Big Scarves and Cowls to Keep You Warm

November 6, 2014 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

I may have mentioned that my husband has tasked me with knitting gifts for his team of six at work, and I’m trying to do cowls for everyone (well, and a scarf for the man). And while I really want to design them all myself (simple patterns, nothing at all crazy) I keep seeing great patterns for scarves and cowls that look super warm and that I just want to knit (if we’re being honest, I want to knit them for myself, but that’s another issue).

So if you’re in the market for a cozy scarf or cowl to keep yourself warm or to gift to someone this year, check out these great patterns.

The Tiverton Tweed Mesh Scarf from Classic Elite Yarns is just about big enough to be called a shawl, but the eyelet stitch makes it comfortable and the tweed yarn makes it perfect for fall.

I don’t know why this one is only showing as a PDF, but the Baby Alpaca Brush Ribbon Scarf from Plymouth Yarn is super warm and easy to knit and one you’ll want for a special gift for someone who loves softness.

The fun and chunky Learn to Cable Scarf from Lion Brand will surely teach you to do just that, and the color blocking is pretty fun, though of course you could knit it in one color, too.

Also from Lion Brand is the Mountain View Scarf, a really quick, easy and big knit sure to keep you cozy in the mountains or anywhere else.

The Carmela Cowl from Filatura di Crosa is a giant stockinette stitch loop but the yarn used has so much texture it looks almost like the project has bobbles. Super cool.

The Big Rib Cowl from Yarnspirations is a really quick and easy knit, and worked in a neutral color it would be great for a guy, too.

The Cleo Cowl is another great one for beginners, and the yarn used looks like something you’d just want to curl up in all winter long.

Next Pattern:

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Use Your Sock Yarn Scraps to Knit a Colorful Scarf

Using your yarn stash is important to me throughout the year, but as I start to feel the end of the year coming on I get more excited about using things I already have in the house. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to go to a store in the thick of holiday shopping times, or I like the idea of having a little space in my stash when the new year rolls around.

It’s super satisfying to use up all the little odd balls you’ve made over the year (or years), and I have several stash busting blankets I work on when it’s cold and will maybe finish someday.

If you’d like to start a stash busting project that’s perfect for using up odd balls, check out the Soukish pattern from Neisha Abdulla. This pattern is made for fingering weight/sock yarn, and it’s worked in a tube with allover color work.

This is great for a couple of reasons. You don’t really have to weave in your ends when you can hide them in a tube (this is one time you might even get by just tying a knot when you change colors!) and you can change colors whenever you run out of yarn and it will look good.

Of course the pattern is made with blocks where the designer changed colors, but you can change yours more or less often as you need to make it work for your stash. You can use blank charts to design your own color combinations, or even your own stitch patterns if you like. You can also adjust the length of the scarf as needed or turn it into a cowl based on the amount of yarn you have.

This project looks like a lot of fun and would be a great thing to have on hand to stitch up and then to wear during the cold, gloomy months.

You can get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Neisha Abdulla]

Another Way to Use Up All Your Sock Yarn Scraps

Gather Your Scraps for a Fun Wrap

A Scrappy Shawl Knitting Pattern to Use All Your Odd Balls

Use All Your Yarn Scraps on This Great Cardigan Knitting Pattern

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