White Caps Cowl
My mom lives an urban life in a landlocked city, but I’ve always felt she belongs in a small town by the water. It’s so easy to picture her hopping on a boat or walking along the shore, her salt and pepper hair mussed by the sea air, her sneakers tattered, her jeans old and worn, but her sweater a chic slip of linen or cashmere.
Have you ever known someone who so throughly embodies a duality that you can hardly describe her? That’s how I feel about my mom, but one thing I can say for sure is that my mother’s elegance depends on her rustic nature. You’d never see her in make-up, but that is precisely what makes her beautiful. Whether I knew it or not, when I started this cowl, I was knitting with her in mind. It, like she, pairs unlikely opposites that together create a one-of-a-kind amalgam, radiant with depth and beauty!
I knit this cowl primarily with Habu’s thick-and-thin Cotton Nerimaki Slub. It creates a decadent, cloud-like fabric that is both hearty and ethereal. And set against the cotton are thin stripes of Alchemy’s Silken Straw, a meticulous, flat silk ribbon with a crisp finish and pearly shine. Together, these yarns form a graceful and surprising union, each complementing the other!
We named this the White Caps Cowl because the cotton captures the feeling of frothy caps on ocean waves while the silk shimmers amidst the cowl’s folds and drapes, like light dancing across the sea’s surface. To add some duality to your life, you can get the full pattern for the White Caps Cowl here! -Laura
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Laura Ferguson.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, and #PurlSohoWhiteCapsCowl. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
To knit your very own White Caps Cowl, you will need…
- Contrast Color (CC): 1 skein of Alchemy’s Silken Straw, 100% silk. Each skein is 236 yards/ 40 grams; approximately 236 yards required. This color is Platinum.
- Main Color (MC): 2 skeins of Habu’s Cotton Nerimaki Slub, 100% cotton. Each skein is 158 yards/ 24 grams; approximately 316 yards required.
- in the color Undyed.
- US 4 (3.5 mm), 16-inch circular needle
- 8 stitch markers
Gauge
32 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch using Silken Straw
Size
Finished Circumference at the Top: 17 inches
Finished Circumference at the Bottom: 23 inches
Finished Length: 21 inches
Notes
Knit the first stitch of each row (not including the first and last 6 rows) with both yarns held together. This creates a handsome faux seam that runs vertically and adds a bit of structure and also eliminates the number of tails you would have to weave in.
Pattern
Begin at the Bottom Rolled Edge
With the Contrast Color (CC), cast on 184 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place a marker and join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Knit 6 rounds.
Change to the Main Color (MC).
NOTE: Do not cut yarn. As you continue, knit the first stitch of each following round with both yarns held together.
Purl 1 round.
**With MC, knit 12 rounds.
Change to CC, knit 4 rounds.
Repeat from ** 9 more times.
Shape the Top
With MC, knit 2 rounds.
Next Round: *K23, place marker, repeat from * to end of round.
Decrease Round: *Knit to 2 stitches before next marker, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. (176 stitches)
Knit 3 rounds evenly.
Repeat Decrease Round. (168 stitches)
Knit 3 rounds evenly.
Repeat Decrease Round. (160 stitches)
With CC, knit 4 rounds.
With MC, Knit 3 rounds evenly.
Repeat Decrease Round. (152 stitches)
Knit 3 rounds evenly.
Repeat Decrease Round. (144 stitches)
Knit 3 rounds evenly.
Repeat Decrease Round, removing makers as you go. (136 stitches)
Finish with the Top Rolled Edge
Still with MC, purl one round.
NOTE: Cut the MC yarn, you will no longer be knitting the first stitch of each row with both yarns held together.
With CC, knit 6 rounds.
Bind off loosely, weave in your ends and block!
The cowl is gorgeous! Do you have any suggestion for shortening it a bit for a more petite person who might be overwhelmed by the fullness? I notice it tapers in –. Thanks!
Hi Kay,
First off, thank you. Secondly… if you'd like to shorten the cowl, rather than repeating from * 9 more times, maybe only repeat 7 or 6 more times. (That will eliminate 2 or 3 sections of the cotton and silk stripes.) After that continue to the shaping portion of the pattern and follow as usual.
Hope that helps.
Enjoy.
Laura
Hi Kay,
First off, thank you. Secondly… if you'd like to shorten the cowl, rather than repeating from * 9 more times, maybe only repeat 7 or 6 more times. (That will eliminate 2 or 3 sections of the cotton and silk stripes.) After that continue to the shaping portion of the pattern and follow as usual.
Hope that helps.
Enjoy.
Laura
Hello! This is gorgeous and I'm itching to order my yarn and get started. The only question I have is about how to adjust the sizing a bit. I have a thin neck and most cowls hang off me in a very unflattering way. If I want to keep the length but make it narrower so it would fit tighter around my neck, would I just choose a number of stitches to cast on and then proceed as the pattern states? Or is there any math involved to keep from messing up the decrease section?
As you can probably tell, I've never modified a pattern before and the mathematics of knitting are a mystery to me! Many thanks for any advice you can offer!
Best,
Kelly
Hi Kelly.
Make Sure to cast on a multiple of 8.
Then, when you reach the Shaping the Top portion of the pattern where it says:
Next Round: *K23, place marker, repeat from * to end of round.
Rather than K23, make sure to take your Cast On number and divide it by 8. Knit that number and place a marker…
I would make sure not to decrease so many times that the cowl cannot fit over your head… The circumference at the top is 17 inches. I would not go much smaller than that. In other words, if you have to eliminate the last or last couple decrease rounds, I would.
Please let me know if you have any questions as you go!
Thanks.
Laura.
Hello!
I'm 2 sections into my cowl and I absolutely love it!! It's fun working with this yarn. I was wondering if you could tell me the best way to block this piece. It has such great texture and I don't want to loose that look but I do think it needs blocking. Thanks for your help.
Kathy
Hi Laura,
Is there way to alter the pattern to be an eternity cowl? I'm making one for myself but would like to make one for my daughter as well. She is ALL about eternity cowls!
Thanks so much for the pattern,
Laura
Laura, LOVING this pattern and the yarn!!! Have you made an open version, like an infinity cowl or scarf version?
My daughter is only 10, but I'd like to make one for her-she's all about infinity cowls that drape…
thanks, Laura
PS I always rely on Purl Bee for fun and greatlooking patterns
Hi Kathy.
Great question. The Silken Straw does really well when blocked. It softens up and take on a whole new feel. I would recommend laying in flat and spritzing the cowl all over, but perhaps more heavily at the silk stripes. Once damp, gently tug at the cowl from the top and bottom and then from the sides.
You might want to do this a few times. I believe I only blocked it once. The silk will definitely soften with time and wear too.
Laura
Laura C,
Thank you so much for the kind words. I am thrilled to hear you are enjoying the project. I have not made this in a long, loop-able cowl style, but it sounds like a great idea.
Have you thought about maybe taking the idea of the cowl and knitting it flat, back and forth, like a scarf and then just grafting the ends together once you are happy with the length.
Let me know how it goes!
Laura
Hello Laura C.
Yes, there is a way. I would take the gauge per inch and desired length in inches, multiply the two together and cast on that number. I would not work the shaping portion of the cowl, but rather just work evenly, as in the first portion of the pattern.
Just for reference, here are the lengths of our infinity cowls:
– Big Herringbone Cowl is 58 inches in circumference
– Striped Cotton Cowl is 60 inches in circumference
– Gina's Brioche Cowl is 56 inches in circumference
– Fluted Cowl is 60 inches in circumference
Using those as a guide I think you'd cast on somewhere between 448 and 480 stitches.
Hope y'all enjoy your cowls!
Laura
Thank you so very much for the email notification of the yarn back in stock. I am placing my order but now you are out of the needles…US#4 16" circular(addi lace). You do have #5, would that work, as I tend to knit extremely tight or could I go #4 with 24" needles. I have not knitted with the addi lace and would like to try them.
Thanks,
Val
Hi Val-
Since you are a tight knitter it sounds like the size 5 will work even better than a size 4. Needle sizes are always just suggestions to get the proper gauge. You can use whatever size needle works for you to get the right gauge.
For instance, I am a loose knitter so I always go down a needle size (or two!)
Thanks so much for your question and good luck on the project!
Molly
Like to order.
Bessie
Hi Bessie-
To order this kit please click on the link in the Materials section or I've pasted the link below as well too:
https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/9143
If you have any questions about ordering please email customerservice AT purlsoho DOT com.
Thank you!
Molly
Hi Molly,
I just wanted to thank you for contacting me that the materials were back in stock. I ordered mine and it just arrived. The yarn is even more beautiful in person. I so look forward to getting started but first I am knitting your ribbed cowl with the Jade Sapphire Zageo 6-ply Cashmere in the new Primordial. It too is even more gorgeous than the photo. I have to tell you Purl has the best yarn I have found anywhere. I am so happy I found your website.
Thank You,
Val
Hi Val-
Thanks so much, it's our pleasure!
Molly
Hi Laura!
This is so incredibly beautiful! I was immediately drawn to it when I stumbled across it on ravelry. I just finished blocking my first rendition (with plans to make 2 more)! This cowl has spoken to me on many levels – the bumpiness of the cotton and the contrasting smoothness of the silk keep reminding me of the journey of life – the hills and valleys, the bumps and the smooth pieces. The striking combination of the two really speak to how it's the intertwining of both that make life so beautiful. This piece is very inspiring.
I'm hoping you can help me figure out how I can achieve the correct circumference at the top of the piece. I'm on gauge – 8 stitches to the inch in the silken straw at both ends, but for some reason, the top circumference is around 20" instead of 17" – even after blocking. Any suggestions? Thank you!!!
Hi Katie.
Thank you for the kind words.
Did you do the decreases as specified?
I am not sure what happened for the top circumference to measure at 20 inches. If you can provide any more details, I'd love to try and help figure it out.
Laura
Hello, In your opinion, how would colors with more contrast look? For example, slub in baby blue and silken straw in cambodia blue? Or do you think it looks better with both yarns in similar colors? Thanks.
Hi Jean,
I used similar colors because I wanted to highlight the textural differences between these two yarns. For me, that was the exploration I took with this project. Contrasting yarns would just be exploring something different. You'd be making stripes.
Laura
I have a lot of the silken straw left over from making the felt ball necklaces. What remains weighed in at 46 grams and on the site it gives the weight of the skein at 40 grams. I made 10 necklases using it. Wondering if I would have enough of the skein left to make this beautiful cowl or if the project uses every bit of the skien. Thanks!
Hi Stacy.
You will definitely have enough silk. The cowl requires far from an entire skein. I love that you're making so many of my projects. Thanks for writing in and please let us know if you have any other questions.
Laura
I would love to knit this project, the textures are beautiful. Do you know when you will have the straw silk in stock? Alternatively could you suggest another tone on tone color way in both yarns.
With gratitude,
Karen
Hi Karen.
Thank you so much for the interest in this pattern.
If you would like to be alerted as to when the Silken Straw is back in stock, please email the following email address with the yarn and color and quantity you'd like: customerservice@purlsoho.com
As for another colorway….
Silken Straw in Morning Fog or Two Rock + Cotton Slub in Brown 46-3
Silken Straw in Evening Pink + Cotton Slub in Powder 46-12
Silken Straw in Harvest Moon or Temple Gold + Orange 46-1
Silken Straw in Pale Blue Eyes + Cotton Slub in Baby Blue 46-14
Hope this helps!
Laura
Very beautiful cowl and am very excited to get started. Made my gauge swatch yesterday in the silken straw though and I'm getting much closer to the 6 stitches per inch on the #4 needles than the 8 specified in the pattern. Is it ok to just adjust the # of stitches down to my gauge (in a multiple of 8)? Or is there a need to go down to a smaller needle? Thanks!
Hi Rachel.
Yes! It is definitely ok to adjust things to make this pattern work for you. That's why we swatch!
Rather than changing the cast on number though, I would go down in needle size to match my gauge. This cowl is already so drapey, I fear that if you knit it any looser (like getting 6 stitches to the inch), it'll lose what little structure it has.
If you do decide to change the cast on number, yes, change it in multiples of 8 and be sure to adjust where you place your markers for decreasing so that you are decreasing 8 stitches spaced out evenly.
Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks.
Laura
I'm a fairly new knitter and am interested in doing this cowl project but noticed it's not listed in your beginner knits section. Do you think this would be too difficult for a beginner. I have completed two hats working in the round and I'm currently working on another of your cowl patterns. Thanks for your information!
Hi Cindy,
You can definitely do this project! It is not difficult. It's a wonderful project for anyone.
Thanks for asking and I hope you enjoy it!
Laura
I love this cowl!! Can you suggest a different slub yarn that comes in navy? I found a great navy silk, but the suggested yarn doesn't come in that color. Thanks!
Hi Nicole.
Sadly, I don't know of any other slub yarns that would work here. The navy silk sound beautiful though. Could you pair it with something like Alchemy's Haiku (https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/1025-Alchemy-Haiku). It comes in amazing shades of blue. Or Jade Sapphire's 2-Ply Cashmere (https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/614-Jade-Sapphire-2-ply-Cashmere).
Please let me know if you have any questions even if they are about yarns we don't carry. I'm so curious what you'll pair your navy silk with.
Thanks for writing in.
Laura
Hi, Could you please recommend any other yarn combination I could use to get the same look. I absolutely love the scarf but silk is very expensive. Thank you!
Hi Esther.
I'd be delighted to suggest a few other yarns…
For CC you could use:
Louet's Euroflax – https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/380-Louet-Euroflax-Originals or maybe Koigu's KPM – https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/410-Koigu-Wool-Designs-Koigu-Premium-Merino-KPM or Habu's Cotton Gima (not quite the same look, but could be very cool and interesting) – https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/1338-Habu-Textiles-Cotton-Gima
The MC is $8.50 a skein and I don't believe we have any substitutions that would be less expensive. It has a very specific look and feel which is hard to match. If you wanted, you could use Purl Soho's Line Weight – https://www.purlsoho.com/purl/products/item/9249-Purl-Soho-Line-Weight
If you have any questions about these yarns or any others you may come across… please feel free to write us back!
Thanks for writing in.
Laura
Hi, I thought I left a comment before but it is not showing up. I have had to order another skein of the cotton to finish my cowl. Any ideas why that would happen. It seems to be matching the gauge. Thanks!
Hi Leslie-
I’m so sorry to hear that! Are you using a dyed color of the cotton? Because the dyed colors come in shorter skeins than the undyed the Laura used here. Let us know so we can try to get to the bottom of it!
Molly
Hi I’d like to make the cowl twice as long and have it as a twisted neck wrap large oval
I see it goes from narrow to wide so I’d like to know if you have a pattern or could help with advice to change it
Also I’d like to add rabbit to the MC
I thought it would look so much softer and rich to the touch and look
Thoughts thanks
To add to my question
I was looking at
JOSEPH GALLER
Belangor / angora- rabbit to add
Can you tell me how much I will need
To add with the MC in the cowl
Thank you
Hi Jan.
Thanks for writing in.
To use Belangor as the MC you’d need approximately 9 skeins.
If you are doubling the width of the cowl, to make it loop around, you’d need about 18 skeins.
Let us know how it goes! This sounds incredible. And definitely let me know if you have any questions.
Laura
I was lucky enough to receive this kit for Christmas. I just finished my first round using the Habu, and it’s really giving me trouble. It broke twice (at the thick part of the yarn) and it twists like crazy. I noticed on Ravelry that others have had these problems. Any tips, especially for the twisting? I’m attempting to solve the breaking problem by just being very gentle (though I am nervous this will affect the gauge). Thanks so much…beautiful cowl!
Hi Meghan.
I’m so sorry about these things. How frustrating.
I have to admit, I also struggled with the Habu breaking on me. I didn’t go gentle on it though, instead, if it broke, I’d just take out a few stitches and reknit those stitches with the broken strand and a thin part of a new strand. The thin parts are so thin, they didn’t disrupt gauge at all.
As for the twisting, I didn’t personally experience that with this project, but I have before with others. You can hold the two working yarns up in the air and let the project dangle. The twisted yarn will propel the project to spin around, untwisting the yarn. As for avoiding it twisting all together, I would just stay away of where your skeins are while you’re knitting.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Enjoy the kit and the cowl!!
Laura
I finished making this cowl and I would like to block it but don’t know how to do it. Can you provide some instructions please? Thanks.
Hi Zehra.
Great question.
While I typically steam block things, for this project, I decided to fully submerge the piece. I did not aggitate it, just let is soak for a minute and then pulled it out of the water, gave it a few gentle squeezes. Next I laid the cowl flat on a towel. I gently tugged to vertically and then gently tugged it horizontally (never diagonally) to help the stitches relax and even out. I laid the piece back down to dry.
Hope this helps.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Laura
Hi, just wondering what cast on method you recommend for this cowl? So that it remains stretchy but doesn’t stretch or flare out after being worn a lot. Thanks.
Hi Myla.
I used a long tail cast on method. Nothing fancy. I do think I did it with a needle a size or two up from the first needle I knit with, just to accommodate some extra give and stretch.
Hope this helps!
Let me know if you have any questions.
Laura
Can I buy this scarf?
Hello Gennifer!
I’m sorry, we don’t sell this scarf already made, but we do have all of the materials and instructions for you to make one of your own! Thanks for getting in touch! -Alyson
How would I adjust this to just being a scarf?
Hello Katie!
I would recommend getting at least twice the amount of yarn for a scarf and then determining how wide you’d like the scarf to be. Multiply that number of inches by the stitches per inch that you are able to yield with these yarns and then go at it! You won’t be able to apply Elizabeth Zimmerman’s color changing technique used in this pattern since that only applies for circular knitting in the round.
You’ll have to simply stripe the yarns and then weave in all the ends once the knitting is complete. I think a scarf mixing these two textures would be lovely! Please don’t hesitate to write in again should you have any other questions! Best of luck! -Alyson
This makes me want to learn how to knit. Beautiful, and beautiful story. It’s hard to imagine I could be a good enough knitter so quickly — anyway, I could buy one?
Hi, Loren!
Thank you so much for your kind words! Unfortunately we do not have this cowl for sale, sorry! However, this pattern is very straight forward and easy to knit (the trickiest part is working with the Habu slub yarn). So, you could easily learn to knit this! We do have a fantastic learn to knit kit (https://www.purlsoho.com/kits/knitting/learn-to-knit-kit.html) that will teach you the basics of knitting and it comes with yarn and the patterns to make three different scarves.
If you have further questions, please let us know!
Best,
Kumeko
Hi, Purl Bee,
I love working with these beautiful yarns, and am almost halfway through the cowl. I was in the store and picked up the materials, but fear I did not buy enough slub (though I was helped by someone). I’m using Nerimaki Smoke cotton slub, and bought two skeins of 158.95 yds each. I see in the pattern notes that you recommend three skeins for colorways — but you also note that the colors are only 108 yds. I would like to know what the pattern’s total yardage requirement is for the cotton slub, as I’ve used up one of my skeins and think I’ll be short just a bit. Do you have that information?
Thanks for the gorgeous pattern and textures.
Susan
Hi Susan,
Thanks for writing in and for your kind words! It appears that the yardage for the Nerimaki Slub has changed since this pattern was originally written and now all of the colors have the same yardage. You should have plenty of yardage for this lovely cowl!
Happy knitting!
Cassy
Hello, Cassy. Just a quick follow-up on the yardage question for the Nerimaki slub. Having finished the cowl, I can definitively say that you will need about 2.5 skeins of slub if the skeins are the 158.95 yd. size. I knit to gauge and found that two took me through about 9.5 main color sections out of the 10 before the decrease sections. If you have only two skeins to work with, I suggest cutting out the final two MC sections before starting the decrease sections. It’s still a lovely result.
Susan
Enjoying this project, knitting in a blue silk shade rather than the cream one suggested.
What is the purpose of the rounds of purl?
Thank you!
Hi Mairie,
Thanks for writing in! The round of purling at the beginning and the end are there to help prevent the cowl from rolling more than is desired. we like the touch of rolling at the beginning and the end but prefer it to be a small amount and the purl row helps to create this effect!
Best,
Cassy
Do I need to unwind the Nerimaki Slub? Do I pick up from inside or outside of the “skein”?
Hi Erica,
Thanks for writing in! You need not wind or unwind Nerimaki Slub. You can knit right from the ball or cone! I would recommend pulling from the outside when knitting with this yarn!
Best,
Cassy
Hi,
I would love to make this cawl, however, the links to access the yarns don’t seem to be working. Can anybody help me with that or giving me suggestions to use other yarns that are available?
Thank you!
Hi Raquel,
Thanks for writing in! Unfortunately both of the yarns used in this pattern have been discontinued (you may be able to find the elsewhere if you want to keep the same yarns) but we don’t cary anything that is quite like them. I do have a few suggestions of yarns that may look really great knit up in this pattern but please keep in mind that the overall effect of the pattern will be much different. Our Cattail Silk has some slubs in it, it might be the closest sub for the Habu Cotton but is a finer yarn and does not have the same loft. If the fiber content isn’t super important to you, Tussock might be a fun yarn to use in place of the Habu Cotton and then use something more sleek and silky for the Silken Straw replacement, like Cattail Silk or Spectrum Silk or Burnish. Sweetgrass is another option weight wise, it’s soft like the Cotton! Sweetgrass plus Tussock would be quite an interesting texture combination!
With whichever yarn you decide on, be sure to do a gauge swatch to make sure it is consistent with the pattern or if you need to make any adjustments!
Please let us know how this goes and of you have any more questions going forward!
Happy Knitting!
Gianna
Are the yarns available anymore?
Hi Dana,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately we no longer carry this yarn but in its place I would recommend using Spectrum Silk and Burnish !
Warmly,
Gianna
The yarns (and recommended replacement from 2021 comment) are no longer available. Do you have a recommendation on which yarns in stock to use?
Thank you!
Hi Emily,
Thanks for reaching out about that! While Cattail Silk, Tussock, and Sweetgrass are all still available, I’d be happy to suggest alternatives to the other two yarns (Burnish and Spectrum Silk) that Gianna recommended. For these yarns, Santolina or Picnic Cotton would be lovely alternate options! Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili