Thorn Stitch Cowl
Thorns and knitting may not traditionally be friends, but just look at the beautiful maze of brambles that thorn stitch makes… more field of feathers than briar patch!
And when you double wrap this Thorn Stitch Cowl around your neck, you’ll really understand that the only sharp thing about it is the way it looks!
Knit up in our brand new Understory, a blend of 50% baby alpaca, 25% baby yak, and 25% silk, the resulting fabric is decidedly lightweight, keeping you warm without weighing you down.
Every color in the Understory palette is cold-weather worthy. Here, Willow Bark conjures the raw beauty of wintertime woods: spare trees, silver-y pods, and the life-giving leaf layer on the forest floor.
A simple 8-round stitch pattern, the Thorn Stitch Cowl is designed to interest, but not frustrate, you. It’s wonderful for getting in the rhythm, and in the end, it’s a stunner!
This project designed for Purl Soho by Jamila Modeste.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoThornStitchCowl, and #PurlSohoUnderstory. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 4 skeins of Purl Soho’s Understory, 50% baby alpaca, 25% baby yak, and 25% silk. Each skein is 250 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 800 yards required. We used the color Willow Bark. (NOTE: We no longer offer Understory, but choose from one of our other light worsted/dk weight yarns.)
- US 6 (4mm), 40-inch circular needles
Gauge
22 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches in thorn stitch
Size
Finished Height: 15 inches
Finished Circumference: 56 inches
Notes
Slip all stitches purlwise with yarn in back, unless otherwise indicated.
This stitch pattern is worked over a multiple of four stitches.
Pattern
Using a Long Tail Cast On, cast on 308 stitches.
Place a stitch marker and join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Foundation Round: Knit.
Round 1: *Into next stitch [k1, yarn over (yo), k1], k3, repeat from * to end of round. [462 stitches]
Round 2: *Slip 3 (see Note above), k3, repeat from * to end of round.
Round 3: Remove stitch marker, slip 1, place stitch marker on right needle, slip 1, ssk, k1, *k2tog, slip 1, ssk, k1, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2tog. [308 stitches]
Round 4: K2, slip 1, *k3, slip 1, repeat from * to last stitch, k1.
Round 5: K2, *into next stitch [k1, yo, k1], k3, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, into next stitch [k1, yo, k1], k1. [462 stitches]
Round 6: K2, *slip 3, k3, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, slip 3, k1.
Round 7: K1, *k2tog, slip 1, ssk, k1, repeat from * to last 5 stitches, k2tog, slip 1, ssk. [308 stitches]
Round 8: *Slip 1, k3, repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Rounds 1-8 until piece measures 14¾ inches from cast-on edge, or until desired height.
Knit 1 round.
Bind off knitwise.
Weave in ends and gently block.
I love your patterns! Thank you for sharing them! I’ve read all the questions and responses and I’m going to ask a question you’ve been asked more than once. Apologies in advance.
I am not a “circular needle” knitter and I’m wondering if you’ve figured out how to make this gorgeous cowl flat knitted? Thanks for your time!
Hi Robin,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately we don’t currently have instructions to knit this stitch flat, but I will certainly pass your request along to the design team!
Best,
Julianna
I haven’t tried it out, but basically all you have to do is work the even numbered rows in purl instead of knit and back to front.
So it would read
Row 1 as stated in pattern above.
Row 2: *purl 3, slip3 , repeat from * to end of row
Row 3 as stated in pattern above
Row 4: purl 1 *slip 1, purl 3, repeat from * to last 3 stitches, slip 1 , purl2
Row 5 as stated in pattern
Row 6 purl 1, slip 3 , *purl 3, slip 3, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, purl2
Row 7 as stated in pattern
Row 8 *purl 3, slip 1, repeat from * to end of round
I have other projects going before I’ll start this one and I’ll be knitting it in the round, but perhaps someone would like to give it a try and leave a comment for the others if it works.
Hi Stephanie,
Thanks so much for the instructions. I am starting this scarf now and as I am not a circular needle knitter I will test out your instructions and let you know how I go.
Kind Regards
Elaine….Australia.
I just spent a whole day with this thing and it isn’t making any sense at all. 308 stitches is a lot of stitches to have to redo over and over. I would prefer a video tutorial or some kind of visual chart. Knitting abbreviations just make my head spin. please keep in mind there are a lot of visual learners out there. such a beautiful pattern deserves better instructions.
Hi Ursina,
Thanks for writing in. I’m so sorry to hear that our instructions have been confusing. I’m a visual learner as well, so I completely understand needing to see something to understand it, so I wanted to point you in the direction of some of our tutorials! We have video tutorials for all of the techniques used in this design: Long Tail Cast-On, Yarn Over (yo), Slip Slip Knit (ssk), and Knit Two Together (k2tog). We also have a handy guide that explains all of the abbreviations and terms we use in our patterns, or that are common in other knitting patterns: Knitting Abbreviations + Terms. I hope these give you a better sense of what you’ll need to do as you knit this pattern!
All the best,
Lili
I am looking forward to diving in on this project on an upcoming flight. I happen to have size 7, 40 in needles – would the pattern work with a larger needle? Are there adjustments I would need to make? Thank you!
Hi Cat,
Thanks for reaching out! I would recommend knitting a gauge swatch in pattern to see if you will be happy with the stitch on a larger needle. If you are a tight knitter, it is possible that your gauge will turn out the same as ours and you won’t have to make any pattern modifications! If your gauge is looser than ours but you are still happy with how the stitch looks, you can then multiply your stitches per inch by 56 inches and round to the nearest multiple of four to determine how many stitches to cast on.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Question: I am not familiar with the term used to start Round 1 and Round 5 before the bracketed [k1,yo, k1] “Into the next stitch” . Please explain exactly what “into the next stitch” means here. Thanks.
Hi Pamela,
Thanks for reaching out! This means that you will be working all of the stitches between the brackets into a single stitch. In other words, you will knit the stitch by inserting your right hand needle, wrapping your yarn, and bringing your needle back through the stitch to the front, but do not slide the stitch off the left hand needle. You will then wrap your yarn around the needle to create a yarn over, and knit the same stitch again, this time sliding it off the needle when you are done.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
I t is such a beautiful pattern. I started the cowl yesterday and now getting to Row #3
I have a silly but important question:
Row #3 : is the slip stitch the YO stitch from the previous Row #1
Thanks!
Hi Anita,
Thanks for writing in with this question! In Row 1 you worked [k1, yarn over (yo), k1] into your first stitch, then at the beginning of Row 2 you slipped all 3 of these stitches, so the first stitch you’ll be slipping at the beginning of Row 3 is the k1 from the [k1, yarn over (yo), k1]. You will go on to slip the YO, and then work a SSK using the k1 from that stitch group and one of the stitches from the k3 that followed it. I hope this makes sense and is helpful, but do let me know if you have any more questions!
Happy knitting!
Gaby
For the ssk stitches do you also make those slips pearl wise? Or do them traditionally knit wise?
Thank you!
Hi Jessica,
Great question! You would slip both stitches knitwise.
Happy knitting,
Oscar
Could I make this as a scarf?
Hi Bonita,
Thanks for writing in! Unfortunately, we don’t have official instructions for knitting this stitch flat, but if you scroll to the first few comments, you will see that a customer named Stephanie reinterpreted our pattern for straight needles! Her instructions should work over any multiple of four stitches.
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
I have knitted to row #3 and it says to remove stitch marker and slip a stitch and put marker back on right needle. Should I slip this stitch back again left of marker when starting row one again?
Hi Deb,
Thanks for reaching out! Once you slip the stitch and replace the maker you don’t slip it back, you start working the row from there! So you remove the maker, slip the first stitch to you right needle, place the stitch maker onto your right needle and then go directly on with the rest of the directions (slip 1, ssk, k1, *k2tog, slip 1, ssk, k1, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2tog. [308 stitches])!
I hope this clarifies things!
Gianna
I was wondering about if you just leave the marker slipped when beginning another pattern repeat or move it back to the original position again for starting row one?
Hi Deb,
Thanks for reaching out again! Once it tells you to slip the maker it should stay there unless stated otherwise, you don’t move it back.
All the best,
Gianna
I want to make this as a scarf knitted flat according to the directions of a comment above. How many stitches would you suggest I cast on for a scarf about 10” wide?
Thanks
Hi Ellen,
Thanks for reaching out! Assuming that your gauge is consistent with the pattern I would recommend casting on 56 stitches (Keep in mind this stitch pattern is worked over a multiple of four stitches) for approximately 10″ wide!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
The NOTE says to slip purlwise. Does this include while making an “ssk”?
Hi Maureen,
Thanks for reaching out! You will slip all the slip stitches purlwise, but the ssk is a bit different, to work an ssk, you slip one stitch knitwise with the yarn in back (wyib) from the left needle to the right needle, then you slip one stitch purlwise wyib! For more info on this decrease, I would suggest checking out our lovely Slip Slip Knit (ssk) tutorial!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
I am thinking of making this with some left over Understory from a previous project. I only have two skeins, and a 56” circumference is big, so what would be the size with my two skeins? I am terrible at math. Thanks!
Hi Marjie,
Thanks for reaching out! If you have 2 skeins, you could make the cowl a once around, so that it is only about half the circumference! For example, you could have a cowl about 24 inches in circumference. If you would like that, I would suggest casting on 132 stitches (keep in mind that this pattern works over a multiple of 4 stitches!) and you can follow the pattern till you reach your desired height!
I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any more questions!
Gianna
The gauge states 22sts and 32rows = 4″
Why cast on 22sts and not 20 if the pattern is worked over a multiple of four stitches?
Hi Mary,
Thanks so much for writing in! When you are ready to cast on your swatch, you will be casting on more than the 22 stitches, you will want to cast on about 30 stitches and knit for 40 rows in pattern to get a good sense of your gauge. The 22 sts and 32rows are just the amount of stitches you will be measuring for the 4″x 4″ requirement. We have some very helpful resources here on how to knit a gauge swatch and here for learning to swatch in the round!
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Carly
I just started this lovely project. I’m at the end of round 3, but I seem to be off, since I don’t have remaining stitches for “repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2tog” (the original *k2tog, slip 1, ssk, k1 took me to the BOR stitch marker). What could I have done wrong?
Also, do I ever move the stitch marker back to it’s original position?
Hi Emma!
Thank you for your questions! If you are running out of stitches in Round 3, I would suggest going back to Round 1 and making sure that you had the right number of stitches after that round, so that the instructions for Round 3 will work as intended. After Round 1, you should have 462 stitches. The stitch count alternates between 462 stitches and 308 stitches throughout this eight row repeat, with the stitch marker moving around the row as you repeat this section throughout the cowl, to accommodate the increased and decreased stitches.
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Margaret
I am running into the same issue. Counting the stitches in the pattern stated, it’s an odd number of stitches, but it should be 462, an even number.
“Remove stitch marker, slip 1, place stitch marker on right needle, slip 1, ssk, k1, *k2tog, slip 1, ssk, k1, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, k2tog.”
The first set is 5, right? Then the repeat is 6, then the last two. That leaves us with one missing stitch.
Hi Crystal,
Thanks for writing in! The reason that this round may seem off in terms of stitch count is because you’re changing the position of the end-of-round marker, which seemingly adds one stitch to the round. When you slip the first stitch and then replace the stitch marker, this moves the end of the round one stitch further. I hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
Hello, lovely design – thank you!
When you say slip 3 stitches purlwise, do you slip them one by one – or all three at once?
Best regards,
Anne-Line
Hi Anne-Line,
Thank you for writing in! When it comes time to slip 3 stitches purlwise in this pattern, you will slip them one at a time, with the yarn held in back unless otherwise stated.
I hope this helps, and happy knitting!
All the best,
Margaret
Thank you! /Anne-Line