Building Blocks Cowl & Hood

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Learn to knit from this levelled beginner's pattern!

Written with tiered skill levels to slowly grow your abilities, this easy, unisex pattern was designed to teach you the basic building blocks of knitting. Learn how to cast on, knit, purl, bind off, and graft while knitting back and forth on straight needles. Whether you’re an absolute beginner knitter, you have a few projects under your belt, or you're a little more experienced, this low-vision-accessible pattern is the perfect pathway into the magic of knitting.

Beginners: Jump right into knitting using the easy-to-follow tutorials on the basic stitches, and have a completed, beautiful project within a relatively short period of time.

Advanced Beginners: Try your hand at some more challenging finishing techniques recommended for those who are fairly comfortable with the basics that will take your knitting to the next level.

Experienced Knitters: Use this pattern to teach a friend to knit, or enjoy it yourself to create an easy, fast project that reveals beautiful texture from knitting's basic stitches.

This pattern is also supported by my free How to Knit tutorial.

Cast on today!

PROJECT LEVEL: Absolute to Advanced Beginners

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Digital download includes:

PDF (standard) - best for printing or for sighted knitters
PDF (Screen Reader Accessible Large-Print) - best for Print Challenged knitters and reading on phones
EPUB (eBook) - best for anyone who wants reflowable, resizable text

See “Accessibility” for more information about file types.

About Design

Construction

Cowl is worked back and forth from edge to edge. If Knit Cast On or Long-Tail Cast On is used, the piece is bound off and ends are seamed. If Provisional Cast On is used, the ends are grafted together using Kitchener Stitch.

Variants

NARROWER WIDTH (Cowl only): 12 inches (or 30 cm)
WIDER WIDTH (Cowl & Hood): 20 inches (or 50 cm)

Sizes

Can be made in two circumferences:

Small (Baggy Child or Snug Adult): 24 inches (or 60 cm)
Large (Baggy Adult): 30 inches (or 75 cm)

Instructions for alterations are included.

Supplies

Yarn

NARROW COWL:

2 skeins bulky-weight yarn with 125 metres in 100 grams (or 137 yards in 3.53 ounces).

Approximate yardage: 190 metres (or 208 yards).

COWL & HOOD:

3 skeins yarn with same gauge.

Approximate yardage: 282 metres (or 312 yards).

See “About Samples” for suggested yarns.

Needles

6.0 mm (US 10) straight needles approximately 12 to 14 inches (or 30 to 35 cm) long.
Optional: 4.0 mm (US 6) straight needles for Kitchener Stitch Bind Off.

Notions

Yarn needle
Two stitch markers (scraps of yarn tied in loops work fine).

Gauge

15 stitches and 20 rows = 4 inches (or 10 cm) over stockinette stitch with larger needles. Gauge is not extremely important for this pattern. You do not need to check your gauge before beginning, but I provided the gauge in case you want to.

About Samples

Grey:

Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash Bulky, a 100% wool bulky-weight yarn with 125 metres in 100 grams (or 137 yards in 3.53 ounces) that knits up to 12 to 15 stitches in 4 inches (or 10 cm) on size 6.0 to 8.0 mm (US size 10 to 11) needles over stockinette stitch knit flat.

Colourway: Dove Heather
Size: Cowl & Hood in Large circumference

Blue:

Bernat Alpaca, a 70% Acrylic and 30% Alpaca bulky-weight yarn with 110 metres in 100 grams (or 120 yards in 3.53 ounces) that knits up to 15 stitches in 4 inches (or 10 cm) on size 6.0 mm (US size 10) needles over stockinette stitch knit flat. Discontinued.

Colourway: Indigo
Size: Narrow Cowl in Large Circumference

Suggestions for choosing yarn

Look for something soft and non-scratchy. Test on your neck, not with your hand.
Look for something washable in a natural fibre. Superwash yarns are a great choice.
Some suggested yarn substitutes: Knit Picks Swish Bulky (a very soft superwash yarn with an exact match for gauge), Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Grande, or Koigu Chelsea.

Refer to the “Choosing Yarn” tutorial for more help.

Techniques & Resources

Skills you will need:

Reading

Techniques used:

This pattern is meant to develop your skills, so you can start with the simplest method and advance to another method if you make the project again.

Included resources:

Supported by the complete How To Knit tutorial (with everything you need to get started), which is available as a downloadable PDF or eBook when you sign up to my newsletter.
A comprehensive list of links to online tutorials on my website for necessary skills. Tutorials are screen-reader accessible, with instructions relayed fully in text, and also include videos and downloadable photo tutorials.
Full glossary
Instructions for alterations.

Publishing Information

Release Date: 2016

Most recent revision: June 2023

Publisher: My Secret Wish Publishing

Knitting pattern type: Multiple Design Options

Project type: Cowl

Bookmarked PDF Page Count: 8

Page Count (Large Print PDF): 43

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-989800-29-4

ISBN (Bookmarked PDF): 978-1-989800-30-0

ISBN (Large Print SRA PDF): 978-1-989800-31-7

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING NOTICE: This pattern is copyright My Secret Wish by Talena. Your purchase of this pattern gives you the right to use it for personal, non-profit use only. To license the pattern to use for profit, please e-mail me for permission. You do NOT have the right to print the pattern for other people (unless they reside in your household) or to transfer the digital file to any other person. This pattern may not be sold, copied, or distributed in any way.

Update History

June 13, 2023:

Revised formatting of PDF to align with current template style.
Clarified language where necessary.
Created screen reader accessible large-print PDF and eBook (ePUB).
Updated URLs for new store and social links.

You will get a ZIP (8MB) file

FAQs

Your instant download is a ZIP folder containing your pattern files.
If you need help unzipping and accessing your downloaded files, see the instructions on this page: Access Downloaded Files.
It is impossible to accept returns on digital items. However, I want you to be happy with your purchase, so if you are dissatisfied for any reason, please contact me and I will do my best to see that you are.
All Formats
Colour Blind Accessible: All text is black or very high-contrast, and no colour is used to relay pattern instructions.
Left-Handed Mirror Knitting Inclusive: Instructions are given in terms of hand dominance and working needles, not right and left hands.

Please check the pattern description to see which of the following apply to this design.
PDF (standard)
- This document can be navigated using bookmarks that link directly to various sections.
- All images have ALT-text descriptions.
- Fonts are embedded in the document, and it retains its original formatting.
- Any charts are also fully written out.
- Text uses minimal abbreviations to make the pattern easier to understand, and is written in plain language.
- Best for printing or sighted knitters.
PDF (Screen Reader Accessible Large-Print)
This document is a screen-reader-accessible PDF which can be read aloud using text-to-speech options and navigated via document headers. However, fonts may not be embedded and may display improperly. The document uses Verdana font at minimum 24 points. All text is in a single column and left-justified with no italics. Text uses plain language with no abbreviations.
All images have ALT-text descriptions. Any charts are also fully written out. If this pattern contains charts, they are at an appropriate scale for Large Print. If the chart is large and will need to be pieced from several pages, the chart will be available separately.
The document was tested using Adobe Reader on a PC and an Android phone.
Plain-Language EPUB
This document has been edited so text makes sense and flows smoothly when read aloud, and no abbreviations are used. Each section is bookmarked as a chapter. It can be read aloud by an eReader or the font can be resized using eReader settings. The pattern sections can be read straight through without having to return to earlier sections unless you need to refer to something such as a note, technique, or stitch explanation. All images have captions to explain context, but they are not necessary to understand the pattern. If the pattern includes charts, large-scale charts are also available in a separate Large-Print PDF, and all charted instructions are also written out.
EBooks are tested on a Windows PC (using the free Calibre e-reader, which you can get on their website here) and an Android phone using the Google Play Books app.
I’m here to help. If you have questions about this item or your transaction or you need pattern support, please contact me, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible. – Talena

Talena Winters wears a textured scarf and smiles at the camera.

About My Secret Wish Knitting

Hi! I’m Talena Winters (a.k.a. the Yarn Mermaid).

I started My Secret Wish Knitting in 2010 to empower and delight knitting heroes like you who want to elevate your knitting and make magic with yarn. When I’m not concocting new yarn potion recipes, I’m creating story magic as a fantasy and romance author and fiction editor (at talenawinters.com). I live with my family and pets in the Peace Country of northern Alberta, Canada, where sweater weather lasts at least nine months a year and my closest neighbours are bears and wood nymphs.

This website is a labour of love by a team of one (me!). If you found value here, please support the effort by purchasing a pattern. If you want more knitting magic, check out my community events and newsletter in the Knitting Circle. We’d love to have you!