Free Knitting Pattern! Stringy Cowl

This cowl is a piece of cake, knit flat and joined in the round at the end with either a sewn seam OR a 3-needle bind off.  Stitches consist of knits, knit 2 together, yarn overs, and very few purls.  You repeat the same rows over and over.  Maybe a little boring but makes for a fast project, great road trip project, or something to pick up whenever you feel like it and resume with no problem.
The "Stringy" fringe is made simply at the end with dropped stitches - no need to cut fringe and tie on.
To Download, View, or Print scroll all the way down past the bottom group of photos and click on the link to the PDF file.
Happy Knitting!

 

Materials and Tools: 

• U.S. Size 8 (5mm) knitting needles

• OPTIONAL for those using the provisional cast on.  An extra knitting needle to be used for the 3-needle bind off.  (size doesn't matter too much, anything between a 6 - 8)

• Yarn - Sport weight, approx. 250 yds. (I like cotton or cotton blends myself for drapey-ness).
• OPTIONAL: A little waste yarn in a contrast color for provisional cast on.
• 2 stitch markers (Optional - if you want to mark the 3 edge sts on each side)

Gauge:

20 sts & 22 rows in stockinette stitch = 4"

Abbreviations:

K = knit
P = purl
yo = yarn over
k2tog = knit 2 together
RS = right side
WS = wrong side

References:

Provisional cast-ons: (here are a few different methods)
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T7OwOpC6CY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-irRySJHCKE

3-needle bind off:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpJUrCX52DU

Tips:

Don't forget your yarn overs before each k2tog. If you forget one your stitch count will be off.
Also be careful NOT to do a yarn over at the end of the row (before the last 3 sts) as this will add an extra stitch and again your count would be off.  Yarn overs are only done before the k2tog's. 

Directions:

**Choose now whether you’d like to make this by starting with a provisional cast-on, which means you will join at the end with a 3-needle bind off,  OR you can just choose a regular cast-on method of your choice, then bind off at the end and sew your seam.

 

Set up:
For Provisional Cast-on (this means you will use a 3-needle bind off at the end) Using waste yarn perform a provisional cast on of your choice, cast on 68 Sts.
For Regular Cast on (this means you will sew your seam at the end.)  Using main yarn, cast on 68 sts using any regular cast on method you prefer.  I myself prefer the long-tail cast on.


With main yarn now:
1. Knit
2. Purl

Pattern rows: (To see a video of pattern rows 1&2 go here) https://youtu.be/TMRYk2aYVJg 

1. (RS) k3, *yo, k2tog*, repeat from * to * (do not yo after that last k2tog!!) until last 3 stitches, k3.
2. (WS) p3, *yo, k2tog*, repeat from * to * (do not yo after that last k2tog!!) until last 3 stitches, p3.

*OPTIONAL:  Place stitch markers after your 3 edge sts at the beginning and before the 3 edge sts at the end.  

Repeat the Pattern rows 1 and 2 until your piece measures 30" from first row, ending with row 2.

Knit one row.

Seaming:  
For those who used a Provisional Cast-on:
Using spare knitting needle, pick up the 68 stitches from the cast on, set aside.

Now, on the end that was the last row you worked, p3 sts, then k1, then place the last st worked back on the left hand needle, drop the other 3 sts off the needle (yep, let 'em drop off the needle, this will become your fringe later) then place that st that you worked (the 4th one) back on the right needle.  On the spare needle, the one with the sts you picked up from the provisional cast on, hold it parallel to the other working needle, right sides together, drop the first 3 sts off the needle.  Now knit a stitch from the provisional cast on side, now you have 2 sts on your right hand needle, pass st 1 over st 2.
Now perform a 3-needle bind off, when you get to the last 3 stitches (on both needles), stop, and let them drop off (again, this will become fringe).  Tie off on the last st worked and weave in end.

For those who used a regular Cast-on:

P3, k1,  k the next st, pass the 4^th st on right needle over the 5^th one as to bind off, place the new stitch you just made when you bound it off onto the left hand needle, drop those 3 edge sts off of the right hand needle, now place the st that you set onto the left needle back onto the right needle, continue to bind off until 3 sts remain on each needle, drop these last 3 sts on each needle (these will become fringe also).  Cut yarn, tie off and weave in.  Sew your bind off edge to the cast on edge (except those 3 edge stitches on each side which are dropped - don't sew those, they need to stay loose and dropped to pull the fringe.

To make the fringe, start gently tugging at an end where 3 sts were dropped, until a loop works its way out, when one loop comes out tug the next one.  A video showing this is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtUHcyS-0Jc

My cowl was 15.5" wide x 14.75" tall.  (height was measured fringe to fringe.)
You can certainly use different weight yarn, different size needles, add more stitches to get more width (just make sure you are using multiples of 2 plus 6 stitches for the edge sts.) your results in size will vary but do it the way you want it!  :)

I did not block mine, I simply put them in the washing machine and the dryer, and wore them the way they came out.  I love the crazy stringy fringe. 

To Download, View, or Print this pattern, click on the link below for the PDF file:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_oZ8-XeMq3pMlN6VHpZamZHTms/view?usp=sharing


Back to Pattern Index