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Contemporary yarn crafts by Heidi Gustad. Knitting, crochet, latch hook and macrame.

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Faux Woven Cowl – The Warmest in the World!

January 20, 2014 33 Comments

Knitted Faux Woven Cowl - Free Knitting Pattern at Hands Occupied

I knitted up a version of this cowl in dijon mustard yellow for my husband for Christmas this year, and he loves it so much! A Chicago train commuter, he’s been walking face first through the polar vortex and claims his cowl is nearly impenetrable by wind. This is one of my favorite knitting designs, and I’m super excited to share the pattern & technique used with you. :)

Supplies

bulky yarn (I used 3 skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas’ Bulky in frost.)
knitting needles in the right size
yarn needle
scissors

Directions

To start, you’ll need to cast on an odd number of stitches with an invisible (a.k.a. provisional) cast on, which I shared last week. I used 23 stitches for my cowl, but you can do whatever works for you & your yarn.

How to do a provisional or invisible kitting cast on

Once you’re ready to knit, here’s the pattern:

{k1, bring yarn to front as if to purl, sl1}, repeat from { to } until last stitch, k1
{bring yarn to back as if to knit, sl1, p1}, repeat from { to } until last stitch, bring yarn to back as if to knit, sl1
repeat to end, leaving a couple feet of extra yarn to finish the cowl

The faux weave effect is super unique, which is partly why I think it’s so beautiful. That also means it’s a little tough to learn from a knitting pattern, so I made a video demoing how to do this. Here ya go!

When you’ve knitted the length of your cowl, leaving a couple feet of yarn to work with at the end, you’re ready to attach the two ends of the cowl with a kitchener stitch (a.k.a. grafting).

Grafting / Kitchener Stitch

1. Keep both ends of your knitting on your knitting needles. Thread the long tail of your yarn onto a yarn needle.

2. To set up your grafting, hold your knitting needles parallel to each other. Poke your (yarn) needle through the first loop on the needle closest to you purlwise, as shown. Keeping the loop on the needle, pull the yarn tail through.

How to Graft Knitting Ends / Kitchener Stitch

3. The other part of the setup is to poke your needle through the first loop on the far knitting needle knitwise, also leaving the loop on the needle. Pull the tail through.

How to Graft Knitting Ends / Kitchener Stitch

Now the setup is done. For all the loops from now until the final two loops, you’ll do the following. 

4. Insert the yarn needle again through the first loop on the closer knitting needle knitwise, slipping it off the end. Sew through the next loop purlwise, pulling the tail through.

How to Graft Knitting Ends / Kitchener Stitch How to Graft Knitting Ends / Kitchener Stitch

5. Insert the needle through the first loop on the far knitting needle purlwise, slipping it off the end. Sew through the next loop knitwise, pulling the tail through.

How to Graft Knitting Ends / Kitchener Stitch

How to Graft Knitting Ends / Kitchener Stitch

The pattern to remember from now until the last two loops is: knit, purl, purl, knit. KPPK. 

6. After a few stitches you’ll want to pull on your working yarn to tighten your work. This helps keep the invisible cast on invisible.

How to Graft Knitting Ends / Kitchener Stitch

7. When you find yourself with just one loop on each knitting needle, you’ll finish by repeating steps 2 and 3. Weave in all ends, and trim all tails to finish your cowl.

Knitted Faux Woven Cowl - Free Knitting Pattern at Hands Occupied

I first learned this knitted faux weaving technique when I knitted my way through Knit Scarves! by Candi Jensen in high school.

Filed Under: DIY Style, Free Patterns, Knitting, Knitting & Crochet, Video Tutorials Tagged With: cowl, diy, faux woven, infinity scarf, knit, Knitting, provisional cast on, scarf, woven effect knitting

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author & content creator in love with primary colors & vintage vibes. She specializes in knitting, crochet, latch hook and macramé, and her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now!

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Comments

  1. Rachel | 52 Weeks Project

    January 20, 2014 at 11:25 am

    Super cute Heidi! Actually makes me want to give knitting another try :)

    Reply
  2. KM

    January 23, 2014 at 9:38 pm

    This is super cute! Thanks for sharing the pattern.

    Reply
  3. Janet Callaghan

    January 27, 2014 at 7:11 am

    Great stitch, thanks for showing

    Reply
  4. Alisha

    January 27, 2014 at 7:21 am

    I love this cowl. I am going to give this a try after I finish my husbands sweater. TFS the pattern and video!!

    Reply
  5. Viviana

    January 27, 2014 at 9:37 am

    Hi, thanks for the pattern, super cute! I have a question, I knit in the round. How many stitches do u think I should cast on? Thanks

    Reply
    • Heidi

      January 27, 2014 at 1:06 pm

      Hi Viviana! Do an odd number of stitches (the exact amount will vary depend in the gauge of your yarn), and mark the beginning of each round with a stitch marker. Since you won’t be flipping your work, you’ll just alternate knitting and slipping, but you alternate starting each round with a knit or a slip. Let me know if that doesn’t make sense :) -Heidi

      Reply
      • Cristina

        April 21, 2014 at 11:46 am

        I marked the needle used for the row to slip purlwise.
        Heidi, did you block the cowl? I’ve never done it & besides, I don’t know if I want to stretch it & not leave it tight for warmth
        Thanks again,
        Cristina

        Reply
        • Heidi

          April 21, 2014 at 3:26 pm

          I didn’t block mine for similar reasons. If you really want to block yours, just make sure to look up the best method for the yarn you used.

          Reply
  6. Ruth

    January 27, 2014 at 2:44 pm

    Years ago when my daughter was a little girl I made her a hat, scarf and mittens using the same stitch. It is easy and very warm.

    Reply
  7. Elaine

    January 27, 2014 at 11:38 pm

    I love that cowl, awesome. I also love your gloves. . . What pattern did you use or is it your own?

    Reply
    • Heidi

      January 28, 2014 at 12:20 am

      You caught me, Elaine :). I got those as a gift for the holidays, I threw them on since they matched my glasses so well! Forgive me?

      Reply
  8. Monika

    January 28, 2014 at 1:31 am

    Your cowl looks stunning!
    Thanks for sharing this stitch (great work with tutorial btw) because now I finally know perfect pattern to knit rug/door mat from t-shirt yarn. I’ve already tried the gauge and works great. You should try too if you are DIY addict :)
    Warm Regards from Rotterdam (NL)

    Reply
    • Heidi

      January 28, 2014 at 1:20 pm

      Thank you! I appreciate it :)

      Reply
  9. Deb

    January 28, 2014 at 8:47 am

    Heidi, being fairly new to knitting I have no idea what size needles to use, what is an “appropriate” size? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Heidi

      January 28, 2014 at 1:19 pm

      Hi Deb! Here’s how to use our yarn’s label to determine the needles you need: http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2013/06/deciphering-yarn-labels/. Since this is just a cowl, and not something more complicated like a sweater, you should be good just using the needle size recommended on the label! Don’t hesitate to email/comment if you have any questions! :) -Heidi

      Reply
  10. Kokeshette

    January 28, 2014 at 11:19 am

    Oh, I love the stitch and the color !!
    And, as I already knitted a cowl with this yarn, I have the right needles ! No excuse !
    I think I might update my blog with this cowl in a few weeks… :-)
    Thanks for the pattern !

    Reply
  11. Frida

    February 2, 2014 at 4:27 am

    Great pattern :)
    Thank you for sharing.

    Hugs
    Frida
    http://www.fridaspeach.wordpress.com

    Reply
  12. Vicki

    February 2, 2014 at 10:28 am

    Love this cowl. I am making one now for a good friend. Can’t wait to make one for myself. Thanks for the nice pattern.

    Reply
  13. Kokeshette

    February 14, 2014 at 3:25 am

    Hi Heidi,

    My cowl is ready ! I followed all the instructions of your blog : I mean, I used the same yarn, same color, same quantity, same number of stitchs… :-) http://www.ravelry.com/projects/Kokeshette/faux-woven-cowl
    I love it !! And thanks for the explanation, especially the video of the stitch !
    Moreover, it made me try the provisional cast on and grafting.

    I’d like to share it on my blog, which is in French. Are you ok, if I just translate the part where you explain the pattern ? For the other instructions, I will redirect to your blog or some video in French.

    Thanks again for sharing !

    Reply
    • Heidi

      February 16, 2014 at 8:30 pm

      No problem! I’ve blogged my take on someone else’s pattern before (here’s how I formatted it: http://www.handsoccupied.com/2013/12/lovely-lacey-scarf/ – I didn’t paste her charts or the pattern into my post since I didn’t write it). If you could refer your readers to this post for the pattern in English, that would be great. Thanks so much for asking ahead of time! :) You’re the best.

      Reply
      • Kokeshette

        February 20, 2014 at 10:00 am

        Thanks :-)
        It’s now on my blog (in French) :-)
        http://kokeshette.fr/2014/02/diy-le-tuto-du-snood-tisse.html

        Reply
  14. zouzoubidouille

    April 13, 2014 at 3:01 am

    Superbe merci beaucoup pour ce beau modèle , il me tarde de l’essayer
    Bises
    Ingrid

    Reply
  15. Cristina

    April 21, 2014 at 5:18 am

    Hi Heidi,
    I’ve made it!
    Only 2 days work :-)
    I’ve followed your instructions and made it with the very same yarn (that I had to mail order as it’s not easy to find in Spain). When the first skein finished I balled the second and then I took a pic of the work the ball & 3rd skein as was in a shabby chic theme. As usual I got side tracked with a mini chest of drawers I was decoupaging and was in the mentioned picture. When I restarted knitting I didn’t remember which side I was in & had to repeat the row 4 times :-(
    And then came the grafting. I didn’t follow it well the 1st time & had to repeat, but then I realized it was the same way my mum had taught me to join it (but for the leaving it on the needles) and as it was a bit loose I pulled the yarn. Once at the end. I realizad the loose thread was from the last row not the grafting so I ended up with 3 threads to hide thru the stitches. And now is 25ºC here in Alcalá de Henares so it’ll be a while before I try its warmth.
    Thank you very much for your detailed explanation & all the pics
    XOXO, Cristina

    Reply
  16. ali

    July 21, 2014 at 9:35 pm

    Simply beautiful! Thanks for sharing this lovely stitch. :)

    Reply
  17. Ali

    November 5, 2014 at 2:17 pm

    Thank you for this pattern! (And for tips on working it in the round) I just started it last night and it’s knitting up like a dream!

    Reply
  18. Eliza

    December 15, 2014 at 9:49 pm

    I LOVE the texture of this stitch! I would like to knit a hat using the same pattern. Is this stitch particularly stretchy? Have you used for something other than a cowl before?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Heidi

      December 15, 2014 at 10:54 pm

      It’s actually, ironically, not stretchy at all! But if you get creative with a more elastic yarn than the one used in this pattern, you might be able to make it work. -Heidi

      Reply
  19. Edith J. Nutt

    January 24, 2015 at 10:43 am

    Would you please show me your (A.K.A.) Provisional Cast On again.
    missed it.
    Thank you Edith

    Reply
    • Heidi

      January 24, 2015 at 10:50 am

      Here you go, Edith: provisional cast on tutorial.

      Reply
  20. Pamela

    March 2, 2015 at 8:56 pm

    Just a suggestion. Don’t play music in the background on your videos. It makes it very hard to hear what you are saying. And for those of us prone to migraines, that particular piece made it impossible to watch the whole video. Although it looks like you do a good job otherwise with your videos. :)

    Reply
    • Heidi

      March 4, 2015 at 8:21 am

      Thanks, Pamela! This was one of my first knitting tutorial videos – you might want to check out the more recent ones to see what they’re like these days. Spoiler alert: Great minds! ;)

      Reply
  21. Cris

    July 9, 2016 at 12:02 pm

    I made this very same cowl thanks to you. The joining was a bit tricky, but…

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 20 TURQUOISE TUTORIALS | JADERBOMB says:
    January 21, 2014 at 10:49 pm

    […] Jar Cups via Madigan Made  Tassel Earrings via Lana Red Studio Faux Woven Cowl via Hands Occupied  Turquoise and Silver Faith Bracelet via Wait till your Father get’s home Diy […]

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi, an author, yarn craft designer and content creator specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. My work unapologetically features primary colors and vintage-meets-modern style. My first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is now available!

Professionally I’m most known for: advanced intarsia knitting design & modern latch hook design.

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Happy Wrestlemania weekend, folks!!! 🎊 It’s c Happy Wrestlemania weekend, folks!!! 🎊 It’s coincidentally International Punch Needle Rug Hooking Day today, so I’d be remiss not to share a first look at this project finished JUST in time to wear while I watch some rasslin’ on a pirate ship in a football stadium in Tampa! 💪🏻 I’m excited to watch tonight’s women’s matches the most. Eee!
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Pictured: A blond woman in a denim dress and glasses wearing a giant belt made with punch needle. The belt is made with wool in primary colors and was inspired by the WWE Universal Championship title belt. 
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This is just a preview - after jab 2.0 tomorrow (feeling grateful 🙏🏼), I’ll be editing together a vlog about the design process for this wooly waist cover. Sometimes it’s hard to know how to make some of your wilder craft ideas come to life. Stuff you’ll never find a pattern for, you know? I’ll finish editing that ASAP, but I might take a few days to edit if I feel like trash from 💉 and only want to watch wrestling and wrestling YouTube for a day or two. 😂
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A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-ins A look at the halo on the back of my wrestling-inspired punch needle project! It’s interesting to see how fuzzy the handspun beige yarn is compared with the primary color sections of @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky. ❤️💛💙🤎 
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Pictured: The back of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool sits on the work.
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Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishin Happy Easter / One week til Wrestlemania! Finishing up the punch needling part of this crazy @wwe inspired project by tonight. 💪🏻🧶 Anybody else have crafty plans for this fine spring day? 
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Pictured: A blond woman sits, smiling and holding an in-progress punch needle project inspired by the Universal Championship belt. Houseplants are in the background and there’s lots of sun. 
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#punchneedle #griefproject #handsoccupied #heidigustad #wrestlingcrafts #wwe #universalchampion #universalchampionship #wool #wooloftheandes #primarycolors #oxfordpunchneedle
I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back I'm finally starting to get some of my energy back from the past few weeks, and as I dip my toe back into production mode, the long-promised seamed sweater knitting YouTube series is at the top of my list. I've got FOUR versions of a simple sweater I've been playing with since last JULY to feature as a free pattern for folks who want to knit along during the series. Pictured is the first prototype for the series, knit in 2 colors of @knit_picks Mighty Stitch yarn. I imagine this soon-to-be short sleeved number will come in handy as an emergency Waldo costume or Christmas sweater. 🌲 
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I've got my own list of topics I think folks would like to see in a series like this: things like tips for construction, working with vintage patterns, how to seam as invisibly as possible, and more, but as always, I'd love to hear from you: What scares you about knitting seamed sweaters? What would be helpful to cover, especially since we'll be doing more long form video content. I get so much positive feedback on my series of 20 minute+ intarsia tutorials, so I'm using those as a starting point as I produce this series. Seamed sweaters using vintage or self-improvised patterns are one of my favorite things on the planet, so I'm eager to share some seamed sweater skills with y'all super sweet folks. 😉 
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Pictured: A red and white striped, short sleeved sweater knit in pieces that have yet to be seamed. They are laid out on a yellow and orange colorblock background and one sleeve is yet to be bound off. 
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Work continues this evening on my absurd punch nee Work continues this evening on my absurd punch needle pro wrestling inspired championship belt project. I’ve finished most of the front pretty quickly thanks to the @knit_picks Wool of the Andes Bulky yarn I’m using. For now, I’ve got a couple more weeks until Wrestlemania, & I’m on track to finish this in time! 
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The biggest question I have is what to do with the “plates” - the open circles in the picture. Should I try to closely replicate the Universal Championship belt or go rogue and make it wool themed? Please advise in the comments. ☺️🧶🙏🏻🐑 
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Pictured: The front of an in-progress punch needle project. A wooden punch needle tool with navy yarn running through it rests on top of the work. 
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#kpambassadorsmar21 #sponsored #knitpicks #punchneedle #rugmaking #primarycolors #punchneedlerughooking #punchneedlelove #wool #wip #yarncraft #yarn #yarnaddict
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