I’ve made several bandana cowls for my husband over the last few years, but none of them ever seemed just right in terms of style and fit. This year for Christmas, my goal was to design a cowl that was versatile in terms of yarn weight (you can use any weight you like!) and size (just knit until it fits!) and had a construction that fit well and would provide practical warmth.

The body of the cowl is worked flat. At the end of the body you’ll add a few 1x1 rib rows before binding off. Then you’ll seam the ends together and pickup and knit the stitches around the neck opening to create a ribbed turtleneck.

Yarn
Any weight, ½—1 skein
(I like to use a DK weight held together with a fingering weight for a squishy and warm result—using around 50g of DK and 20g of fingering.)

Recommended Needles
• Use a needle size that produces a fabric you like for your yarn weight.
• The cowl body can be knit flat using any length circular, but you’ll need DPNs, a long circular (magic loop), 2 sets of circulars, or a circular needle that is 21” or shorter for the neck.

Gauge: Gauge is irrelevant and will depend upon your chosen yarn weight and needle size.

Notions: One stitch marker; Yarn needle (for weaving in ends and seaming)

Skill Level: Adventurous Beginner