Block lightly, if desired.
Don’t you have to join the beginning and the end together–the picture looks like it’s continuous.
Yes, you do join the chain to form a circle. The pattern does say that – the explanation of the continuous rounds is just to let you know how the cowl is worked before you start.
Isee–duh, me!!!!
Adore your color combination – I would have picked the same ones myself. Got to try this! Where can I buy a size U hook? The only store near me is a Joann and I am pretty sure I haven’t seen it there. Thx!
There’s a link in the post to go to bagsmith.com where you can buy the hook. The hook is great – so smooth – but it’s not cheap. If you make a bunch of these, though, the hook will pay for itself…. But here’s the link so you don’t have to hunt for it: http://www.bagsmith.com/categories/The-BagSmith/Big-Stitch-Knitting-%26-Crochet
$32 for a crochet hook is a bit much! Love the scarf – going to see if I can crochet loose and make it with an S
Yes, it is. You might be able to find plastic ones if you do a search. I had the one I used already – but if you make a lot of these cowls and sell them or give them as gifts, the hook could pay for itself. Have fun with it!
Isnt the U hook the same as a Tunisian Hook? It looks the same…thx
No, it’s just a very large standard hook. Tunisian hooks are usually much longer. Check the photo of the skein of Simply Soft, which I put in so you could see the proportions of both the cowl stitches and the size of the hook. It’s made of wood but it’s so smooth, there is no issue at all with its weight.
I have started this cowl over 5 times. Obviously, I have misunderstood this pattern. Does this end up with 22 stitches/chains or should it be increasing? Since I now have an investment ($) in this and my daughter -in-law wants this foe Christmas, I want to get it right! In round 2, should I be doing a sc in every chain or does it end up being every other, so there is no increase in stitches.
So frustrated! Not even close to your nice, even pattern.
On round one, you should have made a sc in every other ch (So the row is sc, ch1, sc, ch1…). On row 2, you are making a sc in every ch1 sp (so no increase in st). In this illustration below, o represents ch and x represents sc.
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The one in the picture looks like it was twisted, is that true? Also, I started my cowl and with the 22 starting stitches would not be able to put it over my head. Love the pattern and plan on making a few, any help would be appreciated. Thanks!
The cowl is just a tube, not twisted, and is not a moebius shape. Be sure to chain loosely, use the hook size given (yes, it’s huge) and all 4 strands of yarn. Be sure that the stitches are formed around the full circumference of the hook and not just around the narrower section just above the hook. The cowl is plenty large enough around, so perhaps you crochet very tightly? Hope this helps.
In response to Kari Holloway, I had the same problem. I made the recommended number of chains and it was no where near 30″, so I just chained however many chains I needed to get 30″, making sure the total was an even number. I finished it this morning and love it, it’s thick and snuggly, and I love the colors. Good luck!
Everyone crochets at a different tension, and, depending on if you are using the same hook and the same yarn (and number of strands), you could get a different finished size. So, it’s whatever works for you. Glad this worked out for you, Patty.
I know it has been awhile but I want to use aran weight yarn. Should I drop to say 3 strands?
I tried this using an S 19mm hook and it’s took hours. It doesn’t sit very nice when you put it on either.. so disappointed. I was so frustrated I bought the U hook for $36! This better work out..
Do you end up with 11 sc and 11 ch1s in the first round. I have done this and its not near big enough.
Hi! I just found this on Pinterest, and I’m new to crocheting. I tried this, and I agree with some others that a chain of 22 wasn’t big enough to put over my head. I ended up with a chain of 40. I also had a question about it. I’m not sure if I did something wrong, or if maybe it was the yarn I used (it was super soft) but my finished product curls up on the ends. A lot! lol I actually love it that way, and I’m gonna keep it, but I was wondering if maybe anyone knew why it may have done that? Thanks!!
If you don’t want to invest in a U hook, could this pattern be done with a smaller (but still large) hook and 3 strands of yarn instead of 4?
Hi Ruth,
You can always swatch and make sure you like the drape of the new fabric, but that should work just fine! Make sure you cast on more stitches if you want it to be the same size.
Found a U Hook on Etsy, used 4 strands of Caron Simply Soft, and mine is no where near 30″ and I even used 30 chains to start. How long should the first chain actually be to get this the size that’s in the photo?
Just counting the stitches in the photo, I can tell it’s about double the 22 that’s called for in the pattern.
I love this but where in the devil do I find a 25mm hook?
Found it!!!!! Thanks anyway!
I would love to try this. I have a Q size hook that I will try. After reading all these comments, I’ll make sure my chain measures 30″ before I connect! Wish me luck!
Is there any way to make this as a scarf and not a cowl?
You could make it lengthwise, but you would need it to be much longer in order to be a scarf. It could require more yarn.
I can’t find the yarn in all the colors that are listed. Where do I find them?
Hi Linda,
You can get them all from our online store:
Celestial
Oceana
Teal Sparkle and Purple Sparkle
[...] You can find the pattern and instructions here [...]