Newsprint Cowl In Line Weight + Quartz
Extra, extra! Our original Newsprint Cowl may have been named for its black-and-white stripes, but our newest version is good news for those of us who love a spot of color!
Ready to wrap and scrumptious for scrunching, this simple knit tube is a lightweight tuck-into-your-coat beauty that also keeps you warm.
The crisp stockinette stripes of one surface play against the mottled purl bumps of the other, and when the cowl is wrapped around your neck, it’s the contrast of the two that makes news!
We knit the Newsprint Cowl alternating between two of our favorite fingering weight yarns: Line Weight, a single-ply 100% merino as light as air and cloud-soft, and Quartz, a sumptuous mix of 65% merino wool and 35% suri alpaca, which adds a bit of texture and a lovely halo to the fabric.
We’ve made nine Newsprint Cowl Bundles to choose from, each with its own color story, so cast on for the one that jumps off the page for you!
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 designer, Gianna Mueller, based on the Newsprint Cowl, originally designed by Michele Wang. Click here to see even more of Gianna’s designs!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoNewsprintCowl, #PurlSohoLineWeight, and #PurlSohoQuartz. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
You will need one Newsprint Cowl Bundle, which includes (NOTE: The Newsprint Cowl Bundle is no longer available)…
- Yarn A: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Line Weight, 100% merino wool yarn. Each skein of this fingering weight yarn is 494 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 494 yards required. We used Lilac Fog.
- Yarn B: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Quartz, 65% merino wool and 35% suri alpaca. Each skein of this fingering weight yarn is 420 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 240 yards required. We used Aquamarine Blue.
You will also need…
- US 4 (3.5 mm), 32- or 40-inch circular needles
- A stitch marker
And here are 8 more colorful Newsprint Cowl Bundles to choose from!
- Line Weight in Lotus Flower + Quartz in Blue Jeans
- Line Weight in Bright Flamingo + Quartz in Celadon Green
- Line Weight in Clear Sky + Quartz in Cardinal Red
- Line Weight in Peony Pink + Quartz in Fresh Pickle
- Line Weight in Reed Gray + Quartz in Golden Green
- Line Weight in Clover Green + Quartz in Hydrangea Blossom
- Line Weight in Night Blue + Quartz in Icicle Blue
- Line Weight in Fieldstone Gray + Quartz in Reed Gray
GAUGE
26 stitches and 40 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: Approximately 58 inches circumference x 12 inches high
NOTES
Whether you consider the purl or knit side of your cowl the “right side,” you will knit it in the round with the knit side facing you. Be sure to change colors and carry the yarn on the side you consider the “wrong side.” For us, this meant carrying the yarn on the side of the work facing us (the knit side).
For more tips on carrying up yarn, please visit our Stripes in the Round Tutorial, but keep in mind that this tutorial carries the yarn up the inside of the work. The concept is the same, but again, here you may decide to carry the yarn up the front of the work!
PATTERN
BEGIN + WORK BOTTOM EDGE
With Yarn A, use a Long Tail Cast On to cast on 376 stitches.
Place marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Rounds 1–4: Purl to end of round.
WORK BODY
Round 1: With Yarn B, knit to end of round.
Rounds 2 and 3: With Yarn A, knit to end of round. (See Notes, above, for tips on where and how to carry up the yarn for striping.)
Repeat Rounds 1–3 until piece measures about 11½ inches from cast-on edge, ending with Round 3.
Cut Yarn B.
Continuing with Yarn A…
Next Round: Knit to end of round.
WORK TOP EDGE
Rounds 1–4: Purl to end of round.
Bind off all stitches purlwise.
Weave in ends on wrong side of work, and gently wet block.
LEARN ABOUT LINE WEIGHT + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
Line Weight is a lovely choice for this project because it is sumptuously soft with a subtle luster. A lithe single ply of 100% merino wool, this fingering-weight yarn knits up into a smooth fabric that blooms beautifully when you hand wash it. Enjoy 494 yards of beautiful knitting with every 100-gram skein and choose from nearly 20 riveting colors!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collection of (mostly free!) Line Weight patterns and cast on!
More Fingering-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of fingering-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 yarn
LEARN ABOUT QUARTZ + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
Quartz brings a special glow to this project! A wonderful mix of 65% merino wool and 35% suri alpaca, this fingering-weight yarn is lustrous, radiant, and sumptuously soft. The addition of suri gives this yarn a lovely halo and subtle luminosity, while merino brings strength, elasticity, and of course, beauty. Choose from tons of gorgeous colors you’ll only find at Purl Soho!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collection of (mostly free!) Quartz knitting patterns and cast on!
More Fingering-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of fingering-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 yarn
- Shop suri alpaca yarn
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!
Would this cowl work with 2 line weights?
Hi Desiree,
Thanks for reaching out. Yes, you can absolutely use two colors of Line Weight to make this cowl! In fact, most fingering weight yarns would work as substitutes for either yarn in the pattern. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
So if the Purl side is to be the RS of the cowl, how exactly does one reverse the tutorial on carrying up the yarn?
Please and thanks
Hi KJ,
While you knit this cowl, the knit side will be on the right side! You only reverse it so that the purl side faces outwards after you’re finished knitting. Therefore, you can follow the tutorial as is!
All the best,
Lili
What size circular needle are you using?
Hi Janine,
We recommend using a US 4 (3.5 mm) 32- or 40-inch circular needle! You could even go up to 47-inch long needles though, since the finished circumference of the cowl is 58 inches. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
I happen to have 2 skeins of Linen Quill in my stash. Would that work with this pattern?
And, if so, could I make the cowl shorter in circumference since one of the skeins needs to be 494 yds and Linen Quill has just 434 yds.?
And again, if so, how many stitches do I cast on to make that work out?
Hi Norina,
Thanks for your question! You could definitely use two skeins of Linen Quill for this pattern and just make the circumference of the cowl smaller. I would recommend making sure you’re getting gauge (26 stitches and 40 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch) and casting on 330 stitches for a circumference of a little under 51 inches. This should allow you to still knit to the original cowl height of 12″.
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
Can this be knit flat? I’ve completed one and it was twisted 😩 I’ve cast it on a second time, and I feel it’s twisted again. I would like to do it again, and avoid twisting, so I’m wondering about knitting it flat and joining it at the end. Thank you.
Hello,
Yes, you could definitely adjust this pattern in order to knit it flat! However, I wanted to let you know that there are ways to fix a twisted cast-on, even after you’ve knit a round or two. We demonstrate some methods of doing so in one of our Zoom + Knit videos on YouTube, which I’ll link to here. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you Lili! That gives me hope. Will take a look.
I would prefer not carryi up the yarn and instead use the HELIX knitting technique to create the stripes.
This simple design is perfect for stress relief.
Hi Louann,
That sounds like a great idea. We are so happy this project is bringing you joy!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Is there a “no jog” method for doing this pattern? I’m not sure how to do the helix method with a two row stripe unless I use two balls of yarn in color A.
Hi Gm,
Thanks for writing in! The jogless stripes technique works best for wider stripes since it involves slipping a stitch on one of the rounds. You can probably use it for the 2-round stripes in this pattern, but I’m not sure how much of a difference it will actually make. Unfortunately, helix knitting will not work for this pattern because of the 2-round stripes, though you can use two balls of Color A to get around that, as you mentioned!
All the best,
Lili