Crochet Tartan Cowl – Free Crochet Cowl Pattern

The Crochet Tartan Cowl is a beautifully classic cowl made using simple colour changes and simple stitches. If you can crochet a chain, half double crochet and slip stitch, you can make this cowl. I can’t wait to see all of the colour combos everyone comes up with!

The Crochet Tartan Cowl is made using three different colours of Mary Maxim’s Woodlands yarn. I’ve used the colours Moss, Cranberry and Stardust.

This was my first time using Mary Maxim’s Woodlands yarn and it was love at first squish. This yarn is an acrylic/alpaca blend (90%/10%) and is delightfully soft and cozy. It does have a little bit of a halo (I suspect from the addition of the alpaca fibers) but doesn’t hinder visibility or diminish stitch definition.

The colours are rich and beautiful. I mean, that cranberry yarn is so awesome, that I want to use it for everything right now. This is definitely a yarn that I want to keep handy in my stash.

Pin it for later HERE.

The Crochet Tartan Cowl measures approximately 10 inches wide by 35 inches long. The cowl fits closely to the neck and you fold the top edge down to create a sort of collar. If you prefer a looser fitting cowl, the pattern gives you intstructions for making the cowl any length you prefer. If you do alter the length of your cowl, please keep in mind that it will affect how much yarn you will require.

How to Surface Crochet

To make the vertical striping on the Crochet Tartan Cowl, I used a technique called surface crochet. Surface crochet is a technique to add stitches to the surface of your project using slip stitches. This is a fairly simple technique that gives you a pretty chain along the top of your project. The wrong side of your project looks like it has little dashes instead of the chain.

The two most important things to remember when doing surface crochet are:
1. Make sure the right side of your project is facing you and,
2. Don’t make your slip stitches too tight!

I cannot stress #2 enough. If your slip stitches are too tight, it can warp your fabric and your fabric will lose it’s elasticity because the slip stitches will prevent the fabric from stretching. If you need to go up a hook size (or two) in order to help keep a loose tension on your slip stitches, don’t hesitate to do it. You may kick yourself later if you don’t.

To do surface crochet, start with the right side of the fabric facing you:

• Insert your hook into the stitch you want to start with from right side of the fabric to the wrong side. Put your slip knot onto your hook and pull from the wrong side of your fabric to the right side of your fabric. You will be holding the working yarn on the wrong side of the fabric as you do this
• Insert your hook into the next stitch/or spot you are wanting to make your stitch in. Pull up a loop through your fabric and pull through the loop on your hook. 1 slip stitch created.
• Repeat these steps until you are satisfied with your surface crochet and FO. I like to pull my tail to the back of my work and then weave my ends in.

If you want to see a video tutorial on surface crochet to see it in action, check out this video tutorial by B.Hooked Crochet.

Crochet Tartan Cowl

Skill Level:

• Intermediate

Supplies:

• 6.0 mm Crochet Hook
  
  
• 188 yards/172 m (3.3 oz/94 g) of Mary Maxim Woodlands in Stardust
  
  
• 68 yards/62 m (1.2 oz/34 g) of Mary Maxim Woodlands in Cranberry
  
  
• 68 yards/62 m (1.2 oz/34 g) of Mary Maxim Woodlands in Moss
  
  
• 3 – 1.5” Buttons
  
  
• Tapestry Needle
  
  
• Scissors

Abbreviations:

• CH = Chain
  
  
• ST = Stitch
  
  
• SL ST = Slip Stitch
  
  
• SC = Single Crochet
  
  
• HDC = Half Double Crochet
  
  
• FO = Finish Off

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Finished Size:

• Approximately 35” Long by 10” wide

Gauge:

• 14 sts x 11.5 rows = 4 inches

NOTES:

• You’ll be doing surface crochet stitches to create the vertical striping of the tartan. When doing the vertical striping, if you find that your fabric is losing a lot of stretch or bunching up, it means your slip stitches are too tight.  Make sure you keep your slip stitches loose.  Don’t hesitate to go up a hook size or two to keep your stitches from being too tight.

Pattern

Using Stardust, CH 35

Row 1: HDC in 2nd CH from the hook and each st across. (34)

Rows 2 – 4: CH 1 and turn. HDC in the first st and each st across. (34)

Change to Cranberry

Rows 5 – 6:  CH 1 and turn. HDC in the first st and each st across. (34)

Change to Stardust

Row 7: CH 1 and turn. HDC in the first st and each st across. (34)

Change to Moss

Rows 8 – 9: CH 1 and turn. HDC in the first st and each st across. (34)

Change to Stardust

Rows 10 – 15: CH 1 and turn. HDC in the first st and each st across. (34)

Change to Cranberry

Rows 16 – 17:  CH 1 and turn. HDC in the first st and each st across. (34)

Change to Stardust

Row 18: CH 1 and turn. HDC in the first st and each st across. (34)

Change to Moss

Rows 19 – 20: CH 1 and turn. HDC in the first st and each st across. (34)

Rows 21 – 97: Repeat rows 10 – 20 7 more times. (34)
If you want a longer cowl, keep repeating Rows 10 – 20 and return to Row 98 when ready to complete.

Change to Stardust

Row 98: CH 1 and turn. HDC in the first st and the next 3 sts.  CH 3, SK the next 3 sts, HDC in the next 8 sts, CH 3, SK 3 the next 3 sts, HDC in the next 9 sts, CH 3, SK the next 3 sts, HDC in the remaining 4 sts. (25 sts and 3 CH spaces)

Row 99: CH 1 and turn.  HDC in the first st and the next 3 sts.  HDC 3 in the CH space, HDC in the next 8 sts, HDC 3 in the CH space, HDC 9, HDC 3 in the CH space, HDC in the remaining 4 sts. (34)

Rows 100 – 101: CH 1 and turn. HDC in the first st and each st across. (34)
FO and weave in ends.

Adding the vertical stripes using surface crochet:
Using Cranberry, make a slip knot.  Insert your hook into the bottom part of your third stitch in your starting chain of the cowl.  Inserting your hook from the right side to the wrong side, pull the slip knot through to the front of your project. 

With your cowl facing you lengthwise (or whichever way you feel most comfortable doing surface slip stitches) and the right side facing you, slip stitch into the third stitch of every row for the entire length of your cowl.  FO. 

Repeat these steps again, starting in the 12^th stitch of each row, the 22^nd stitch of each row and the 31^st stitch of each row.

Using Moss, make a slip knot.   Insert your hook into the bottom part of your fourth stitch in your starting chain of the cowl.  Inserting your hook from the right side to the wrong side, pull the slip knot through to the front of your project. 

With your cowl facing you lengthwise (or whichever way you feel most comfortable doing surface slip stitches), working right to left, slip stitch into the fourth stitch of every row for the entire length of your cowl.  FO. 

Repeat these steps again in the 13th stitch of each row, 23^rd stitch of each row and the 32^nd stitch of each row

FO and weave in ends.

Sew your buttons using a length of stardust yarn onto the long side of the cowl, on the end of the piece without the button holes 

To get the right placement, I fold the two ends of the cowl down so they overlap each other (the end with the button holes on top).  Place the buttons on top of the buttonholes and sew into place.  I like to shift the end with the button holes down a little bit so that end of the cowl on the bottom lines up with the last line of surface stitches rather than the edge of the cowl so there’s less chance of the corner without a button creeping out on you.

Fold the top edge down to form a collar

Thanks for stopping by and checking out my pattern for the Crochet Tartan Cowl. Ready to make the matching The Crochet Tartan Beanie? If you like free crochet cowl patterns, check out the free patter for my Ava Cowl or my Super Quick Chunky Cowl.

Disclaimer:

Feel free to sell the item created by this pattern but please provide pattern credit back to me when posting online, and please provide a link to my Etsy Shop: www.etsy.com/ca/shop/theloopylamb.  Please do not resell, distribute, duplicate, or share this pattern in any printed or digital form, claiming this pattern as your own original design.  Please do not use my photos when selling your finished items.   

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