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]

I don’t often share knitting patterns for pets, mostly because I don’t think of it. I don’t have a dog, and I’ve never knit for my cats except a knit couch and a little cat bed I made on a knitting machine, both of which were pretty much ignored.

I have shared some pet bed knitting patterns, and both hats and sweaters for dogs.

But I don’t think I’ve shared a pattern for a cat sweater, until now.

This one is the Bunny sweater by Sarah Zhou, so named because her cat is named Bunny, of course.

It’s a made to measure pattern because cats come in all shapes and sizes, and you can also use any yarn you like and whatever gauge you are getting with that yarn.

The design is knit from the bottom up, that is, from the tail side up toward the head. Pairs of decreases shape the body as you work toward the armholes, which are made by binding off a few stitches. Then the belly and the back are worked flat, then joined and worked in the round for the chest part.

There are some design options in the pattern, from the look of the photos they include using a contrasting color for the edging, working a scalloped edging, maybe a foldover collar? But of course you can add your own embellishments, stripes, make it in team colors or for a Halloween costume. I’m sure they’re quick to knit so you can make a bunch if you have a cat who is willing to submit to such torture.

Bunny looks like a very good and mostly tolerant girl; I don’t think either of my cats would be willing to wear a sweater. But if you make one (the pattern is available on Ravelry) and successfully get your cat to wear it I would love to hear about it!

[Photo: Sarah Zhou]

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