Nothing is cozier than a mountain of Purl Soho’s Gentle Giant! Our Mountain Cowl takes advantage of all this good feeling, wrapping its wearer in big, soft folds of 100% pure merino wool.

Mountain Cowl | Purl Soho

The construction is a simple stockinette loop, with reverse stockinette edges and a gently sloping decrease toward the top. And knit up on US 19 needles at a whopping 1 1/2 stitches to the inch, your Mountain Cowl will be done before you can say Kilimanjaro!

Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!

Mountain Cowl | Purl Soho

In Calico Pink, our cowl takes on the beauty of a sun soaked summit, a mountain peak as day yields to night. Gentle Giant’s entire palette evokes this kind of mystery, from stormy Poseidon Green to gentle Winter Bark. Pick the one that speaks to you! -Joelle

Mountain Cowl | Purl Soho

Designed by Purl Soho founder and co-owner, Joelle Hoverson.

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoMountainCowl, and #PurlSohoGentleGiant. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Materials

Mountain Cowl | Purl Soho
  • 5 skeins of Purl Soho’s Gentle Giant, 100% merino wool yarn. Each skein of this super bulky yarn is 48 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 240 yards required. This color is Calico Pink. (NOTE: Some colors are no longer available)
  • US 19 (15/16 mm), 32-inch circular needles
  • A jumbo stitch marker

NOTE: We used 5 skeins, but it’s possible you’ll need one more. If you want to be sure you have enough, consider ordering an extra skein. If you don’t end up needing it, you can return unwound yarn for a refund within 30 days of purchase, or within 6 months, for store credit. Our Return Policy has all the details!

Gauge

6 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

Size

Finished circumference at top: 53 inches

Finished circumference at bottom: 60 inches

Finished height: 15 inches (with edges unrolled)

Pattern

Cast on 90 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Place a marker and join to work in the round, being to careful to not twist the stitches.

Purl every stitch for 6 rounds (or for approximately 3 inches, edge unrolled).

Knit every stitch for 2 inches.

Decrease Round: K2tog, knit to end of round. [1 stitch decreased]

Next Round: Knit.

Repeat last two rounds until 80 stitches remain.

Purl every stitch for 6 rounds (or for approximately 3 inches).

Bind of loosely, purlwise.

Weave in the ends and gently block. Done!

(Note: In the photo below the edges are lying flat because we’d just blocked the cowl, but with a little time and wear the edges will roll, like they do in the photo on the mannequin. Both ways are beautiful!)

Mountain Cowl | Purl Soho

LEARN ABOUT GENTLE GIANT + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS

You can’t get more gentle or more giant than Gentle Giant! A single ply of 100% merino wool, Gentle Giant has a loose and lofty spin that puts the fiber’s softness up front and also keeps this jumbo-weight yarn from weighing you down. You knit Gentle Giant up on mega US 17 or 19 (12-15 mm) knitting needles, making it a very smart choice for last-minute gifts that don’t sacrifice a lick of beauty!

More Free Knitting Patterns

More Jumbo-Weight Yarns

More Yarns With Similar Fibers

Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!