Learn to knit from this levelled beginner’s pattern!

Whether you are just picking up needles for the first time, have a few projects under your belt, or are an experienced knitter, this pattern will work for you. Learn the basic building blocks of knitting with this easy, unisex pattern. Written with tiered skill levels to slowly grow your abilities.

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.

SKILL LEVEL: Absolute to Advanced Beginners

FORMAT:

• Bookmarked PDF - best for printing or for sighted knitters
• Screen Reader Accessible Large-Print PDF - best for Print Challenged knitters and reading on phones
• EPUB (eBook) - best for anyone who wants reflowable, resizable text

See “Accessibility” for more information.

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:

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.

SKILLS YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE THIS PATTERN:

• Reading

TECHNIQUES USED TO MAKE THIS PATTERN:

• Knit Cast On, Long-Tail Cast On, OR Provisional Cast O
• Basic Bind Off OR Kitchener Stitch (Grafting)

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 Heathe
• 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 on my website at https://www.mysecretwish.ca/choosing-yarn for more help.

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.

Bookmarked PDF:

• 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.

Screen Reader Accessible Large-Print PDF:

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 me if you have any questions or concerns, or for pattern support.