***You can purchase an INEXPENSIVE AD-FREE PDF of this pattern on Etsy HERE and on Craftsy HERE! This beautifully formatted PDF includes the step-by-step pictures and pattern, and is a total of 4 pages including the cover page! This pattern is also available in the “Crochet Cowls & Scarves PATTERN BUNDLE” which includes over 20 beautiful designs at a discounted price – check out the bundle HERE!
Over the summer, I crocheted a gorgeous pillow using big stitch wool with a very interesting design. You can see a sneak peek of it on social media HERE! People were intrigued about whether it was knit, crochet, or Tunisian crochet as the stitches were very unique looking. I actually achieved its look by slip stitching in the back loops only, resulting in a pattern that looks almost knitted. I knew that I had to try and design a wearable item using this same stitch as it had such a neat look to it and was so simple to work up!
I decided to use Lion Brand Yarn’s new Wool-Ease Tonal yarn to design a cowl as I love the gorgeous colour gradient which gives a lot of dimension to finished pieces. It is a bulky (level 5) yarn that is 80% acrylic and 20% wool. I immediately gravitated towards the grey shades in “Grey Marble” (lighter grey) and “Smoke” (darker grey).
I did some experimentation with my design and began working slip stitches in the back loops only at the very beginning. However, I was not happy with how my piece was working up as it was curling like crazy and I wanted a more defined edge for my cowl.
Thus, I frogged my work and started over! To begin, I used my Clover Amour 10 mm hook and worked a series of 125 chains.
I wanted to work in a round, so I slip stitched to the first chain and began working single crochets in the bumps of the chains.
The first round consisting of single crochets was complete!
When I reached the end of Round 1, I switched to my 12 mm crochet hook. I then began working slip stitches in the back loops of all subsequent stitches. Note that from here, I worked in continuous unjoined rounds so that no seam was formed.
As a reminder, the back loops are the loops that are further away from you. By working in the back loops only, the front loops are left untouched, and they leave a very neat design round upon round!
The slip stitches are worked as shown below: insert your hook into the back loop, yarn over, then pull through both loops on the hook. Your slip stitch is complete!
This is how much of the cowl I completed after using one skein of Wool-Ease Tonal! The trick to working with slip stitches is to use a much larger crochet hook than what is recommended. A 6.5 mm crochet hook is recommended for this yarn on the label, but I went with almost double the hook size with a 12 mm. If you use a crochet hook that is too small, the piece ends up curling and becoming very tight when you are only working slip stitches. You can experiment with what hook size you need for your yarn to achieve the tension and look you are going for!
Isn’t the texture and design achieved so unique and modern? The Wool-Ease Tonal yarn is beautiful with this design since you get lighter and darker shades of the grey!
When I was nearing the end of my second skein of yarn, I knew it was time to begin finishing up the project. Since I was working in unjoined continuous rounds, I knew I would be left with a bit of a strange “dip” at the very end of the cowl. To try and counteract this, I began my last round by working a double crochet at the very beginning. Note that I switched back to my 10 mm crochet hook to work my last round just as I did with the first round.
After that initial double crochet, I then worked single crochets all around till the end.
I then began approaching the beginning of the final round. As you can see, that double crochet created a “step” in height which makes it easier to close off the round without a visible dip.
To finish off the cowl, slip stitch to that initial double crochet to close off the final round!
Ta-da! The final round is complete with no relative change in height! I love how the initial and final rounds of single crochets really frame the cowl and give a nice edging!
Here is my finished Cobblestone Cowl! Ryan came up with this name and I thought it was perfect since the stitches look like cobblestones stacked upon one another. I love how both sides of the cowl give such different looks and textures. Both sides give an almost knitted look, and the “back side” in particular resembles the garter stitch in knitting! I sewed on my ultraleather BrickBubble label as a beautiful finishing touch!
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Here is the free pattern for my Cobblestone Cowls:
***You can purchase an INEXPENSIVE AD-FREE PDF of this pattern on Etsy HERE and on Craftsy HERE! This beautifully formatted PDF includes the step-by-step pictures and pattern, and is a total of 4 pages including the cover page!
I ended up making two different sizes of this cowl! The “Smoke” (darker grey) is Version 1 and is long enough to be looped around the neck twice for a more layered look! The “Grey Marble” (lighter grey) is Version 2 which drapes lovely when worn and not looped. I have given the final dimensions for each cowl, so you can experiment with numbers depending on how long you want your cowl to be and how close you want it to your neck.
Materials:
- Bulky yarn (level 5), 2 skeins for each cowl: I used Lion Brand Yarn’s Wool-Ease Tonal in “Grey Marble” and “Smoke“
- 10 mm & 12 mm Clover Amour crochet hooks
Notes:
- I worked in unjoined continuous rounds so that there is no visible seam.
- Use a stitch marker to mark the end of each round.
- Depending on the yarn you are working with, experiment with hook sizes. Use a much larger hook than recommended when working with slip stitches.
- If your piece is curling excessively, try using a bigger hook size, and you could potentially block your piece at the end too!
Version 1:
Using 10 mm hook,
Chain 125.
Round 1: Slip stitch to first chain, Chain 1, Sc in next bump of chain and all bumps till end (125 sc).
Using 12 mm hook,
Round 2: Slip stitch to back loop of Chain 1 and all back loops of single crochets till end (125 sl sts).
Round 3: Slip st to back loop of next st and all back loops till end (125 sts).
Round 4-28: Repeat Round 3.
Using 10 mm hook,
Round 29: Dc 1, Sc around, sl st to dc. Fasten off and weave in end.
Finished Dimensions: 8.25″ wide, 53″ circumference
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Version 2:
Using 10 mm hook,
Chain 110.
Round 1: Slip stitch to first chain, Chain 1, Sc in next bump of chain and all bumps till end (110 sc).
Using 12 mm hook,
Round 2: Slip stitch to back loop of Chain 1 and all back loops of single crochets till end (110 sts).
Round 3: Slip st to back loop of next st and all back loops till end (110 sts).
Round 4-36: Repeat Round 3.
Using 10 mm hook,
Round 37: Dc 1, Sc around, sl st to dc. Fasten off and weave in end.
Finished Dimensions: 10.5″ wide, 43″ circumference
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Doesn’t the Cobblestone Cowl look gorgeous when worn? Here I am wearing Version 1 which can be looped twice around the neck!
Both sides are so unique with such gorgeous texture. I love it when both sides are showing when the cowl is folded this way!
As you probably know by now, I love neutrals, and this cowl is such a versatile piece. It pulls out the grey in my dress but also the white of my coat!
Which side do you prefer? It’s so neat that the one side resembles the garter stitch in knitting! If you’ve always loved that particular look of knitting, now you know you can achieve something similar through crochet as well!
Here I am wearing Version 2 in the “Grey Marble”- I adore this lighter shade of grey!
It looks so lovely when worn, and it drapes and folds beautifully too.
I hope you enjoyed reading about this extremely simple and versatile cowl! Slip stitches are one of the most basic stitches in crochet, and when they are crocheted in the back loops only with a larger crochet hook, such beautiful texture develops!
I actually designed this special cowl as a charity pattern for Lion Brand Yarn‘s exciting new campaign called “Yarn Heroes“! Lion Brand Yarn’s mission statement is about “Creating a more colorful, connected, and giving world.” Thus, to help carry out their vision, they are encouraging yarn enthusiasts all over the world to channel their inner yarn heroes and use their skills and passions to make items for charity and help those in need. What a blessing it is to be able to use your talents to further bless and love others! Crocheting and knitting is so therapeutic for many of us, and it’s neat that our beloved craft can not only help ourselves but others as well. I myself will be donating a Cobblestone Cowl to my local women’s shelter, and I was astounded when I learned more about all the wonderful organizations out there that are gifting handmade items to those in need!
For example, you can check out:
- Project Linus: providing blankets for children in need
- The Red Scarf Project: sending warmth and encouragement through red scarves to students from foster care
- Feel Better Friends: sending handmade dolls stuffed with love and well wishes to children battling cancer and other illnesses (perfect for us amigurumi lovers!)
- Local homeless shelters, women’s shelters, and youth organizations. Check out this wonderful blog post by Craftsy HERE that talks about giving back for charity!
The Cobblestone Cowl would make a lovely charity piece that I’m sure would be greatly appreciated. It is simple, quick, and uses only 2 skeins of yarn. Cowls are pieces that can be worn everyday as both a stylish and functional accessory to keep us warm. You can read more about the Yarn Heroes campaign and meet my alter ego, Captain Kawaii in my blog post HERE! If you yourself craft for charity, share your story with the Lion Brand Yarn team at yarnheroes@lionbrand.com as they will be giving away $250 worth of yarn to four charity crafters who send in their stories! You can also use the coupon code “YARNHEROES2016” to get $5 off every purchase at or above $20 until December 15th! Don’t forget to share your finished cowls with us by using the hashtags #CobblestoneCowl and #YarnHeroes ! I can’t wait to see your pieces and what colours you choose!
{This post is sponsored by Lion Brand Yarn! I’ve loved working with their yarn throughout the years and I’m thrilled that I get to collaborate with them every month!}
This pattern is an original pattern by Stephanie Lau of All About Ami. Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but please DO NOT sell the pattern or distribute it.
You may sell products made from this pattern but please clearly credit the design to me, Stephanie Lau of All About Ami, and provide a link to my blog www.AllAboutAmi.com. Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind. Thank you for being respectful and for your understanding!
