Step out in style and brave the chill with this exquisite granny stitch cowl. The Ella Cowl adds a touch of timeless elegance to any outfit. Wrap yourself in cozy warmth and let the world admire your chic style as you conquer the day with both grace and comfort!

The Ella granny stitch cowl

Introducing the captivating Ella Cowl – a masterpiece of crochet artistry that effortlessly blends the timeless charm of the granny stitch with the delicate texture of the seed stitch. This unique fusion creates a visually stunning fabric, where sections of the slightly open work granny stitch alternate seamlessly with the subtle, texture of the seed stitch. 

The Ella Cowl is designed not only to be a beautiful accessory, but to envelop you in warmth and comfort during the coldest of days. Its oversized width offers extra coverage, ensuring your cozy comfort against the brisk winds of winter. It’s also just light enough for the cool weather of fall and spring.

I often prefer a granny stitch cowl to a granny square scarf to dress up an outfit and add a touch of warmth when the weather isn’t quite cold enough for winter wear. But, make no mistake. This gorgeous granny stitch cowl will keep you warm even on the coldest of winter days.

Time to learn a little about the Ella granny stitch cowl.

Design + Construction of the granny stitch cowl

On a recent trip to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, my daughter and I happened upon the booth of one of my absolute favorite indie-dyers – Shirsty Cat Designs. I’ll talk about the yarn below but, suffice it to say, I came away with some gorgeous yarn to play with!

In this case, I let the yarn decide what the design would be. I wanted to highlight the beautiful shading of the rich, saturated color and bring out the slight shimmer of the Sparkle DK. That’s why I chose to combine granny stitch and seed stitch in the same granny stitch cowl.

I love the look of the granny stitch because it creates a slight open work look. I don’t think the traditional granny stitch gets enough recognition and love, especially because it’s so versatile and plays so well with other stitch patterns. It was easy to find a complimentary stitch pattern for this granny stitch cowl.

The seed stitch makes the perfect partner to the granny stitch because the repetitive basic stitch pattern results in a subtle texture that offers lightweight coverage. The granny stitch and the seed stitch are perfect contrasting but complimentary partners in this granny stitch cowl.

The construction is quite simple. Featuring alternating sections of granny stitch and seed stitch, the granny stitch cowl is worked flat like a traditional scarf. The ends are then sewn together to form the ring of the granny stitch cowl. It is the absolute perfect mindful make; in fact, I was a little upset when the cowl was finished!

Both stitches are incredibly easy to make. The granny stitch is based on the traditional granny stitch found in granny squares. As for the seed stitch, the alternating single and double crochets across the row and then from row to row is as simple as the stitches that make up the seed stitch pattern.

The Yarn

As I said, when I visited the Shirsty Cat Designs booth at the recent Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, I picked up one of the most gorgeous yarns I’ve ever worked with. Kelly has such a knack for creating the most sumptuous yarns in gorgeous saturated colors. When I found her Sparkle DK in Blue Monday, I fell in love!

Sparkle DK is a Superwash merino wool DK weight yarn with 20% nylon and 5% stellina, a metallic toned nylon that provides the beautiful shimmer.

This granny stitch cowl takes 2 full hanks. I basically kept crocheting until I had finished a pattern section and didn’t have much yarn left. The yarn is on the expensive side so I wanted to be sure I used almost every inch.

This granny stitch cowl will work up nicely in any DK weight yarn you might choose. However, stick with Superwash Merino wool for the most luxurious make in your fall/winter wardrobe.

The pattern is free here. So, why do I need to buy the PDF?

Every crocheter has her own style of setting up a project. Some are happy just working from the free pattern here on the blog.

But, if you prefer to work from a beautifully formatted, ad-free PDF that you can print out to make notes on or add to your favorite mobile device, purchasing the PDF is the way to go. Plus, this pattern comes with a handy crochet chart to show stitch placement.

It’s available in all my shops. Simply click on the button for your favorite shop and you’re on you way!

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Stitching with Granny Blog Hop

The Stitching with Granny event, hosted by Cosy Rosie UK, is back for a 3rd year and you will find patterns featuring the granny stitch AND variations of it.

I’m so excited to be featured in this event once again. I absolutely love the granny square and granny stitch so this event is perfect.

On Sunday, August 20, the Ella Cowl is the featured design. On that day, beginning at 8am EDT, you can purchase the PDF for 50% off. Here’s how to get your coupon code:

The coupon code is listed on the event post. Click on the graphic below to visit the event post. Make note of the code while you’re there.

Once you return here, click on the graphic below. The coupon code for 50% off is only good in my Ravelry shop until 8am EDT Monday, August 21. Use the code at checkout to get your discount.

All of the designs featured in the Stitching with Granny event are available in an inexpensive bundle you can purchase right now. Visit the sales page and you’ll get a sneak peek at all the beautiful designs.

Once this event is over, the bundle goes away forever. Grab your copy today!

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The Ella Cowl Free Pattern starts here.

Thank you for staying on this post and reading my patterns right here on the blog, without copy/pasting. When you stay here to follow the free version of my pattern, I am compensated for my time and energy. This is a great, free way to support a designer. If you would like to save this for later, bookmark the page to save it in your mobile browser.

Yarn

Shirsty Cat “Sparkle DK” 75% Superwash Merino/20% Nylon/ 5% Stellina (231 yds/100g) – 2 hanks of Blue Monday

Note: If you choose to substitute a yarn for the Sparkle DK, choose a yarn at the heavier end of the DK spectrum to get the same effect and stick with Superwash Merino Wool.

Hook

US size H-8 (5mm)

Tool

Tapestry needle for weaving in ends and sewing seam

Finished Size: Approx. 34” around x 13” wide

Gauge: 5 GS = 4”; 7 rows of GS = 3″

Skill level: Advanced beginner

Abbreviations – US crochet terminology

• beg – beginning
• ch – chain
• dc – double crochet
• rep – repeat
• sc – single crochet
• sk – skip
• sp – space
• st(s) – stitch(es)
• YO – yarn over

Special Stitches

Granny stitch (GS) – 3 dc in the same sp

Seed Stitch – Single crochets alternate with double crochets across the row. In subsequent rows, double crochets are worked in the single crochets and the single crochets are worked in double crochets for a bumpy texture.

Stacked single crochet (STsc) – (This stitch is used at the beginning of a row or round to replace the traditional turning ch-3. It has the appearance of a dc.) – Insert hook in same st as loop, YO, draw up loop, YO, pull through 2 loops (bottom sc made), insert hook in left vertical bar of bottom sc, YO, draw up loop, YO, pull through 2 loops (top sc made).

Written Instructions for the Ella granny stitch Cowl

Pattern Notes

1. This cowl is reversible; the stitches look the same on both sides. However, once you’ve sewn the 2 ends together, you’ll want to wear the cowl so the seam isn’t visible in front.
2. A ch-1 at the beg of a row does not count as a st.
3. A ch-3 may be substituted for the STsc throughout. If you do, it counts as a dc and should be worked into at the end of the row.
4. Granny stitches are worked in the spaces between granny stitches from the previous row (where a typical ch-1 sp would be).
5. The first and last Seed Stitch sections contain 4 rows each instead of the 8 rows of the other sections. Because the ends of the cowl are sewn together, these 2 sections combine to form 1 complete section.

Pattern Instructions

Ch 48.

Seed Stitch

Row 1: Sc in the 2^nd ch from the hook, [dc in the next ch, sc in the next ch] across, turn. (24 sc, 23 dc)

Row 2: STsc, [sc in the next st, dc in the next st] across, turn. (23 sc, 24 dc)

Row 3: Ch 1, sc in the same st, [dc in the next st, sc in the next st] across, turn. (24 sc, 23 dc)

Row 4: Rep Row 2.

Granny Stitch

Row 5: STsc, sk 1 st, GS in the next st, [sk 2 sts, GS in the next st] across to last 2 sts, sk 1 st, dc in the last st, turn. (15 GS, 2 dc)

Row 6: STsc, dc in the sp before the 1^st GS, GS in each sp across, dc in the sp after the last GS and in the last st, turn. (14 GS, 4 dc)

Row 7: STsc, GS in the 1^st sp and in each sp across, dc in the last st, turn. (15 GS, 2 dc)

Rows 8-11: Rep Rows 6 & 7 twice.

Seed Stitch

Row 12: Ch 1, sc in the same st, [dc in the next st, sc in the next st] across, turn. (24 sc, 23 dc)

Row 13: STsc, [sc in the next st, dc in the next st] across, turn. (23 sc, 24 dc)

Rows 14-19: Rep Rows 12 & 13 3 times.

To complete the cowl, alternate sections of Granny Stitch and Seed Stitch.

Rows 20-26: Rep Rows 5-11.

Rows 27-34: Rep Rows 12-19.

Rows 35-41: Rep Rows 5-11.

Rows 42-49: Rep Rows 12-19.

Rows 50-56: Rep Rows 5-11.

Rows 57-64: Rep Rows 12-19.

Rows 65-71: Rep Rows 5-11.

Rows 72-79: Rep Rows 12-19.

Rows 80-86: Rep Rows 5-11.

Rows 87-90: Rep Rows 12-15.

Note: The above section is only 4 rows because it will be sewn to the 1^st 4 rows to form a complete Seed Stitch section.

Fasten off and leave a tail long enough to sew the 2 ends of the cowl together.

Block the scarf if necessary, using the method best for your yarn choice.

Finishing the cowl

Holding the ends of the cowl together without twisting, whip stitch through the foundation ch of the beg and both loops of the last rnd. Fasten off and weave in ends.

Congratulations, your Ella Cowl is ready to wear!

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