Bandana Cowl Knitting Patterns

I like to knit shawls, and I like the look of a shawl, but I don’t wear my knit shawls very often because they’re often a pain to keep where you want them on your body (not to mention the difficulty of eating with a giant piece of knitting wrapped around your neck!).

A great compromise is a bandana cowl, which has a triangular shape in the front but a cowl neck so you can slip it on over your head and it stays where you want it. If you’re new to this genre of knitting, allow me to introduce you to some bandana cowl knitting patterns.

You can start simple like the chunky garter stitch bandana cowl from Pixie Bell. This project uses super bulky yarn and you can have the front standing up or rolled down for extra warmth.

Or try the LYS cowl from Stitchology Shop, which uses mostly stockinette stitch with an I-cord edging and a bit of ribbing at the neck edge. This one uses DK weight yarn and is lovely in a multicolored yarn.

Of course you can add any stitch pattern or technique to one of these cowls, such as this easy eyelet pattern from Happy Dog Crafts (kind of reminds me of my winter kerchief). The original was worked in DK weight yarn but you can also use worsted weight for a little more warmth if you like.

Or how about Sweater Freak’s Endless Chances cowl (on Ravelry)? This one uses the fun and easy broken rib pattern and calls for DK weight yarn.

Add in a little color with the Creativity Cowl by Tori Yu, which uses a solid color and either a multicolored yarn or scraps to make the stripes. The original used DK weight yarn but the pattern is written so that you can use any yarn or gauge. Grab the pattern on Ravelry.

Make your bandana cowl a little more interesting with a scalloped edge like on the Asti pattern from Natasja Hornby. This fingering weight project has a pretty mosaic knit pattern along the edges and a solid color on the cowl. It’s worked flat and seamed at the back for easy wearing. Find it on Ravelry.

Play with two color brioche on a bandana cowl with this pattern from Lavanya Patricella. It’s worked in DK weight yarn and gives you practice working brioche flat and in the round.

A Simple Cowl for When You Need to Think [Knitting]

Add Some Doodles to Your Cowl with this Fun Arctic Pattern [Knitting]

Generally I like knitting patterns where I feel like you can use whatever yarn you have (because my stash is big enough and I want to use it, thanks) and make a successful project. This is one of those times when a special yarn makes the process that much easier.

The Floral Bouquet Shawl from Xandy Peters uses a specific extended color pooling yarn from Feisty Fibers, which allows you to place the bobble flowers with increasing frequency as you knit the project.

It starts with a solid color yarn, then the two color yarn is added in, and you make a bobble whenever you encounter the color pops. This would be hard to replicate with other yarn that doesn’t have the extended color pooling built in.

The background of the shawl is ribbed, making the project reversible.

The shawl uses fingering/sock yarn and comes out to be an asymmetrical triangle that’s 54 inches/137 cm long and 36 inches/ 90 cm deep and 60 inches/150 cm across the top edge.

Xandy says the pattern is for intermediate to advanced knitters. Knowing how to work traditional bobbles would probably help, but there’s a great video tutorial for how to work the floral bobbles so you can practice on other yarn or even incorporate the bobbles into other projects.

The bobbles are five-petaled flowers but they also kind of look like starfish to me, which could be fun on a child’s cardigan or other pattern. They’d also be fun on the leg of a sock or around the brim of a hat for extra whimsy.

The pattern includes photo and video tutorials, and written and charted instructions. It also includes tips on what to look for if you choose to use different yarn for the project, and instructions on how to dye your own yarn to use in the project.

If you want to give it a try, you can find the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Xandy Peters]

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