Cozy Up Cowl
Whether you’re looking for a lickety-split gift or something to warm you up right quick, our Cozy Up Cowl pattern will be done in a (cold) snap! Our new hollow-spun yarn, Pouf, is incredibly soft and lofty, and its fleecy texture looks absolutely marvelous in reverse stockinette.
You’ll knit your Cozy Up Cowl in the round, all in stockinette stitch… There’s not a purl in the whole pattern! It’s so fast and easy, and when you’re done, you’ll simply flip it inside out to put all that purl-side goodness on display.
These toasty tubes of fabric are super long, making them amazingly cozy and fun to cuddle up in! A very slightly tapered shape allows the cowl to nestle comfortably around your neck, and Pouf’s airy spin makes the fabric light as air.
Pouf is made with a mix of 50% alpaca and 50% fine highland wool, literally spun around air to make a wonderfully insulating, surprisingly light, and delightfully squishy super bulky-weight yarn, with a soft hand and floaty drape!
Pick from Pouf‘s palette of 23 joyful colors, including these three beauties: delicate Crocus Bud, bright Golden Green, and rich High Tide. You’ll need just two big, bouncy 100-gram balls of your chosen color to make a Cozy Up Cowl!
When cold weather comes to call or the clock winds down on holiday gifting, you’ll be so glad to cozy up with quick-knitting Pouf!
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, Hiromi Glover. See even more of Hiromi’s work on her Instagram!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoCozyUpCowl, and #PurlSohoPouf. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 2 balls of Purl Soho’s Pouf, 50% alpaca and 50% Andean highland wool. Each ball of this super bulky-weight yarn is approximately 108 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 175 yards required. We used the colors Crocus Bud, Golden Green, and High Tide.
- US 11 (8 mm), 16-inch circular knitting needles
- A stitch marker
- A US 13 (9 mm) or US 15 (10 mm) knitting needle, any type, for binding off
GAUGE
11 stitches and 15 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
SIZE
- Finished Circumference at Bottom: 22½ inches
- Finished Circumference at Top: 19½ inches
- Finished Height: 21 inches
PATTERN
Cast on 62 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place a unique stitch marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Work in stockinette stitch, knitting every round, until piece measures 7 inches from cast-on edge.
Decrease Round 1: [Knit 2 together (k2tog), k27, slip slip knit (ssk)] 2 times. [58 stitches remain]
Continuing in stockinette stitch, knit until piece measures 14 inches from cast-on edge.
Decrease Round 2: [K2tog, k25, ssk] 2 times. [54 stitches remain]
Continue in stockinette stitch until piece measures 21 inches from cast-on edge.
With larger needle, bind off knitwise.
Weave in all ends on right side and gently wet block.
Turn inside out so purl side is facing when worn, and enjoy your cozy cowl!
LEARN ABOUT POUF + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
Pouf makes this knitting pattern feather-light and soft as a kitten! This very special yarn is made by spinning a fluffy 50/50 mix of alpaca and wool into a hollow strand that traps a cushion of air inside, making it toasty warm and incredibly lofty. You’ll also love how it knits up into a gorgeous, textured fabric, thanks to its slightly thick-and-thin spin. Cast on with this big, beautiful ball of fun… 100 grams gives you a lot of yarn for a super bulky-weight yarn, so you’ll go far with a few!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our growing collection of free Pouf knitting patterns!
More Super 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 alpaca yarn
- Shop wool 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!
Is the cozy cowl a size that would work for a man as well as a woman? Or could it be modified to work for one?
Hi Elaine,
Yes, this cowl is meant to be worn by anyone! You can absolutely add or remove stitches from the cast-on if you want it do be a different size though.
All the best,
Lili
Hi – How would you suggest adjusting this pattern so it’s child sized?
Thank you – Susan
Hi Susan,
Thanks for writing in! I would recommend casting on fewer stitches so that the circumference is narrower and also knitting fewer rows so that the height is shorter. This pattern works over any even number of stitches!
All the best,
Lili
I haven’t started this project yet, as I am still trying to work out how you have 58 stitches left after knitting two together twice. Isn’t that a decrease of 2 stitches in total, rather than 4? So wouldn’t you have 60 stitches left? (The knitting 27 twice and slip-slip-knitting twice involves 30 stitches twice, or a total of 60 stitches, no decreases there, is that right?)
I’m confused.
Hi Susan,
No worries, I’m happy to help clarify! On each decrease round, you are decreasing by 4 stitches in total, since you’ll be working 4 1-stitch decreases. On Decrease Round 1, for example, you work the k2tog to start, then knit 27 stitches, then work an ssk. Then, you repeat that segment one more time, working both the k2tog and the ssk again!
All the best,
Lili
Thanks, Lili. I didn’t realize that ssk was a decrease until I watched the video demonstrating how it worked…should have watched it before asking the question. Thanks again for clarifying!
Susan
This is such a lovely cowl, and seems like a good beginner’s knit. My 7-year-old daughter has expressed interest in beginning to knit, and I think this would a great quick and satisfying first project. How might you adjust the pattern (# of cast on stitches, and # of inches before beginning the decrease and before binding off) to account for a child-sized cowl? Thank you so much!
Hi Anne,
Thanks for writing in! This cowl works over any even number of stitches, so you can absolutely cast on fewer stitches as long as it’s an even number. Then as you mentioned, you can knit for fewer rounds as well before working the decreases and binding off. Just make sure to work the decreases exactly opposite from each other on those rounds so that the cowl is symmetrical! You can place another stitch marker exactly half way through the round to make this easier. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Why we reduce the width at 1/3 of the height? Do we fold it inward to wear it?
Hi Myrto,
Thanks for writing in! The slight decrease is to accommodate the width of the wearer’s neck, which is wider at the base and narrower closer to the head. This cowl is meant to be worn with a slouch, not a fold, but you could totally style it differently if you prefer!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you Lili!
Hi – I bought two different colored skeins of pouf because I wanted a two-tone color block cowl. Do you know at what point – whether it row’s or inches I would need to cut color A and switch to color B ? So I have a cowl that’s half color A and half color B? Thanks!
Hi Catherine,
That’s such a fun idea! The finished height of the cowl is 21 inches, so you’d need to knit up to 10.5 inches before switching to the second color.
All the best,
Lili
Would it be possible to use straight needles? And can the pattern be converted for that? Thanks
Hi Joy,
Thanks for writing in! This pattern is designed to be knit in the round, so I’m afraid that you won’t be able to knit it on straight needles unless you modify the pattern. If you want to use straight needles instead though, then you can cast on the required number of stitches and follow the pattern as written, but purling every other row instead of knitting everything. Then you can seam the cowl together into the tube shape! You may also want to add 2 stitches to the cast-on to use for the seaming. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
How many inches of your super bulky POUF yarn should I measure out for the longtail cast-on in this pattern, using a 13 US circular needle?
Hi Stefanie,
Thanks for writing in! We recommend using a tail that’s 3.5 times the length of the cast-on. In this case, that would be about 79 inches!
All the best,
Lili
THIS is the info I need, Lili! I’m very new to knitting and flying by the seat of my pants in terms of how long the tail should be when casting on for different projects. Is there a rule of thumb you can share? Is it 3.5 times the finished width/circumference of the project?
I’m doing this project with leftover super-chunky alpaca yarn and trying stripes for the first time. I’m chuffed with it so far! It’s so cool of Purl Soho to offer free patterns to knitters, I’m very grateful 🙂
Thank you and happy new year!
Amy
Hi. This looks really lovely (and easier than Giverny cowl for a newbie knitter). Would it be okay to use Lovebird yarn for this project, and if so, would 3 skeins be sufficient?
Thank you.
Hi Valerie,
Thanks for writing in, and you could definitely use Lovebird for this project! Just be sure to knit up a gauge swatch before beginning so that you can determine what size needles to use. You may need to size your needles up or down in order to achieve the gauge of the pattern. And yes, 3 skeins would definitely be enough!
All the best,
Lili
Awesome!
Thank you, Lili!!
Do people find this yarn to be scratchy around the neck? I love the look of the yarn and love the cowl pattern, but I am worried about how itchy it may be.
Thanks, Louise.
Hi Louise,
Thanks for asking! Pouf is made from alpaca and highland wool. While alpaca is a very soft fiber, highland wool often feels prickly to those who are sensitive to wool. So while this yarn is very soft to the touch, it may itch a little bit when worn close to the skin.
All the best,
Lili
Hi Louis
I just received this yarn and cast on to knit. I’m almost at 7 inches, and I can say, yarn is not scratchy at all. Before I even cast on I rubbed the ball on my neck. You will love it, it’s really unique. I got 4 balls so I can also make the Inside Out hat pattern.
Hey Lili
My friend Steven just ordered me the yarn to make this pattern. Can I make it shorter, right after the second decrease? I’m not tall and shorter neck. Maybe 14 inches. So excited to try the yarn. He also ordered me the yarn for new hat pattern.
Hi Cheryl,
Yes you can absolutely make this cowl shorter by knitting fewer rounds! It’s super adjustable for any length!
All the best,
Lili
Hi, I have some DK yarn that I would like to use for this pattern. It needs a 4mm needle. Would it be alright? Do you think it would be too thin?
Hi Elizabeth,
It sounds like the yarn you have is much thinner than Pouf, but this pattern is easily adaptable for any yarn! The first thing you can try is holding the yarn doubled, using larger needles, and swatching to see if you can achieve the gauge of the pattern. If you’re able to do so, then you can knit the pattern as written (with the yarn doubled)!
Alternatively, you can hold just a single strand and adjust the cast-on number. To figure out your new cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern. Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the circumference of the cowl (22.5 inches) and cast on the nearest even number. Then you can essentially follow the pattern as written, just making sure to position your decrease stitches exactly opposite each other in the round!
All the best,
Lili
Can Pouf be knitted from the ball that it comes in? Or should it be hand wound into a regular yarn ball?
Hi Eileen,
Thanks for writing in! You can start knitting with Pouf as is–no winding necessary!
All the best,
Lili
Hello. I love this pattern. I have some really nice yarn that I want to use for this project, but it’s bulky. What would be my new stitch count?
Hi Megan,
This pattern was designed for a bulky weight yarn, so the yarn you have should work! I’d recommend knitting up a gauge swatch to first see if you can match the gauge. If not though, just let me know what your gauge measurements are, and I can walk you through the steps of modifying the cast-on!
All the best,
Lili