Wild Grass Cowl
We love when knits and purls organize themselves into a resemblance of nature. It renews our appreciation of both knitting’s deep well of surprises and nature’s endless beauty!
Our Wild Grass Cowl seems to depict a regiment of marsh grasses, their spikelet tops so convincingly conjured by some right and left twists, plus a couple of double decreases… Amazing!
Oh, are we talking about nature? Enter Flax Down! A rustic but wonderfully soft mix of baby alpaca, extra fine merino, and linen, this single-ply beauty loves a stitch pattern. We used just two skeins of Clover Green for its fresh-cut-grass clarity but hard to go wrong with our straight-from-nature palette of over two dozen colors!
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!
UPDATE: NOW A WRAP IN PARTRIDGE
NOVEMBER 2022
We’ve taken the gorgeous stitch pattern of the Wild Grass Cowl and turned it into a wrap full of texture, movement, and beauty! The down-to-earth beauty of 100% merino Partridge brings the hearty pleasure of the natural world into each stitch of the Wild Grass Wrap. Plump and soft with a fuzzy halo, this single ply yarn has a satisfying density, and its tidy spin is a lovely choice for this textured fabric.
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Jake Canton. Click here to see even more of Jake’s designs!
Share your progress + connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoWildGrassCowl, and #PurlSohoFlaxDown. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Flax Down, 43% baby alpaca, 42% extra fine merino, and 15% linen. Each skein is 219 yards; approximately 299 yards required. We used Clover Green.
- US 6 (4 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- A stitch marker
Gauge
24 stitches and 29 rounds = 4 inches in stitch pattern
23 stitches and 36 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Size
Finished Circumference At Base: 26½ inches
Finished Circumference At Top: 23¼ inches
Finished Height: 11½ inches
Notes
Right + Left Twist
RT (right twist): Knit into front of second stitch on left needle, leaving stitch on needle, then knit into front of first stitch on left needle and slip the two stitches from needle together.
LT (Left Twist): Knit into the back of second stitch on left needle, leaving stitch on needle, then knit into the front of first stitch on left needle and slip the two stitches from needle together.
For help with this stitch, please visit our Right + Left Twist tutorial.
Decreases
S2kp (slip 2, knit 1, psso): Slip 2 stitches together knitwise with yarn in back, knit 1, pass slipped stitches over knit stitch and off right needle. [2 stitches decreased]
Sl1, k2tog, psso (slip 1, k2tog, pass slip stitch over): Slip 1 stitch purlwise, knit 2 stitches together, pass the slipped stitch over the k2tog and off the needle. [2 stitches decreased]
Pattern
Begin
Cast on 160 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place a marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Round 1: *K5, p2, k1, p2, repeat from * to end of round.
Round 2: *RT (see Notes), k1, LT (see Notes), p2, k1 through back loop (tbl), p2, repeat from * to end of round.
Rounds 3-10: Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 four more times.
Round 11: *P2, k1, p2, k5, repeat from * to end of round.
Round 12: *P2, k1 tbl, p2, RT, k1, LT, repeat from * to end of round.
Rounds 13-20: Repeat Rounds 11 and 12 four more times.
Repeat Rounds 1-20 two more times.
Decrease
Round 1: [K5, purl 2 together (p2tog), k1, purl 2 together through back loop (p2tog tbl), [k5, p2, k1, p2] 7 times, place marker (pm)] 2 times. [156 stitches]
Round 2: [RT, k1, LT, p3tog, *RT, k1, LT, p2, k1 tbl, p2, repeat from * to next marker] 2 times. [152 stitches]
Round 3: [K5, p1, *k5, p2, k1, p2, repeat from * to next marker] 2 times.
Round 4: [RT, k1, LT, p1, *RT, k1, LT, p2, k1 tbl, p2, repeat from * to next marker] 2 times.
Repeat Rounds 3 and 4 three more times.
Round 11: [P2, k1, p2tog, p1, p2tog tbl, k1, *p2, k5, p2, k1, repeat from * to 7 stitches before next marker, p2, k5] 2 times. [148 stitches]
Round 12 (Decrease Round): [P2, k1, p3tog, k1, *p2, RT, k1, LT, p2, k1 tbl, repeat from * to 7 stitches before next marker, p2, RT, k1, LT] 2 times. [144 stitches]
Round 13 (Decrease Round): [P2, slip 1, k2tog, psso (see Notes), *p2, k5, p2, k1, repeat from * to 7 stitches before next marker, p2, k5] 2 times. [140 stitches]
Round 14: *P2, k1 tbl, p2, RT, k1, LT, repeat from * to end of round.
Round 15: *P2, k1, p2, k5, repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Rounds 14 and 15 two more times, then repeat Round 14 one more time.
Continue
Repeat Rounds 1-10 from the Begin section one time.
Bind off in stitch pattern following the stitch pattern of Round 1. Here’s how…
Bind-Off Round: K2, pass stitch over, [k1, pass stitch over] 3 times, [p1, pass stitch over] 2 times, k1, pass stitch over, [p1, pass stitch over] 2 times, * [k1, pass stitch over] 5 times, [p1, pass stitch over] 2 times, k1, pass stitch over, [p1, pass stitch over] 2 times, repeat from * to end of round.
Weave in the ends and block as desired.
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!
Thank you for this lovely pattern, I will use it with my new silk skeins which you are sending.
Take care and love.
Jean (UK).
Hi Jean,
Thanks for reaching out and for your kind words! That sounds like a great combination with this pattern, please let us know how it turns out!
All the best,
Gianna
Hello,
Such a pretty pattern. If I wanted to enlarge the circumference would the increase be multiples of 8?
Hi Karrie,
Thanks for reaching out! Due to the way the decreases work on both sides we don’t have a set multiple to adjust the pattern by, the stitch is worked over a multiple of 10 but a multiple of 20 is needed to keep the decreases accurate! If you want to make a cowl that wraps around twice, I recommend leaving out the decreases from the pattern and using a multiple of 10 stitches!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Wow! Love this pattern! I have many cowls still to knit and this pattern is jumping the queue! Can work for males as well. Thank you so much!
Hi Carole,
Thanks for reaching out and for your kind words! I am so glad to hear you like this pattern, and yes! It is a great cowl that can work for a man or a women!
Happy knitting!
Gianna
Hi Jean, lovely pattern.
Can I knit this with single pointed needles and a seam? As I wrote before, I knit with a needle under my arm.
It is a lovely pattern.
Laura
Hi Laura,
Thanks for reaching out again! Since this pattern is fairly complex and only written for in the round, I wouldn’t recommend working it flat and then seaming it up since we don’t have a pattern for how to work the reverse side. If you want a bit of a challenge it certainly would be possible to figure it out but it may be a bit tricky!
All the best,
Gianna
I assume that I could use the same pattern to make a scarf rather than cowl? Thank you and lovely pattern.
Hi Jmoon,
Thanks for reaching out! You could certainly use the stitch pattern to create a scarf! The stitch works over a multiple of 10 stitches, however keep in mind we do not have written instructions for the reverse side of the fabric since the pattern is written for in the round.
Happy knitting!
Gianna
Wow!! Ich war sofort begeistern von diesem schlichten Halsschmeichler und hatte riesige Bedenken, das ich das Muster nicht verstehe. Trotz meines schlechten english und mit Hilfe von Google-Translate habe ich meine erstes Musterstück geschafft! Jetzt kann das große Projekt beginnen !
Danke für eure Mühe und für all die tollen Freebies und Tutorials.
Herzliche Grüße und bleibt gesund, Carmen aus Frankfurt am Main/Germany
Hi Carmen,
Thanks you so much for reaching out and for your kind words! I am so glad to hear that you love this pattern and were able to figure out the translation!
All the best,
Gianna
Hi,
Thank you for this lovely pattern. I would like knit a scarf rather than a cowl. Do you have a pattern chart ? Thanks
Hi Brigitte,
Thanks for reaching out! We don’t currently have a chart for this pattern but thank you for expressing your interest and I will be sure to pass it along to the rest of the team!
All the best,
Gianna
Hi there, I have reached the Decrease part / Round 13: Is this part correct: “P2, k1, p2tog, p1, p2tog tbl, k1”?
From “p1, p2tog tbl, k1” it is only 9 stiches. Shouldn’t it always be x10?
Thank you for getting back to me – it is meant to be a Christmas present …
Best regards, Patricia
Hi Patricia,
Thanks for reaching out! For Row 13 you should actually be working as written, Round 13 (Decrease Round): [P2, slip 1, k2tog, psso (see Notes), *p2, k5, p2, k1, repeat from * to 7 stitches before next marker, p2, k5] 2 times. [140 stitches] The decreases work over a multiple of 20 stitch, and the decrease row decreases by 4 stitches (144 to 140.)
I hope this clarifies things!
Gianna
I would like the cowl to be snugger at top. As I see in a previous message, seems difficult to change the decreases and maintain the pattern. How about if I just cast on fewer stitches? If this is okay, what multiple of stitches should I reduce the cast on by? I’m okay with the whole cowl being narrower.
Thanks
Hi Helen,
Thanks for reaching out! It is a bit tricky to adjust this cowl since the stitch pattern is worked over a multiple of 10 stitches but the decreases work over a multiple of 20 stitches. To make this smaller, you could certainly adjust the cast on, just be sure that the number you decide on is both a multiple of 10 and 20! If your gauge is consistent with the pattern you can calculate your cast on from there based on the finished circumference you desire.
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Decrease Round 1- I didn’t come out with the correct amount of stitches so much have done this row wrong. Can you explain this row to me?
Hi Linda,
Thanks for writing in! I’m sorry to hear you’re having some trouble with this part of the pattern though. You should have had 160 stitches before you worked the decrease round and decreased by 4 stitches total by the end of that, bringing you down to 156 stitches. These would have come from the p2tog, and the p2tog through the back loops, which are both repeated for a total of the 4 decrease stitches mentioned earlier.
I’m afraid we don’t have a tutorial for the p2tog for the back loops, so please let us know if you need extra help with that in particular. We’d be happy to demonstrate it over Zoom if that’s the problem, but are happy to break down the round further here if you’re you’re still having trouble with that.
Please let us know!
All the best,
Zha Zha
After reading your comment realized what I did wrong on the decrease row. I’m back on track and anxious to complete this beautiful cowl pattern.
Thank you very much!
Hello
Just came across this pattern and picture. Just gorgeous.
I am a beginner /adv.beginner.
More beginner. Do you have a
Oattern for a cowl like this one
Height etc.with a pretty design
That I could do to give it texture.
But not complicated as this one is for ME?.I can do seed st.rib garter simple yo. Basically a bit of a pattern. I will purchase it if you could send a photo to me
Regards
[email protected]
Hi Rose,
Thanks for writing in! If you’re interested in a similar cowl that only uses basic knits and purls I’d recommend giving our Mistake Rib Cowl a try. We discontinued the original yarn that was used in the sample photo, but I’d recommend Wigeon in place of our Mulberry Merino for a fun and bouncy texture.
I hope that helps inspire you! Please let us know if you’d like another suggestion though.
All the best,
Zha Zha
I made this and absolutely love it. I’d love to make another, but Flax Down is no longer available. Do you think this would be good with Understory?
Hi Kathleen,
Thanks for reaching out. We are so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying your Wild Grass Cowl, and that you’re even planning on making another one!
We have unfortunately discontinued Understory, but for your next Wild Grass Cowl, I would recommend checking out our light worsted/DK weight yarn like Cashmere Merino Bloom, Good Wool, or Simply Yak.
I hope these recommendations are helpful, and please let us know if you have any further questions!
All the best,
Carly
Would this work as the cowl with Purl Soho Season Alpaca? What needle size and cast on stitches would you recommend. Aloha.
Hi Lisa,
You can absolutely make this cowl with Season Alpaca! You may need to change the cast-on number though, since Season Alpaca is a sport weight yarn, so it’s thinner than the original yarn used to design this pattern (which was DK weight).
To figure out your new cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern (if this is daunting, we have a wonderful tutorial called All About Gauge). We recommend using sizes US 3, 4, or 5 needles with Season Alpaca. Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the width that you would like and cast on the nearest multiple of 20 stitches. Then you can follow the pattern as written!
All the best,
Lili