The Kate Crochet Cowl is the perfect way to effortlessly refresh your style. Crochet your own stylish accessory with the free pattern on the blog!

The Kate Crochet Cowl: A free pattern

A crochet cowl is a staple in my wardrobe. It beautifully completes a professional, business outfit. It spices up casual wear. Or, it can be just the right amount of coverage for the cooler weather. A crochet cowl is my go-to accessory for any outing.

The Kate Cowl was designed specifically for my daughter who loves to wear a crochet cowl. A few weeks ago, she just happened to be heading into the city for a work-related event. I whipped up the cowl just in time for her to wear it. The crochet cowl looked stunning with her dress and gave it just the polished look it deserved.

The beauty of the Kate Cowl is that it can be worn with jeans and a t-shirt as well as that pretty dress. The possibilities are endless!

Whatever you choose to use a crochet cowl for, the versatility it offers is priceless, making it a must-have accessory for your wardrobe.

Design + Construction

Because the DK weight Superwash merino wool yarn I chose is so gorgeous, I wanted it to be the star of the show. The dark colors meant that any attempt at texture stitches would be lost.

I kept the design for the Kate crochet cowl simple, choosing one of my all-time favorite variations of the granny stitch, the modern granny stitch. It’s a simple stitch pattern that  creates a subtle, openwork fabric that has beautiful, fluid drape. This crochet cowl lays beautifully at the neckline, the perfect accessory for dressing up any outfit.

The modern granny stitch is an easy to remember and easy to work two-round repeat. Once the foundation round is set up, the stitches of one round work logically into the stitches of the round before.

The 1st round of the modern granny stitch pattern is worked in traditional granny stitch. The 2nd round of the repeat is worked in double crochet 3 together, literally flipping the granny stitch upside down. 

This two-round repeat creates a subtle openwork fabric with beautiful drape and cozy coverage.

Two rounds of half double crochet on either side of the crochet cowl gives it a clean finished edge that lays nicely.

If you find yourself falling in love with the modern granny stitch, the Floryn Baby Blanket is a gorgeous, lightweight crochet baby blanket that incorporates the modern granny stitch. The best part…the pattern is free on the blog!

Skill Level

Like many MadameStitch designs, this crochet cowl is a perfect mindful crochet make, easily completed in just an evening or weekend. You’ll be sporting your brand new crochet cowl the next time you’re out and about!

The Kate Cowl is perfect for crocheters of all skill levels, offering a quick, easy project that results in a stunning, fashion-forward accessory. But, if you’re just starting out on your crochet journey, this crochet cowl makes a great early project because of its simplicity.

The Yarn for the Kate Crochet Cowl

I am on a mission to support independent yarn dyers whenever I can. When I visit one of the large fiber festivals, such as the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, I make it a point to visit as many yarn suppliers as I can. 

Recently, I saw a post by Destination Yarn for a new color called “Home Alone House”. Because I love DK weight yarn (and the color was spectacular), I knew I had to order some and make a crochet cowl out of it.

Any DK weight yarn is suitable for this crochet cowl. However, this is the perfect accessory to indulge in a little luxury.

The cowl looks best when worked in a Superwash merino wool. The sample is worked in Destination Yarn “Souvenir”, a DK weight yarn that offers a soft feel and gorgeous stitch definition. 

Check out Souvenir DK and other yarns at the Destination Yarn website. I love their mission statement and the inspiration behind all of their yarns.

The Kate crochet cowl is a great stash buster, too. If you have random hanks of just one color of DK weight yarn that have no assigned project, you can grab one from your stash. That makes this a free project!

Whatever you choose, make sure the yarn has a soft feel and fluid drape.

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The Kate Cowl Free Pattern

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.

Materials and Tools

Yarn

Destination Yarn “Souvenir” 100% Superwash merino wool DK (3.5 oz/231 yd; 100g)

Color: Home Alone House – 1 hank – The sample used almost all of 1 hank.

Hook

US size H-8 (5mm) or size needed for gauge

General Information

Finished size: Approx. 8″ x 32″ around (A smaller size is included with the premium PDF)

Gauge: 5 GS x Rounds 2-8 = approx. 4″ (Gauge is not critical for this crochet cowl but you run the risk of running out of yarn if the gauge is too loose.)

Skill Level: Adventurous Beginner

Abbreviations – US crochet terminology

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

Special Stitches

Dc3tog for the beg of the rnd: Insert hook in indicated st, YO, pull up a loop, YO, pull through 2 loops (sc made), [YO, insert hook in next st, YO, pull up a loop, YO, pull through 2 loops] twice, YO, pull through all loops on the hook.

Double crochet 3 together (dc3tog) – (YO, insert hook in next st, YO, pull up loop, YO, pull through 2 loops) 3 times, YO, pull through 4 loops.

Granny stitch (GS) – 3 dc in the same st.

Foundation half double crochet (Fhdc) – To start the row, ch 2, YO, insert hook in 2^nd ch from hook, YO, pull up a loop, YO, pull through 1 loop (this forms the chain along the bottom), YO, pull through 3 loops on the hook (hdc made). All other Fhdc in the row: YO, insert hook under both loops of the chain at bottom of previous st, YO, pull up a loop, YO, pull through 1 loop (this forms the chain along the bottom), YO, pull through 3 loops on the hook (hdc made).

Free Pattern Instructions

Pattern Notes

1. Do not turn after any rnd. All rnds are worked from the right side.
2. Ch 1 at the beg of a rnd does not count as a st.
3. You may substitute a ch-2 or ch-3 for the STsc at any time without changing the construction of the cowl.
4. Stitch counts are only listed when they change.

Written Instructions

Rnd 1: Fhdc 120 OR ch 121, hdc in 2^nd ch from hook and in each ch across, join with slip st to beg st, being careful not to twist. < 120 hdc >

Rnd 2: Ch 1, hdc in the same st and in each st around, join with slip st to beg st.

Note: The modern granny stitch pattern starts here.

Rnd 3: Slip st into the next st, (STsc, 2 dc) in the same st (counts as 1^st GS), [sk 2 sts, GS in the next st] around, join with slip st to beg st. < 40 GS >

Rnd 4: Dc3tog over the 1^st GS (use instructions for the beg of the rnd), ch 2, [dc3tog over the next GS, ch 2] around, join with slip st to beg st. < 40 dc3tog, 40 ch-2 sp >

Rnd 5: (STsc, 2 dc) in the same st, GS in the top of the next dc3tog and in each dc3tog around.  < 40 GS >

Rnds 6-13: Rep Rnds 4-5 4 times.                

Rnd 14-15: Rep Rnd 2 twice.

Fasten off and weave in ends.