Building Blocks Cowl & Hood

CA$7.99

This pattern is free when you sign up for my newsletter and is supported by my free How to Knit tutorials.

Learn to knit from this levelled beginner's pattern!

Written with tiered skill levels to slowly grow your abilities, this easy, unisex pattern was designed to teach you the basic building blocks of knitting. Learn how to cast on, knit, purl, bind off, and graft while knitting back and forth on straight needles. Whether you’re an absolute beginner knitter, you have a few projects under your belt, or you're a little more experienced, this low-vision-accessible pattern is the perfect pathway into the magic of knitting.

Beginners: Jump right into knitting using the easy-to-follow tutorials on the basic stitches, and have a completed, beautiful project within a relatively short period of time.

Advanced Beginners: Try your hand at some more challenging finishing techniques recommended for those who are fairly comfortable with the basics that will take your knitting to the next level.

Experienced Knitters: Use this pattern to teach a friend to knit, or enjoy it yourself to create an easy, fast project that reveals beautiful texture from knitting's basic stitches.

Cast on today!

PROJECT LEVEL: Absolute to Advanced Beginners

Digital download includes:

  • PDF (standard) - best for printing or for sighted knitters

  • PDF (Screen Reader Accessible Large-Print) - best for Print Challenged knitters and reading on phones

  • EPUB (eBook) - best for anyone who wants reflowable, resizable text

See “Accessibility” for more information about file types.

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Delivery

Your instant download file will include direct links to your pattern files.

Pattern files are instantly downloadable from the links via Bookfunnel. Epub (eBook) files can be accessed through the Bookfunnel app, another reading app, or in your browser, and your purchase will be stored in your BookFunnel library for future access.

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About Design

Project Level:

Absolute to Advanced Beginners

Construction:

Cowl is worked back and forth from edge to edge. If Knit Cast On or Long-Tail Cast On is used, the piece is bound off and ends are seamed. If Provisional Cast On is used, the ends are grafted together using Kitchener Stitch.

Variants:

  • NARROWER WIDTH (Cowl only): 12 inches (30 cm)

  • WIDER WIDTH (Cowl & Hood): 20 inches (50 cm)

Sizes:

Can be made in two circumferences:

  1. SMALL (Baggy Child or Snug Adult): 24 inches (60 cm)

  2. LARGE (Baggy Adult): 30 inches (75 cm)

Instructions for alterations are included.

Supplies & Gauge

Supplies:

Yarn:

NARROW COWL:

  • 2 skeins bulky-weight yarn with 125 metres in 100 grams (or 137 yards in 3.53 ounces)

Approximate yardage: 190 metres (208 yards)

COWL & HOOD:

  • 3 skeins yarn with same gauge

Approximate yardage: 282 metres (or 312 yards)

See “About Samples” for suggested yarns.

Needles:

  • 6.0 mm (US 10) straight needles approximately 12 to 14 inches (or 30 to 35 cm) long

  • Optional: 4.0 mm (US 6) straight needles for Kitchener Stitch Bind Off

Notions:

  • yarn needle

  • two stitch markers (scraps of yarn tied in loops work fine)

Gauge:

15 stitches and 20 rows = 4 inches (or 10 cm) over stockinette stitch with larger needles. Gauge is not extremely important for this pattern. You do not need to check your gauge before beginning, but I provided the gauge in case you want to.

Techniques & Resources

SKILLS YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THIS PATTERN:

  • Reading

TECHNIQUES USED TO MAKE THIS PATTERN:

This pattern is meant to develop your skills, so you can start with the simplest method and advance to another method if you make the project again.

INCLUDED RESOURCES:

  • Supported by the complete, free How To Knit online tutorials (with everything you need to get started), which are also available as a downloadable PDF when you sign up to my newsletter

  • A comprehensive list of links to online tutorials on my website for necessary skills. Tutorials are screen-reader accessible, with instructions relayed fully in text, and also include videos and downloadable photo tutorials.

  • Full glossary

  • Instructions for alterations

About Samples

GREY:

  • Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash Bulky, a 100% wool bulky-weight yarn with 125 metres in 100 grams (or 137 yards in 3.53 ounces) that knits up to 12 to 15 stitches in 4 inches (10 cm) on size 6.0 to 8.0 mm (US size 10 to 11) needles over stockinette stitch knit flat

  • Colourway: Dove Heather

  • Size: Cowl & Hood in Large circumference

BLUE:

  • Bernat Alpaca, a 70% Acrylic and 30% Alpaca bulky-weight yarn with 110 metres in 100 grams (or 120 yards in 3.53 ounces) that knits up to 15 stitches in 4 inches (10 cm) on size 6.0 mm (US size 10) needles over stockinette stitch knit flat. Discontinued.

  • Colourway: Indigo

  • Size: Narrow Cowl in Large Circumference

Other yarn suggestions:

  • Look for something soft and non-scratchy. Test on your neck, not with your hand.

  • Look for something washable in a natural fibre. Superwash yarns are a great choice.

  • Some suggested yarn substitutes: Knit Picks Swish Bulky (a very soft superwash yarn with an exact match for gauge), Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Grande, or Koigu Chelsea.

See the “Choosing Yarn” tutorial for more help.

Choosing Yarn

Pattern Info, License & Updates

Publishing Information:

Release Date: 2016

Most recent revision: June 2023

Publisher: My Secret Wish Publishing

Knitting pattern type: Multiple Design Options

Project type: Cowl

Bookmarked PDF Page Count: 8

Page Count (Large Print PDF): 43

ISBN (eBook): 978-1-989800-29-4

ISBN (Bookmarked PDF): 978-1-989800-30-0

ISBN (Large Print SRA PDF): 978-1-989800-31-7

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING NOTICE: This pattern is copyright My Secret Wish by Talena. Your purchase of this pattern gives you the right to use it for personal, non-profit use only. To license the pattern to use for profit, please e-mail me for permission. You do NOT have the right to print the pattern for other people (unless they reside in your household) or to transfer the digital file to any other person. This pattern may not be sold, copied, or distributed in any way.

Update History:

June 13, 2023:

  • Revised formatting of PDF to align with current template style.

  • Clarified language where necessary.

  • Created screen reader accessible large-print PDF and eBook (ePUB).

  • Updated URLs for new store and social links.

Accessibility

Pattern Accessibility (all formats):

Colour Blind Accessible – all text is black or very high-contrast, and no colour is used to relay pattern instructions.

Left-Handed Inclusive – instructions are given in terms of hand dominance and working needles, not right and left hands.

PDF (standard):

  • This document can be navigated using bookmarks that link directly to various sections.

  • All images have ALT-text descriptions.

  • Fonts are embedded in the document, and it retains its original formatting.

  • Any charts are also fully written out.

  • Text uses minimal abbreviations to make the pattern easier to understand, and is written in plain language.

  • Best for printing or sighted knitters.

PDF (Screen Reader Accessible Large-Print):

This document is a screen-reader-accessible PDF which can be read aloud using text-to-speech options and navigated via document headers. However, fonts may not be embedded and may display improperly. The document uses Verdana font at minimum 24 points. All text is in a single column and left-justified with no italics. Text uses plain language with no abbreviations.

All images have ALT-text descriptions. Any charts are also fully written out. If this pattern contains charts, they are at an appropriate scale for Large Print. If the chart is large and will need to be pieced from several pages, the chart will be available separately.

The document was tested using Adobe Reader on a PC and an Android phone.

Plain-Language EPUB:

This document has been edited so text makes sense and flows smoothly when read aloud, and no abbreviations are used. Each section is bookmarked as a chapter. It can be read aloud by an eReader or the font can be resized using eReader settings. The pattern sections can be read straight through without having to return to earlier sections unless you need to refer to something such as a note, technique, or stitch explanation. All images have captions to explain context, but they are not necessary to understand the pattern. If the pattern includes charts, large-scale charts are also available in a separate Large-Print PDF, and all charted instructions are also written out.

This eBook was tested on a Windows PC (using the free Calibre e-reader, which you can get on their website here) and an Android phone using the Google Play Books app.

 

Your file will be available for download as soon as you complete purchase. Please contact us for pattern support.

 
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