Double Layer Cowl
The impending holidays may be rattling the nerves a bit, but our Double Layer Cowl helps to soften the rough edges… in the making, the giving, and the wearing!
A simple tube of our quick and cozy Super Soft Merino, knitting this cowl will infuse you with calm. You may even find yourself appreciating the spirit of the season, rather than ruing its pressures. Find the perfect shade of Super Soft Merino (it comes in nearly 30!) and create this lovely cloud while the rest of the world looks for parking places!
To make it, you start with a provisional cast on, knit a tube, fold the cast-on edge up to the working stitches, and join them with a Modified 3-Needle Bind Off. The result is a double-layered, smooth-edged cowl that curiously provides both structure and drape.
A dependable grab-and-go toasty goody that will bring joy all winter long, you’ve still plenty of time to see one come to life for Christmas. The Double Layer Cowl may be just the knit to turn the stress into serenity!
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!
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, #PurlSohoDoubleLayerCowl, and #PurlSohoSuperSoftMerino. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 4 skeins of Purl Soho’s Super Soft Merino, 100% merino wool yarn. Each skein of this bulky weight yarn is 87 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 348 yards required. We used Heirloom White.
- US 11 (8 mm), 24-inch circular needles
- Spare US 11 or smaller, 24-inch or longer circular needles (for Modified Three Needle Bind Off)
- A few yards of worsted or chunky weight scrap yarn (for Provisional Cast On)
- A crochet hook for using with scrap yarn
Gauge
11 1/4 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Size
Finished Height: 13 ½ inches
Finished Circumference: 28 ½ inches
Notes
Construction
You will work this pattern with the wrong side facing you, knitting every round. Once you’ve finished knitting, you’ll turn the whole piece so the purl side is facing out. Then you’ll knit the provisional cast-on stitches together with the last round of live stitches, creating a two-layer tube.
Splicing
If you’re using Super Soft Merino or a similar 100% wool yarn, avoid sewing in ends and create a neater fabric by using the Wet Splice method to join new yarn. Our Wet Splice (aka Spit Splice) Tutorial shows you how!
Pattern
Cast On + Knit
Using scrap yarn (see Materials) and the Provisional Cast On One-Step Method, cast on 80 stitches.
Place a marker and join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Knit every round until piece measures approximately 27 inches from cast-on edge. NOTE: If using Super Soft Merino, use most of all 4 skeins, leaving about 6 yards for binding off.
Do not cut yarn.
Bind Off
Slip the live cast-on stitches onto the spare needles and remove scrap yarn.
Bring the cast-on edge up to meet the last round, knit sides of fabric facing each other. The piece is now folded in half, purl side out, two sets of needles parallel, working yarn coming from interior right needle. Be sure to pull the cast-on tail (on exterior left needle) toward you to exterior of cowl so it won’t get trapped between the layers of fabric as you work the next step.
Knit the two sets of live stitches together with a Modified 3 Needle Bind Off (scroll to bottom of tutorial page for instructions). When you come to the last stitch, pull the cast-on tail, as well as the bind-off tail, through the loop of the last stitch. Be careful not to pull too tight so that, that last stitch looks similar in tension to the other bind-off stitches you’ve created.
Finish
Weave in remaining ends, adjust seam so it’s halfway down the inside layer, and enjoy!
LEARN ABOUT SUPER SOFT MERINO + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
The best reason to use Super Soft Merino for this project is because it is the dreamiest, cuddliest, toastiest yarn you can imagine! A single ply of 100% merino wool, Super Soft Merino has a nice, loose spin that shows off the softness of its fiber and keeps it nice and lightweight. Its gauge ranges from a chunky/bulky-weight to super bulky-weight (2.75-3.25 stitches per inch), making it a great choice for quick (and beautiful!) hand-knit gifts. And more… Super Soft Merino comes in over 30 amazing colors, too!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our vast collection of (mostly free!) Super Soft Merino knitting patterns and cast on!
More Chunky/Bulky + Super Bulky-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of chunky/bulky weight yarns
- Shop our entire collection of super bulky-weight yarns
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial!
More Yarns With Similar Fibers
- Shop merino wool
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!
Can you recommend a cashmere alternative?
Hi Laura,
Great question! Jade Sapphire 12-Ply Cashmere would be a great substitute for this cowl, and you would need 6 skeins to make the same size cowl.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
How beautiful. Do you have the instructions for someone who crochets?
Susan Stoltz
Hi Susan,
Thanks for reaching out! We do not have a crocheted version of this cowl but we will keep your request in mind for the future! If you would like to take a stab at it yourself, I would suggest crocheting a gauge swatch in either single or half double crochets using a US L or M hook and multiplying your stitches per inch by 26 inches to figure out your starting chain. You can then work in the round until the cowl measures 27 inches from the starting chain, and finish by joining your starting chain to the last row with slip stitches. It will probably take around 6 skeins of Super Soft Merino for a similar size crochet cowl.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
For this Double Layer Cowl do you knit each row with 2 sets of double point circular needles to make the “bag-like” cowl? Trischa
Hi Trischa,
Thanks for reaching out! You will knit the cowl in the round normally, using one circular needle to create a single layer tube. The second circular needle comes into play at the very end when you take out your provisional cast on and place the stitches from that cast on onto the spare needle and then work a Three Needle Bind Off to join the two ends and turn it into a double layer tube!
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
Beautiful scarf! What is the circumference of the finished product? Thank you in advance.
Hi Heidi,
Thanks so much for reaching out and for the kind words! This cowl measures about 26 inches in circumference.
Best,
Julianna
I’m confused by the provisional cast on. In the video it has cuttting the yarn. Does that get set aside for later? There seems to be an instruction missing. Once I provisionally cast on, where does the second pair of needles com in?
This is not making sense to me. Thanks for your help.
Hi Cindy,
Thanks for reaching out! When you work the provisional cast on, you will be using scrap yarn, not your main yarn for the cowl – I like to use something that is a similar weight to the main yarn but in a contrasting color and preferably cotton, just to make it easier to see and take out at the end. You will then cut this scrap yarn and begin knitting with the main yarn for your first row. The second circular needle comes into play at the very end when you take out your provisional cast on and place the live stitches from that cast on onto the spare needle and then work a Three Needle Bind Off to join the two ends and turn it into a double layer tube!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hi! Could I achieve the same look using a worsted weight yarn? (And using smaller needles/casting on more stitches.) Or does the cowl just cry out for a bulkier yarn? I’m aware that just because I can use lighter yarn doesn’t always mean I should.
Hi Katie,
Thanks for reaching out! The simple idea of this shawl certainly could work in a lighter weight yarn, though the texture will be somewhat less defined. I would recommend knitting a swatch in your chosen yarn to see if you like how it looks! Just be sure to look at the purl side of the stockinette swatch when you are evaluating it, since that is the side that will be on the outside of your cowl. You will also be able to measure your stitches per inch from your swatch and multiply that number by 26 inches to figure out your cast on.
Best of luck, and please let us know how it turns out!
Julianna
Looks beautiful can’t wait to knit
This looks lovely and I would like to try it but I do not know what a provisional one step cast on is nor do I know what a 3 needle cast off is, so I don’t understand the directions. I assume since you knit a tube, you achieve this by joining the yarn and just continue knitting around. Whenever I have done this in the past I always used markers to indicate the beginning of a row. Since you do not mention markers do you eliminate this step as there is no need to mark off the rows? I also assume the whole thing is knit so it should be quite easy. The finished cowl must be all purl.
Hi Louise,
Thanks for reaching out! Fortunately, we have tutorials for both a Provisional One Step Cast On and the Three Needle Bind Off, which are also linked in the pattern above. If, however, you prefer to skip these steps, you could certainly cast on and cast off however you usually do and sew the cast on edge to the cast off edge when you are done. The first line of the pattern does have you place a marker for the beginning of the round, so you will be tracking your beginning of round normally, and although you are knitting the entire cowl, when joining the cast on to the cast off, you will turn the cowl “inside out” so that the purl side is on the outside of the finished cowl.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
i love to do this project, looks nice!
Looks luscious. Can this be knit in a shorter version so there not so much bulk? I want to make it for my Mom. She would love something cozy like that to her neck warm. I will maintain the 80 stitch cast on but knit less height? Suggestions?
Hello Das,
Thank you for reaching out and for your kind words! You can certainly make this cowl shorter. You could, perhaps just knit till 20″ rather than 27″ which would give you a 10″ cowl. I would reccomend measuring out your desired hight and just let that guide you.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
I understand the provisional cast-on and the 3 needle cat off. What I can’t seem to find is the actual cowl pattern. Is it a stocking knit pattern or just knit each row.
Hello Charlotte,
Thank you for reaching out! The pattern is quite simple, so it is short and easy to miss, but it is located un an all caps “Pattern” after the notes section. It reads “Knit every round until piece measures approximately 27 inches from cast-on edge. NOTE: If using Super Soft Merino, use most of all 4 skeins, leaving about 6 yards for binding off.”
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hello, I have a question about pattern construction and colored skeins. I see the pattern calls for 4 skeins of Purl Soho merino. I currently have 2 skeins in ballet pink and 2 skeins in a shade of blue (i think it’s peaccock blue, i don’t have it in front of me). If I were to work with one color for 2 skeins, then switch to the 2nd color for 2 skeins, how would the final cowl appear? When the cowl is worn, would one color be facing the neck and the other facing the outside? Or would both the colors showing all around the cowl while worn so that the left side is one color and the right side is a 2nd color? I’d prefer the former look, but don’t know how to make that happen. Do you? Is it possible? Does this question make sense? Thank you.
Hello Rebecca,
Thank you for reaching out! This question makes total sense! If you were to do this you would have one color going half way up the inside and outside and then meeting the second color. This would create a line in the middle of the cowl! If you would like to have one color on the outside and one on the inside, you would knit with one skein of color A and then 2 skeins of color B and finishing with one skein of color A. You would then seem using color A!
I hope this give you some ideas!
Happy knitting,
Marilla
Thank you for such a great answer to last question about using 2 colors; I could see how it can work. Would love to try it as much as one color.
Hi there
Thank you for another wonderful pattern. What if I used the right side of the tube inside of the wrong side as the outside of my cowl? I have a great self stripping yarn I;d like to try.
carol
Hi Carol,
Great question! If you prefer to have the knit side of the fabric on the outside, you will simply fold the cowl the opposite direction when bringing the two ends together to work the three needle bind off. The rest of the pattern stays exactly the same!
I hope that helps, and happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi Julianna
I have your beautiful yarn and needles and are ready to go, but have a basic question.
It reads as all knit, but then you say purl side out…how can that be?
thanks for your help..
Hi Robyn,
Thanks for reaching out! Although you do knit the entire cowl, when you join the cast on to the cast off, you will fold the cowl so the “wrong” or purl side is on the outside of the tube.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
This looks so lovely and can’t wait to make it! Could I use kitchener’s stitch to bind off the live and cast on edge and live edge? Would that work? Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Linda,
Great question! Although most people find a three needle bind off faster and easier to work, you could certainly use Kitchener stitch if you prefer! Although we don’t have a tutorial for it, you will need to look up how to do the kitchener stitch purlwise for a completely seamless finish.
Best of luck and happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi there!
I am about to start it and I have a question for you: is there a reason why you did not use kitchener stitch (the purl version) for the bind off?
Thank you
Hi Anthi,
Great question! Although most people find a three needle bind off faster and easier to work, you could certainly use Kitchener stitch if you prefer! For a completely seamless finish, you will need to look up how to do the kitchener stitch purlwise.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Hello Julianna
How many balls should I buy to make this style cowl for the kid of 8 years old ? and what is needle size to use ( in US needle size ?)
Thank you
Chi
Hi Chi,
Thanks for reaching out! For a kid’s cowl, I would probably reduce the circumference to about 20 to 22 inches circumference and the height to 10 inches. I would still use the same needle size as the original cowl, a US 11, but cast on 60 stitches and knit until the piece measures 20 inches from the cast on before working the three needle bind off. This should take about three skeins of Super Soft Merino.
Happy knitting, and please do let us know how it turns out!
Julianna
Would you recommend any changes to the pattern if I used the Shepherdess Alpca yarn?
Hello Jenn,
Thank you for this great question! I think this will be beautiful in our Shepherdess Alpaca and there is no need to adjust anything.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hi. I’ve made the double layered cowl with the salt and pepper super soft merino. So on completion I have 25”
Not 27”. What to do. I checked gauge it is fine.
Also because of the yarn pattern I would rather not turn it Purl side out. To busy.
Can I use the knit side instead? Will the directions work the same or will I need to reverse them somehow? Thank you so much for your help. Kathleen.
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for writing in! A 25″ cowl will be fine, as long as you have left enough yarn to work the three needle bind off. You can also definitely choose to have the knit side facing out! When folding the cowl to perform the three needle bind off, you will simply fold it so the knit side is facing out, and can work the modified three needle bind off without any changes.
Congrats on your nearly finished cowl!
Julianna
I’ve watched the tutorial for the Modified 3-Needle Bind Off, and it does make sense, except in the tutorial, the needles are all separate. How does this work with the two sets of circular needles?
Hi Melissa,
Great question! For this cowl, since you will be holding one point of each set of circular needles parallel, you can use one of the other points of one needle to work the three needle bind off, or if you prefer, you can use a double pointed or other spare needle.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
This is a lovely pattern! I’m wondering how/when/if to block it (mostly to clean the wool after working the piece). Blocking when it’s seamed seems like it would take forever to dry because of the double layer, but, of course, blocking before seaming seems like it wouldn’t work. What would you recommend?
Thank you!
Hi Alice,
Great question! Although it will take quite some time to dry, I would recommend blocking after seaming the cowl together. It is possible to place both sets of stitches on scrap yarn and block it before seaming, but blocking will also help even out any potential irregularities in the three needle bind off, and to keep everything looking as uniform as possible, you would also have to wash the yarn you will use for the three needle bind off, which could be tricky to measure out and keep untangled!
Best,
Julianna
I’m confused about joining in the round with the provisional cast on. The tutorial has you cut the yarn so I’m wondering how to join in the round. Do I knit the first row and then join the round on the second row? Or do I slip one of the cast on stitches back onto my left needle and place the marker and knit from there?
Hi Tonya,
Thanks for writing in! You are correct that you can’t join in the round immediately after a provisional cast on, so you will need to knit one row in your main yarn before joining in the round. I would not recommend taking an extra step to join the provisional cast on into a round, as this may interfere with taking out the cast on when you are finishing the cowl.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Double layer cowl looks nice. All is clear except modified 3-needle bind off. Video shows purl side on the inside so the technique to knit the first layer and purl the second makes sense. But this cowl is purl on the outside. Is the modified 3-needle bind off the same as the video? Therefore, regardless of the stitches, the bind off is the same. Hope so as it would make life easier. Thx for all your wonderful patterns!
Hi Sue,
Great question! We chose to work the modified 3-needle bind off as usual to create a decorative effect against the purl side of the cowl – there’s no need to do anything differently for this pattern! If you take a look at the third picture down in the story above, you can catch a glimpse of the inside of the cowl, showing the pretty chain of the bind off against the reverse stockinette.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
I made and it came out beautifully so I want to make another as a quick Christmas gift. The cast on and binding off were the trickiest part, would the Kitchener bond off work well for this pattern?
Hi Shen,
Thanks for reaching out! I am so glad to hear that your cowl came out so well! I think Kitchener Stitch would be a great option to bind off for this pattern!
Please let us know dow this turns out!
Happy knitting!
Gianna
I finished my second cowl with the Kitchener stitch, it worked well. It was a little nerve wrecking as it was my first attempt with Kitchener but it looks great.
Hi Shen,
Thanks for writing in! I am so glad to hear that it worked out so well and that your cowl turned out great!
All the best,
Gianna
Hi Julianna,
I have a few brief questions for finishing this luxuriously soft and cozy cowl: 1) can you direct me to a tutorial for how to transfer the live stitches from the provisional cast on to the spare needles? 2) when you call for a spare size 11 circular or smaller on 24” cord or longer, do you mean it’s ok to use, say a size 10 or 10.5 circular needle as long as it’s 24 or 32”? 3)I used the spit splice method to join the new yarn, but I didn’t realize I needed to remove some fibers before splicing. So I have a little thicker bump where the section of yarn was joined. Any suggestions on how to hide this better? Unlike your sample in the tutorial, I can definitely spot the stitch where the join happened. 🙁 And lastly, 4) If I didn’t want to see the seam when I join the two edges, would I just use the 3-needle bind off instead of the modified 3-needle bind off? Thanks for your help!
Hi Noa,
Thanks for reaching out! I am happy to help! First off, we have a great tutorial explaining the whole process and you can find that here: Provisional Cast On: a One-Step Method! And yes that is correct, you can use for example a 10.5 or 10 as long as it is 24″ or longer. As for the wet splice, once you have joined the two its hard to re work it and get the bump to diminish, the best way to adjust this is when you block the finished cowl you will be able to adjust the re distribute the yarn and may be able to hide the bump better! Lastly, yes if you don’t want as pronounced of a seam you can certainly use the normal 3-Needle Bind Off opposed to the Modified 3-Needle Bind Off!
I hope this helps!
Warmly,
Gianna
Hi
My daughter wants to knit this a her second project , she’s 10 years old. She doesn’t want the double tube (not enough yarn). Can she just cast on 60 stiches and knit in the round until 20 inches and bind off?
Thank you!
Mayes
Hi Maria,
Thanks for reaching out! Yes I think she could certainly knit this cowl as one layer! She can cast on 60 stitches, join the work in the round and the purl every row until she reaches her desired length and then use a Basic Bind Off!
I hope this helps and please let us know how this turns out!
Warmly,
Gianna
Hi,
I’d like to make this cowl in a Christmas red. I can’t tell if the Red Gingham or the Red Poppy in the soft merino is more a Christmas red. Do have a recommendation? I lean toward the Red Gingham since it seems less glaring to wear.
Thank you very much,
Lise
Hi Lise,
Thanks for your question!
I would say that Super Soft Merino in Red Gingham is definitely more of a classic Christmas Red. Red Poppy has more of an orange tone, so Red Gingham would be a better fit for your project!
I hope this was helpful! Have a great day!
All the best,
Cat
Hi,
I would like to make this in a Christmas red using the Super Soft Merino. Do you recommend the Red Gingham or the Red Poppy, or would either be ok? It’s difficult to tell on the computer screen.
Thank you very much!
Lise
Hi Lise,
Thanks for writing in! Either would be great for Christmas, but the Red Gingham I would say is a more classic red while Red Poppy is a bit brighter and on the orange side! If you would like to see a side-by-side comparison, you can request this by sending an email to our customer service team at [email protected] and one of our warehouse team members should be able to get a photo of the two together!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Hi Gianna,
Thank you very much! I really appreciate you letting me know.
Lise