Learn To Knit A Cowl Kit
Over the past 25 years, we have helped countless aspiring knitters transform into lifelong knitters. It is the most impactful and important thing we do, because, truly, knitting makes life more joyful. We are so happy to bring more people in on this little secret with our new Learn To Knit A Cowl Kit, the perfect introduction to the joy of knitting!
We believe that the key to falling in love with knitting is to start with a yarn you can’t bear to put down. Our Super Soft Merino is just the thing, and that’s why we chose it for our Learn To Knit A Cowl Kit. A thick cloud of 100% merino wool that knits up quickly, it’s the dreamiest, cuddliest yarn you can imagine.
Our kits come in every Super Soft Merino color, which means you can choose from over 3 dozen colors (including 3 brand new ones!), and everyone gets to start their knitting journey with a color they love!
This new Learn To Knit A Cowl Kit is the sibling to our best-selling original Learn To Knit Kit, which teaches you to knit a scarf and has been a New York Times Wirecutter pick for two years in a row. You can start out as a true beginner with either kit, and both come in a charming pink tube packed with 2 skeins of Super Soft Merino, clear and thoughtful instructions, and everything else a new knitter needs.
Similar but different… Our original Learn To Knit Kit is also for first-time knitters and also includes 2 skeins of Super Soft Merino, but it teaches you how to knit a scarf “flat” with straight knitting needles. With this kit, you’ll learn everything you need to know to make a scarf in your choice of three beginner stitch patterns: garter, 1×1 rib, or seed stitch.
The Learn To Knit A Cowl Kit is just as beginner-friendly, but it teaches you to “knit in the round” with circular knitting needles, a basic knitting technique that creates a tube of fabric (like a cowl) rather than a flat piece of fabric (like a scarf).
Learning to knit a tube will give you a leg-up on projects like hats, hand warmers, sweaters, and so many other things you’ll want to knit next, but both ways of knitting are useful, both are approachable, both are fun, so it’s really knitter’s choice how they’d like to kick things off!
Regardless of which kit you choose, you will learn everything you need to know to make your first amazing project and will receive the same how-to-knit instructions, born from long experience and thoughtfully written to get new knitters off on the right foot. All knitting is really just two stitches, knits and purls, and you’ll learn both with either of our Learn To Knit Kits, as well as how to combine knit and purls into simple stitch patterns, like the cowl’s so-called “mistake rib” pattern.
If you’re already a knitter, then you know how priceless it may be to give a Learn To Knit A Cowl Kit to the people in your life who will plant the seed and grow. What a gift! And if you don’t know how to knit, what are you waiting for?! Learn now and have a pile of cowls ready by December… Really!
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!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoLearnToKnitACowlKit, and #PurlSohoSuperSoftMerino. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
Our Learn To Knit A Cowl Kit includes everything you’ll need to make your very own Mistake Rib Cowl. It includes…
- 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Super Soft Merino, 100% merino wool yarn. Each skein of this super bulky-weight yarn is approximately 87 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 140 (165) yards required.
- US 11 (8 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- A yarn (or tapestry) needle
- A stitch marker
- A Learn To Knit A Cowl Pattern
And the best part is, the Learn To Knit A Cowl Kit comes in every color of Super Soft Merino! Choose your favorite…
SIZES
Small/Medium (Medium/Large)
Finished Dimensions: 17 inches in circumference x 10 inches tall (19 inches in circumference x 10 inches tall)
Samples: The cowls shown on models are the Small/Medium size.
PATTERN
If you already have what you need, pick up just the Learn To Knit A Cowl Pattern, which includes thorough how-to-knit instructions and the cowl pattern.
Zoom + Knit
We had such a fun and rewarding time teaching new knitters at our Learn To Knit A Cowl Kit Zoom + Knit! If you’re learning to knit and want to see the basics demonstrated, including how to knit a tube in the round, our Zoom + Knit, paired with our Learn To Knit A Cowl Kit, is a great resource. We walked through the initial steps of casting on, knitting and purling, plus following a basic knitting pattern. We also answered tons of questions that will help you embark on your knitting adventure with confidence!
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!
Do the learn to knit kit instructions tell you how to fix a dropped stitch?
Hi Joann,
I’m afraid this isn’t included as part of the instructions but we’d love to help teach this over one of our free 1-on-1 zoom sessions! You can also always email us 7 days a week at [email protected] for any questions you might encounter along the way!
All the best,
Gavriella
I made this for myself as an introduction to knitting in the round. I couldn’t decide which size I should choose so I decided to cast on 76 stitches for an 18” cowl. I’ve worn it several times, even slept in it, and it seems to have gradually lost its shape. I finally measured it and it stands at 24” in circumference! I didn’t measure it immediately after finishing it and there was no gauge swatch that I could see so I’m not sure how much was loose knitting and how much could be due to wearing. Any suggestions? I’m thinking I should frog it (ugh) and redo it using smaller needles as well as fewer stitches. I don’t think I’m usually a loose knitter so maybe it has to do with the circular needles?
Hi Tisha,
Although we don’t include it in the pattern, the gauge should be approximately 17 stitches = 4 inches in the stitch pattern in the round! I’d recommend measuring the gauge of your cowl and seeing where it’s at now. Then if you decide to reknit the cowl, you can knit up some gauge swatches to determine what needle size to use!
All the best,
Lili
Dear Purl Soho Staff, I am teaching my 10-year old son how to knit a cowl and he is very into it (we’re still using “test yarn”). The kit is fantastic (I wish I would have learned to knit with such beautiful materials and instructions). In case he’s not moving on doing the rib pattern but only using the knit stitch (the purl stitch is much harder for him), should he still cast on 72 stitches (assuming that the finished circumference will be larger using knit stitch only, compared with the rib). Thank you for your advice, Esther
Hi Esther,
Thanks for writing in, and I’m so glad to hear that he’s having a great time learning to knit! Mistake rib is a relatively relaxed stitch, so the stitch gauge might not actually be all that different in plain stockinette stitch. It will probably be fine to cast on 72 stitches still, but you could also reduce that number by a few stitches–maybe up to 3 or 4 fewer. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi,
Is it possible to have the pattern without buying this kit?
I want to knit this for my daughter I am not a beginner knitter… just need the measurements and how many stitches cast on
Thank You
Hi Blimie,
Thank you for asking! We actually do offer the Learn to Knit a Cowl Pattern separately. You can also check out our free mistake ribbed cowls in case one catches your eye!
All the best,
Gavriella