Working at Purl Soho, I have a front row seat to the parade of effortlessly chic people that give our neighborhood its renowned style. From here I can report that, for men and women alike, this season’s prevailing trend in neckwear is the bandana. Jauntily tied around the neck, it tops off everything from Sunday’s T-shirt and jeans to Friday’s night-on-the-town dress! The bandana is a sassy, casual touch that suggests that the wearer possesses an innate stylishness. It’s the perfect accessory for those cool mornings when you’ve hit snooze a few too many times and need to turn “thrown–together–in–a–rush” into “casually glamourous”!
My Bandana Cowl is inspired by my desire to make “effortlessly chic” even more effortless. I was so excited to create something with the same freshness as the tied bandana but without the fiddly aspect of actually having to tie anything!
I chose to make my Cowl out of Swan’s Island Bulky, a brand new yarn made from a beautiful blend of undyed merino and alpaca that feels wonderfully soft against the skin. The yarn creates a dense, rich fabric that’s cuddly perfection for the chilly days of fall!
Update
OCTOBER 14, 2012
Materials
- 1 skein Swans Island Bulky, naturally dyed colors are 100% Organic Merino and undyed colors (Natural, Oatmeal and Seasmoke) are 85% Organic Merino and 15% Alpaca. (This color is Oatmeal).
- A US #10, 16-inch circular needle
- Jumbo Locking Stitch Markers, 3 total (optional)
OTHER IDEAS
This cowl uses approximately 100 – 130 yards and would be stunning made out of many of Purl Soho’s yarns. Here are some beautiful options:
- 1 skein of our Worsted Twist in 100% merino
- 1 skein of our Understory in 50% baby alpaca, 25% baby yak, 25% silk
- 2 skeins of Jade Sapphire’s 8 Ply Cashmere, 100% Mongolian cashmere.
- 1 skein Manos Del Uruguay’s Maxima, 100% extrafine merino
Gauge
4 stitches and 6 rows = 1 inch in stockinette stitch
Size
19 inches in circumference and 12 inches from top to bottom.
Notes
S2KPO: Slip 2 stitches together knitwise, knit 1, pass the 2 slipped stitches over the knit stitch. (This makes a centered double decrease.)
Pattern
Cast on 89 stitches.
Place a marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Set-up Round: Purl all stitches.
Round 1: K43, S2KPO (see Pattern Note, above), knit to end of round. (87 stitches)
Round 2: P42, S2KPO, purl to end of round. (85 stitches)
Round 3: K41, S2KPO, knit to end of round. (83 stitches)
Round 4: P40, S2KPO, purl to end of round. (81 stitches)
The next section is worked back and forth in short rows, building from the point of the bandana to the back of the neck. You’ll be turning the work between each row instead of continuing around the needle. For a great Short Row Tutorial, click here!
Row 5: K42, wrap and turn.
Row 6: P3, wrap and turn.
Row 7: Knit to the wrapped stitch, knit the wrapped stitch making sure to pick up the wrap, k1, wrap and turn.
Row 8: Purl to the wrapped stitch, purl the wrapped stitch making sure to pick up the wrap, p1, wrap and turn
Repeat Rows 7 and 8 eighteen more times. Don’t worry if you lose count; you’ll know you’re done when you wrap and turn the stitches right next to the marker!
You’ve finished the short rows!
Next Round: With the knit side facing you, knit to the marker, making sure to pick up the wrapped stitch.
Continue with the knit side facing you, working again in the round. Knit 2 rounds, picking up the wrap of the first stitch.
Set-up Round: K18, place marker, k45, place marker, knit to end of round.
*Decrease Round: Knit to two stitches before the first marker, k2tog, slip marker, knit to the next marker, slip marker, ssk, knit to end of round. (2 stitches decreased)
Knit 3 rounds (or for 1/2 inch).
Repeat from * five more times. (69 stitches)
Next Round: Purl
Next Round: Knit
Repeat the last 2 rounds once more.
Bind off very loosely in purl. (I like to go up several needle sizes to bind off. In this case, I bound off with a US #15 needle.)
Weave in your ends and block as desired. Blocking isn’t strictly necessary for this project, but it significantly improves the drape and softness of the yarn. I’m personally convinced that Soak wash makes anything short of a Brillo Pad feel next–to–the–skin cuddly!
Enjoy your Bandana Cowl on all the brisk fall days to come! -Erin
PRINT
I would love to make this in Jade Sapphire 8-ply cashmere. Does the pattern remain exactly the same, needle size and all, or will I have to rework the pattern?
Hi Margaret,
Thanks for reaching out! Jade Sapphire 8-Ply Cashmere is the same weight as the original yarn, so you can knit the pattern as written! Another great option would be our Cashmere Tend, which is also 100% cashmere and knits up to the same gauge.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Please please do a video for German short rows specific to this pattern. It has to be easier than I think it is.
Hi Ande,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately, we don’t have the resources at the moment to do a video tutorial for this cowl, but our German Short Rows tutorial does include instructions for converting a wrap and turn to pattern to German Short Rows. Essentially, when working this pattern, whenever you get to a wrap and turn, you will either knit or purl one more stitch, then turn and work a double stitch.
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
Thank you for this pattern. I am new to short rows. Starting on Row 5, after that wrap, where do you purl back to (to start a new row?)
Or as soon as you wrap, you are considered to be on Row 6?
Thanks again!
Hi Kate,
Thanks for reaching out! As soon as you work the wrap and turn, that is the end of the row, and you will move on to the next row -in this case, Row 6 will be your purl row.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
I love Purlsoho patterns, but this one has given me some trouble. According to the instructions, I should keep doing short rows until I reach either side of the marker. That gives me over 60 rows instead of the 18 repeats of rows 7 and 8 in the pattern. And I still haven’t reached the marker! Did I miss something?
Hello Joyce,
Thanks for reaching out! There are two things that could be happening here. First off, you could be forgetting to knit or purl a stitch between your previous wrap and your new wrap. The second thing that could be happening is that you are increasing at your wrap and turn, instead of knit your wrap with your stitch.
If it doesn’t seem to be either of these things let us know and we can continue to trouble shoot this issue!
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Marilla, you need not respond–I figured it out. With German short rows, I need to knit not one but two stitches after the wrapped stitch. The first one becomes the spacer stitch between wrapped stitches, and the second one becomes the next wrapped stitch. I was doing one, per the instructions. Whew! This was driving me crazy!
Joyce
Hi Joyce,
I’m glad you were able to figure it out! Yes, when you are substituting German Short Rows in a pattern written for wrap and turns, you do have to knit or purl one extra stitch before turning. You may find the additional information in our German Short Row tutorial helpful!
Best,
Julianna
Hello, please help does not rain pretty even doing many times. The yarn on the back side loosens from the row 7 row and knits. It cannot be knitted neatly like the second picture.
The yarn has become fluffy and felt as it is re-knitted over and over again.
No matter how many times we knit it, the back thread becomes stretched and cannot be knitted neatly.
“ Row 7: Knit to the wrapped stitch, knit the wrapped stitch making sure to pick up the wrap, k1, wrap and turn.
Row 8: Purl to the wrapped stitch, purl the wrapped stitch making sure to pick up the wrap, p1, wrap and turn ”
Do you have a video or knitting drawing of Bandana Cowl?
Please. I have been working hard since last year, but I can’t. I want to braid Can you tell me because I really want to knit this wonderful knit?
Hi Ryoko,
I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble with this cowl! We don’t have a video that is specific to the Bandana Cowl, but you may find out Wrap and Turn Tutorial helpful for this step!
Best,
Julianna
My seven year old daughter would like one of these (she LOVES mine.) Can you suggest a way to make a smaller version? Is there a magic ratio for converting adult sizes to children’s sizes?
Hi Felicity,
Great question! Although there is a good trick for downsizing scarves for kids (just knit them as long as the child is tall!), there isn’t a reliable method for cowls. Since you have already made one for yourself, I would suggest trying it on her and pinching the back of the cowl to make it the right size. You can then count how many stitches you need to remove from the cast on, make sure you are still casting on an odd number, and then on Round 1, knit to one stitch before the center stitch of the cowl before working the SK2PO. On each of the next three rounds knit or purl one less stitch than the row previously before working the decrease.
To begin the short rows, on row 5, knit to one stitch past your center stitch, which should now be easy to see due to the column of decreases, work your wrap and turn, and then follow the rest of the short row instructions without changes. You will still have to decide on placement for the markers for the second set of decreases but once the short rows are complete you should be able to decide where to place the markers without too much trouble.
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
I’ve stated making this cowl and the picture seems to be a much closer knit than mine. I’m using bulky yarn on #10 needle. This isn’t suppose to be double yarn by chance is it?
Thanks for your response.
Hi Hilda,
Thanks for reaching out! Our cowl is knit with a single strand of aran weight yarn on a US 10, but the yarn we used is quite lofty so it fills in the gaps quite well. I would suggest measuring your gauge and comparing it to our gauge of 4 stitches and 6 rows = 1 inch in stockinette stitch and adjusting your needle size if necessary!
Best,
Julianna
Hi there! I’ve made this once for myself, and am getting ready to make another smaller one for my toddler. Would it be okay to decrease to CO 69 stitches and then just subtract 10 from each side in the directions (in other words, keep the center stitch in the same place, but with 20 fewer stitches overall)? Or would that throw off the directions in some way?
Hello Shannon,
Thanks for reaching out! Yes, this will work beautifully. If you are getting 4 stitches per inch for you gauge, This will cut you circumference by 5″.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
I completed this and I love this pattern. It was so much fun! Thank you 🙂
I am losing my mind with this pattern; big hole after first sl 2pass sl st over.
Also, finally think I understand that you don’t purl all the way back after first wrap and turn but then do first purl w and t,
Right?
I realize 11,000 others have made this but I am completely baffled but not willing to give up!
Please shed some more light on how to count the wrap and turn rows
Thanks
Hi Marley,
Thanks for writing in! After the first wrap and turn, you will only purl 3 stitches, and then wrap and turn again. On each row after that, you will knit or purl to the previous wrapped stitch, knit or purl the wrapped stitch together with its wrap, and then wrap and turn the next stitch, so you are always working one more stitch than on the previous row. You may find our Short Rows: Wrap + Turn tutorial helpful!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
I have made two of these but I do not think I’m doing the last set of short rows correctly. If do as the directions state – wrap and turn till I wrap and turn on both sides of the marker – this means I have created, but not joined a round, which leaves a hole in the work. How do you correct this?
Hi RJ,
Thanks for reaching out! Since the first section of the cowl is knit in the round to create a border, your stitches should already be in the round. It may seem like there is a hole at first, but after you work the final wrap and turn and knit all the way around, picking up the final wrap on the last stitch of the round, and begin the next round, the gap should close up nicely on subsequent rows.
I hope that clears things up, and happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi
I am in the UK, we don’t have skeins, we have balls of yarn. Would you know what our UK equivalent would be so we can have a go too please?
Thanks Sue xx
Hi Sue,
Thanks for reaching out! As long as your yarn is the right weight and you check the label to make sure you have enough yardage, it doesn’t matter whether it comes in skeins or balls! For our cowl, we used 130 yards, or 120 meters, of aran weight yarn, which is the same in both the US and UK.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
I am have trouble with repeating row7and 8. The first time I tried repeating to my center marker. ( that’s the only marker I see in pattern) it is way more then 18 rows. So 2nd time I just market to 18 stitches before I started row 7. I am now at the the edge of the first 6 rows knitted but have like 6 more stitches until I get to the point I marked. Why should I stop??
Hi Lori,
Thanks for reaching out! When repeating Rows 7 and 8, you should not be taking the center marker into account at all – in fact, you can remove it at this point, leaving just the beginning of round marker. Instead, you should be knitting or purling to the stitch that you wrapped on the previous row, knitting or purling that stitch together with its wrap, knitting or purling one more stitch, and then working a wrap and turn. If you have trouble seeing the wrapped stitch, you can hook a removable marker into the wrapped stitch immediately after working each wrap and turn, and then remove and replace it on the following row. Each short row should move two stitches further out than the previous one, so you eventually reach the beginning of round marker. You may find our Short Rows: Wrap + Turn tutorial helpful!
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
Have you this pattern in danish version, if is do you know were?
I really hope there is because it hard for me to understand your pattern and I really love your pattern. I hope you can help me far away from Greenland. I really want to try this in moskux wool. Sincerelly Lone M.
Hi Lone,
Thanks for writing in! At present, our patterns are only available in English. We certainly appreciate the request!
Best,
Julianna
I love this cowl! I plan on making a few more but had a question about the decrease. One side doesn’t look as good as the other and it kinda looks obvious. The side that’s ssk. Is there a way to make it blend more like the k2tog side?
Hi Tessa,
Thanks for reaching out! To some degree, it is unavoidable that a SSK and K2Tog will look a little different, but after blocking, they should match much better! You might want to try the SSK variation we show in our tutorial. We find that it matches a K2Tog a bit better!
Best,
Julianna
Hello,
I am resubmitting this question as it may not have been sent it to you (maybe I didn’t hit the submit button!) On Rounds 2 & 4 “purl rows”, the yarn is in the front as for purling. Does it go to the back for the knit stitch in S2KPO before or after the S2 (slipping the 2 stitches together knitwise. ).
Thank you for this interesting and very well done website with lovely yarns and patterns.
Jean
Hi Jean,
Great question! For the s2kpo you do move the yarn to the back before you slip the stitches, even on the purl rows. Doing it this way creates the pretty line of decreases at the point. Again, thank you so much for your question!
Happy knitting!
Cassy
Thank you!