Scarves & cowls · Beginner

Cowl

The strip is knitted across the narrow way: you cast on the height of the cowl and keep going until the strip is as long as the ring. Sewing the two short ends together leaves a seam you hardly notice, and there is no ribber needed.

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All steps, charts, sizes and checks (for printing)

Virtual test knit

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Every row of every piece on this page has just been knitted on a model of your machine, for the size, machine and gauge you chose. The model follows each needle's loops through transfers, held needles, hems and cast-offs, then measures the finished pieces.

240 rows and 18,000 stitches knitted, 0 stitches transferred, 0 held-needle passes: no dropped stitch, no hole, no lost loop, every stitch cast off or secured at the end.

Measured on the simulated pieces
Measurement	Should be	Simulated
Height	24–26 cm	✓ 25 cm
Circumference (before sewing)	57–63 cm	✓ 60 cm
Rows end where they started	0–0 rows	✓ 0 rows

The simulation checks the instructions and the arithmetic. Yarn, tension and blocking still differ from knitter to knitter, so knit the gauge swatch first and type in your own numbers. Knitted one? We would love a photo: support@purlbed.com.

Adult · Single bed, punch card · Gauge (stocking stitch, after steaming): 30 sts × 40 rows

Sizes

Measurement	Adult	Child
Circumference (once sewn)	60 cm	50 cm
Height	25 cm	20 cm

You will need

Yarn: A soft wool or wool blend: 4-ply / fingering on a standard machine, DK on mid gauge, worsted on bulky.

About 55 g in total for this size (an estimate from the area of the pieces; buy a little more).

Also: Tapestry needle, Waste yarn (single bed)

Gauge swatch first

Cast on 40 needles with waste yarn and knit a few rows. Change to the main yarn and choose a tension that gives a fabric you like (see the starting points below).
Knit 60 rows. Tie a contrast thread to the 11th needle from each side at row 10 and row 50, so the marks are 20 needles and 40 rows apart.
Knit a few rows of waste yarn and take the swatch off. Steam or wash it the way you will treat the finished piece, and let it rest flat for a few hours.
Measure between the marks: stitches in 10 cm = 20 ÷ width in cm × 10, rows in 10 cm = 40 ÷ height in cm × 10. Type the two numbers into the gauge boxes above; that tension is your main tension (MT).

Pieces

Strip

Cast on 75 sts, 240 rows. Flat size about 25 × 60 cm.

Row by row

Bring 75 needles into work (L37 to R38) and cast on in the main yarn with an e-wrap (closed edge). Set RC to 000.
Knit 240 rows at MT (RC 240).
Cast off loosely with the latch tool (or knit a few rows of waste yarn and cast off by hand).

Bed chart

Row 1 is at the bottom. Arrows mark the transfers; the key under the chart names each colour.

Needle notation

Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.

Row sequence (1)

Rows	What the carriage knits	Tension
1–240	Stocking stitch	MT

Opens a copy of this piece as an editable bed chart in your browser.

Finishing

Weave in the ends and steam lightly.
Fold the strip so the two short ends meet, right sides together, and sew them with mattress stitch. Turn the ring right side out.

Notes and changes

The circumference is a starting value: 60 cm sits close to the neck, and a longer strip lets it hang in folds. Change it in the size boxes.
Pattern on the strip runs round the neck, so a stripe or a punch-card band reads as rings.

What the words mean

Short rows (引返): knitting only some of the needles for a few rows while the others wait. The middle grows taller than the sides, which makes a cup: that is how the heel and toe of a sock get their curve.
Hold: the needle position for short rows: a needle pushed all the way forward keeps its stitch and does not knit while the carriage is set to hold.
Turned hem: a neat double edge: knit a strip, then fold it up and hang its first row back on the needles, so the edge is a fold instead of a raw cast-on.
1×1 rib: one stitch on the main bed, one on the ribber, side by side: the stretchy edge of socks, cuffs and hat brims. Needs a ribber or a double bed.
Decrease / increase: making the piece one stitch narrower or wider at the edge. Fully fashioned means moving the 2 edge stitches in (or out) with a transfer tool, so the edge stays smooth for sewing.
Transfer tool: the small hook (1, 2 or 3 prongs) that lifts stitches off needles and puts them on others.
Waste yarn: a few rows in a spare colour knitted before or after the piece and pulled out later, leaving open loops to hang back or sew.
MT (main tension): the tension dial number of your gauge swatch. MT−1 is one number tighter, MT+2 two numbers looser.
RC (row counter): the counter on the carriage. Set it to 000 after casting on; every step says what it should read when the step is done.
L10 / R10: needle numbers, counted outwards from the middle (0) of the needle bed.
Mattress stitch: the usual way to sew knitted pieces together: you catch the bar between the first two stitches on each side, so the seam disappears.
Duplicate stitch: embroidery that follows a knitted stitch's V shape with a needle and a second colour, so the pattern looks knitted in.

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Cowl

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