This week’s Free Pattern Friday is the Free Crochet One Skein Soft Essentials Cowl. This pattern uses the post stitches to create its texture and next to the delicate lace shell stitch. This is a great project to learn a new stitch and use a new yarn on the market exclusive to Michaels, Red Heart Soft Essentials Stripes. And it’s one of my favorite one ball projects.

For many of us it is the time of the year when we need to get out our cold weather accessories. It is always a treat to be able to have something new to add to our collection. This cowl is made with one skein of Red Heart Soft Essentials Stripes. This yarn is part of the Soft Yarn family but now in BULKY weight!

The stitch pattern I used for the cowl only has a 14 stitch multiple and two rows making it easily memorizable. It is a fun stitch pattern using post stitches to make crochet cables along with a lace shell stitch. Not sure you know what those stitches are? No worries, I did a video to show you how to do it!
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Crochet One Skein Soft Essentials Cowl

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Materials

• US-J, 6 mm hook 
• 110 yds Red Heart Soft Essentials Stripes (Bulky/”5″; 110 yds/101m; 4 oz/113g)
• Sample Color: Linen Stripe #7930
• Gauge: 1 stitch repeat = 5″ in Cable and Lace Shells
• Size: 30″ circumference, 5″ tall

Abbreviations with Video Tutorials

FPdc: Front Post Double Crochet

FPtc: Front Post Treble Crochet

Slip Knot

Ch: Chain

Sc: single crochet

Hdc: half double crochet

Dc: double crochet

Tc: treble crochet

St(s): Stitch(es)

Note

Stitch multiple for the body of the cowl is 14 stitches in the round. In the video, I only did 2 repeats but the actual cowl uses 6 repeats. 

If you wish to use the Crochet Cables and Lace Shells Stitch Pattern for a blanket you need a slightly different stitch count and instructions. For those, click here.

Pattern

Start: Work a foundation double crochet 84 times (6 stitch multiples for the cowl). Join with a slip stitch to the first dc to work in the round. 

Begin Crochet Cables and Lace Shells Pattern in the round (Click Here for the pattern stitch to be worked flat for a blanket)

Round 1: Ch 2 (does not count as a st), * FPdc in 4 sts, skip 2 sts, [(dc, ch 1) 3 times, dc] in next st (shell stitch created), skip 4 sts, shell in next st, skip 2 sts; rep from * for repeat, join with a slip stitch to the first FPdc. Do Not Turn.

Round 2 (cable round): Ch 2, *FPdc in the first st, skip 1 st, FPtc in next st, FPtc in skipped st (crossing in front of previous st), FPdc in next st, [shell in center ch-1 space of next shell] twice; rep from * for repeat, join with a slip stitch to the first FPdc. Do Not Turn.

Round 3: Ch 2, *FPdc in 4 sts, [shell in center ch-1 space of next shell] twice; rep from * for repeat, join with a slip stitch to the first FPdc. Do Not Turn.

Round 4 (cable round): Ch 2, *FPdc in the first st, skip 1 st, FPtc in next st, FPtc in skipped st (crossing in front of previous st), FPdc in next st, [shell in center ch-1 space of next shell] twice; rep from * for repeat, join with a slip stitch to the first FPdc. Do Not Turn.

Round 5: Ch 2, *FPdc in 4 sts, [shell in center ch-1 space of next shell] twice; rep from * for repeat, join with a slip stitch to the first FPdc. Do Not Turn.

Round 6 (cable round): Ch 2, *FPdc in the first st, skip 1 st, FPtc in next st, FPtc in skipped st (crossing in front of previous st), FPdc in next st, [shell in center ch-1 space of next shell] twice; rep from * for repeat, join with a slip stitch to the first FPdc. Do Not Turn.

Designer note: I ended on a cable round for the cowl because I was almost out of yarn. If you think you can get one more round with the amount of yarn YOU have remaining and still have enough to complete round 7 then you can totally do that. Doing one more round will not affect the 7th round. 

Round 7: Ch 3 (does not count as a stitch), * FPtc in 4 sts, dc in space between last FPdc and first dc of shell, hdc in next ch-1 sp, sc in next ch-1 sp, hdc in next ch-1 sp, hdc in space between the two shells, hdc in next ch-1 sp, sc in next ch-1 sp, hdc in next ch-1 sp, dc in space between the last dc of the shell and the first FPdc of next repeat; rep from * for repeat, join with a slip stitch to first FPtc. Fasten off.

Finishing

Use beginning tail to seam the foundation dc join closed. Weave in ends.

Video Tutorial

Facebook Live at #makeitmichaels #redheartyarns

Written pattern copyright Marly Bird 2017, all rights reserved. Please do not reprint or repost this pattern, but please do link to this page to share this pattern with others. To print or download, use the Print Friendly button below. If you wish to make items for sale from this pattern, or translate it to another language, please visit the About page for details. Thank you to Red Heart Yarn for providing the yarn for this pattern! 

Crochet One Skein Soft Essentials Cowl is a FREE PATTERN

Frequently Asked Questions

What yarn is best for this cowl?

So here’s the thing… the pattern specifically calls for Red Heart Soft Essentials Stripes yarn. It’s a bulky weight yarn that works up beautifully for this cowl!

Can I make this cowl if I’m new to crochet?

Honestly… it’s listed as an Advanced Beginner pattern. If you know your basic stitches and are comfortable trying new things like post stitches, you can totally do this! There’s even a video tutorial to help you out.

I’m not sure about post stitches…

Yes! No worries at all. The pattern mentions that there’s a video tutorial to show you exactly how to do the post stitches needed for this lovely texture. You’ve got this!

How many repeats of the stitch pattern do I need?

The stitch pattern itself is a 14-stitch multiple and has a two-row repeat, making it super easy to memorize. The cowl uses 6 repeats of this pattern.

What if I run out of yarn before I finish?

Don’t you worry! The designer notes that she ended on a cable round because she was running low on yarn. If you think you have enough to do one more round and still finish the last one, go for it!