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Timberline Cowl
Our Timberline Cowl pattern echoes the quiet edge where forest meets sky, its vertical ribs like a stand of trees and its garter ridges tracing the horizon. Cast on with Note, our cloud-soft merino-alpaca yarn, now enriched by three new colors in its luminous palette!
You knit this easy-as-can-be cowl in the round, alternating sections of garter stitch with sections of 1×1 ribbing, every shift in the pattern offering a moment to pause, breathe, and take in the beauty all around you. It’s a squishy, reversible stitch pattern that’s all knits and purls, perfect for beginners and gift knitters!
A yarn that you just have to feel to believe, Note is made with the softest extra fine merino wool in the world (really!) and a touch of baby alpaca, adding luster and a graceful drape to the fabric. A round, multi-ply DK-weight yarn, Note’s spin adds incredible bounce and body and lends beautiful stitch definition to the simple knit-and-purl textures of the Timberline Cowl.
Note’s palette evokes the quiet drama of a natural landscape, with 20 artfully heathered, earthy shades that blend like ridges, valleys, and sunlit meadows. Among them are three brand-new colors, including this lush Fresh Fig!
Pick up two skeins of Note for this Once-Around version of the Timberline Cowl, or add two more for the Twice-Around version, and let your stitches rise among gentle ridges and forest rhythms, carrying you toward a breathtaking summit.
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!
Pattern designed and written by Purl Soho designer, Gianna Mueller. See even more of Gianna’s work on her Instagram!
Story written by Andrea Lotz for Purl Soho.
Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!
Materials
- 2 (4) skeins of Purl Soho’s Note, 80% extra fine merino wool and 20% baby alpaca. Each skein of this light worsted/DK-weight yarn is 200 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 310 (725) total yards required. We used the colors Fresh Fig and Purple Heath.
- US 5 (3.75 mm), 16- or 40-inch circular knitting needles, depending on size you are making
- A stitch marker
GAUGE
22 stitches and 34 rounds = 4 inches in stitch pattern
SIZES
Once-Around (Twice-Around)
Finished Dimensions: 12¼ inches high x 21¾ (51¾) inches circumference
Sample: We knit the Once-Around version.
NOTES
STITCH MULTIPLE
This pattern works over an even number of stitches.
PATTERN
Cast on 120 (284) stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place a stitch marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Round 1: Purl to end of round.
Round 2: Knit to end of round.
Rounds 3 and 4: Repeat Rounds 1 and 2.
Round 5: *K1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.
Rounds 6–9: Repeat Round 5 four times.
Repeat Rounds 1–9 ten more times, until piece measures 11¾ inches from cast-on edge.
Repeat Rounds 1–4 one more time.
Bind off knitwise.
FINISHING
Weave in all ends and gently wet block.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Learn About Note + All Our Beautiful Yarns
The incredible softness, bounce, and dimension of Note makes this project sing! The same beloved yarn as our gradient Nine-Note Bundle, Note is double the size per skein, with its own unique palette of painterly heathered colors. This light worsted/DK-weight yarn is made with 80% the softest extra fine merino wool in the world and 20% baby alpaca, spun into a round multi-ply yarn with a characteristic high twist that adds body and wards off pilling. Absolutely amazing in every way… You simply have to feel it to believe it!
More Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our growing collection of (mostly free!) Note + Nine-Note Bundle knitting patterns and cast on!
More Light Worsted/DK-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of light worsted/DK-weight yarns (What does DK-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to DK yarn will answer your questions and demystify.)
- 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 and our Yarn Substitution article for lots of helpful information.
More Yarns With Similar Fiber
- Shop merino wool yarn
- Shop alpaca yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our knitting patterns (including tons of 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!
Bonjour
Pouvez vous m’envoyer les infos en français
Merci
Hi Joelle,
Thanks for writing in! I am sorry to say that our patterns are only available in English at present. We will certainly keep your request in mind for the future, but for now, I recommend using an online service like Google Translate to convert our patterns into whatever language you prefer.
Please let us know if that helps or if you need more clear instructions!
All the best,
Gavriella
I always want to make your latest incredible creation as soon as I see it!
Love this pattern and the yarn is gorgeous. Would it be hard to do a scarf version?
Hi Sarah,
Thank you so much for the kind words! You can definitely make a scarf version of this pattern! You will just skip the purl rows and knit them instead since you will be working flat. Please let us know if there is anything else we can answer for you!
All the best,
Gavriella
I had the same question! If making a scarf with this pattern, what would be your recommendation for the number of skeins needed?
Hi Susan,
We’re so glad you’re interested in our Timberline Cowl pattern! For a scarf version, we would recommend 5 skeins of Note yarn.
My suggestion for a scarf version is to cast on 60 stitches (though any multiple of 2 will work), which is half the width of the once-around cowl. If you’re knitting at the same gauge as the pattern, this will give you a scarf that is about 11″ wide. For a generous scarf, I would recommend knitting it to 72″ in length, which will use approximately 876 yards (5 skeins of Note yarn).
You’ll also want to keep in mind that the garter stitch section (Rounds 1-4) will be all knit rows when you’re knitting flat (rather than alternating knit rows and purl rows).
We hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Allison
This is beautiful but I am having a hard time imagining what the twice around would look like. Could you add a picture to show it?
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you so much for reaching out. While we don’t have a photo of a twice around sample for this pattern specifically, I think our Nightfall Cowl does a great job as an example of a twice around cowl. Its just a longer version of the once around but you can wear it doubled! I hope this helps but please let us know if we can help in any other way!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Hullo from NZ. Just a simple question – is there two sizes of timberline cowl? . It shows cast on 120 and then in brackets 284. Does the larger number give it a more slouched finish. Thankyou Christine
Hi Christine,
Thanks for asking! That is correct, this pattern is written in two sizes. The first is for a cowl that simply goes over your neck like the one pictured (Once-Around) and then the second which allows you to wrap your cowl around two times (Twice-Around). The instructions for the once around cowl will be before the parentheses and the instructions for the larger twice around version will be in parentheses. I hope this helps clarify but please let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
Thank you Gavriella. Shall get knitting, although we are coming into summer – will have it made for next season.
Can you knit on straight needles then just sew seam please i dont know how to use round needles
Hi Clara,
Thanks for writing in! While we find it easiest to knit this cowl on circular needles, you can certainly knit it on straight needles if you are comfortable making some adjustments.
Here are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind. Since you will be knitting flat, you will need to work your garter stitch sections (Rounds 1-4) as knit every row, and for the ribbing sections (Rounds 5-9) you will still be knitting the knits and purling the purls to create ribbing. Since you plan to seam the cowl, you may also want to cast on a couple more stitches (a multiple of two) to keep the same finished size, because the seam will use up some stitches.
We hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Allison
Great pattern made me put down my crochet hook smile. Thank you. Phoenix Az.
Hi! Quick question! If I used Season Alpaca yarn, how many skeins would I end up using? And also, how many would I have to cast on?
Hi Tessa,
Thanks for writing in! Season Alpaca would work great for this cowl, though you’re right about needing to adjust the stitch count. Season Alpaca is lighter than Note, so you’ll likely have to cast on more stitches (this pattern works over an even number of stitches) to get the same dimensions. I’d recommend making a swatch in the cowl stitch pattern with your preferred needle size and blocking it to see if you like the fabric. If you do, you’ll just need to do a little math to figure out the perfect number of stitches for your gauge.
To find your best stitch count, here’s what to do: Take the finished circumference measurement…21.75 for the Once-Around or 51.75 for the Twice-Around and divide by 4 (the number of inches we measure for gauge). Then multiply that by your gauge and round to the nearest even number. For example, for the Once-Around version, if my gauge was 24 sts / 4″, I would cast on 130 stitches.
As for how much yarn you’ll need, I think 2 skeins of Season Alpaca would be enough for the Once-Around, and 4 skeins of Season Alpaca would work for the Twice-Around.
We hope this helps!
Happy knitting,
Allison
Hello
I wanted to use a yarn that is 50/50 & 219 yds /100grams.
Would this work & if so would I need to work out needle size to get correct gauge ?
I saw on another question that using a different yarn also changed the number of stitches to cast on.
Thanks for helping a less experienced knitter
Hi Joanne,
Thanks for asking! The most important thing to consider here is the gauge you’re getting with your yarn. If your tension matches the pattern, you can go ahead and follow it as written. If you’re getting more stitches per inch, you might want to cast on a few extra stitches to achieve a similar finished size—just keep in mind that this will also require a bit more yarn.
If you do adjust your cast on, just make sure you’re starting with an even number of stitches, and you’ll be all set! I hope this helps, but please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any other questions.
All the best,
Gavriella