A Pretty Seam for This Crochet Cowl!

Instead of trying to hide a seam, turn it into a bold beautiful statement.

Invisible Seams are Tricky

There are many ways to seam crochet, whether you slip stitch or single crochet the edges together, or you sew it with a yarn needle. Depending on the edges to be seamed, seaming them together unobtrusively may be impossible—no matter how many different seaming methods you try.

Neck Warmer? 'Seams' Even Trickier!

For my newest cowl, the Burly Bias, I didn't even attempt an invisible seam, for two reasons. First, the seam would most often be worn to the front, as you see above. Yikes.

Second, the stitches are going in two different directions. One edge is along the ends of rows. Normally this is great with Tunisian crochet. Tunisian row ends have a naturally seam-ready chained edge (especially when you do #4 in this list).

The other edge is one complete row (NOT along the ends of rows). In other words, the stitches in the two edges to be seamed are at right angles to each other. They're perpendicular.

Here it is worn sort of sideways.

This seaming situation is really common with the type of cowl called a neck warmer. Slip Tectonics is a great example.

'Seamly' Star Stitches

Do you love it? I'm so glad I used a soft long-striping yarn so that I could pull out a color to use for the star stitch seam.

Now to do this with all the neck warming things!

Lacy Star Stitch Crochet Cowl: Spiraling Starwirbel

Starwirbel Cowl-Capelet

Crocheting star stitches that look this lacy has been a fun discovery! Earlier this year I was preparing to teach a new crochet class on star stitches. This is when I learned about the incredible lace textures star stitches can have. 

The Starwirbel Cowl came together quickly as a design for several reasons. With a big crochet hook, each star gets you where you want to go faster.

You can use all different kinds of yarn. (Link goes to the Starwirble projects page in Ravelry. Also see its crochet along here.) 

I used a yarn that has bitsy sequins here and there, with some mohair and silk. I couldn't put it down!

It's crocheted in the round with no turning—that means it's a spiral. I love how you can really build up speed and momentum when crocheting in a spiral.

I named it "Starwirbel" for this reason. the "wirbel" part is a German word for whirl. That's what the spiraling construction felt like to me while crocheting it. 

Before I found the term "wirbel" I was thinking of names like "Star Whirl" or "Star Funnel." I think "Starwirbel" is more distinctive and memorable. Also, I love that several German crocheters have purchased this pattern.


This pattern is not free and I really appreciate each and every purchase of it. Starwirbel comes with a great photo tutorial. It also benefits from all the information I gleaned from the (frankly outrageous) amount of research I did on star stitches for my star stitch classes!

New Crochet Mobius Cowl Scarf: Scalloped Star Stitch Rib

Cowl crochet fever is back again! 

A larger Starlooper Mobius Cowl warms the shoulders. 
(The contrasting stripes were experiments that I decided
to leave in and see how they'd drape different ways.)

Fewer rows of this Starlooper: a
neckwarmer that overlaps in the front.

When I added a mobius twist to the Starlooper loop scarf, it multiplied the fun ways it drapes around the neck and shoulders. I created a whole "menu" of NINE looks or wearing options.

I love how this cobalt blue merino wool yarn photographed! The star stitches are lovely no matter what but this soft Z-twisted merino yarn adds to the texture. 


Two more photos: the first shows the same Starlooper star stitch pattern in a color-shading yarn.

Starlooper star stitch pattern in a color-shading
yarn by Marks & Kattens.

  This last photo shows a strand of two different colors held together.

Starlooper star stitch pattern crocheted double-stranded.

Two New Slip Stitch Cowl Crochet Patterns

Thaxton Hooded Cowl in thermal Slip Stitch Crochet

The roasty-toastiest cowl I've ever crocheted is also my first cape-like hooded crochet cowl (“snood” is the current trendy definition). 

The Thaxton Hooded Cowl design came to mind after a bitter cold front last winter made my favorite Orbit Cowl feel like mere springtime lace. 

The Thaxton downloadable crochet pattern includes two ways to seam it, and two sizes for using less yarn if desired. 

Thaxton seamed 2nd way: tall cowl quadruple-rolled

Thaxton is so warm because it's: 

• densely ribbed, and 
• stretchy-snug, and 
• half alpaca fiber. The alpaca content of the yarn I used piles on even more warmth, much like angora would. (Alpaca and angora are both warmer than wool.) 

Isn't the raspberry color delicious?

Undaria as 2-skein long twirl scarf

My other new cowl pattern, Undaria FlutterScarf, is a one-skein neck warmer, or a two-skein scarf if you prefer a standard-length long twirler. Scroll down for more views of this versatile flutter-drape!

Draping Undaria 1-skein

Wondering where the name Undaria comes from? Well, it's botanical. 

One of many ways to drape
a 1-skein Undaria

With the gentle sea-green color shifts of this Mini-Mochi yarn I kept thinking of the soft ripples of Wakame seaweed in miso soup. Undaria is the botanical name for a type of seaweed. I also like that “Undaria” sounds similar to “undulating”.

See all of my Slip Stitch Crochet designs. Slip stitches are so fun to design with!

A Crochet Cowl to Offer Comfort

Drew Emborsky designed a new crochet cowl wrap! The pattern is now available as part of The Crochet Dude's brand-new book, Hug It Out: Nine Crochet Designs to Offer Comfort. (see book cover below.)


I know from previous cowl blog posts that a soft, generous-size mobius is a very popular cowl style. It can be worn several ways with effortless grace to warm the neck, shoulders, and more. Its comfort adds easy style.

 See Hug it Out at Amazon.com

I asked Drew to tell me more about his new cowl design. 
He wrote, 
"I created this cowl because of all the great ways it can be worn. Especially for someone with mobility issues, it's nice to be able to wrap the shoulders without the bulkiness of a shawl, have a fluffy scarf just by pulling it up around the neck, then going right to a hoodie if the need arises - all without having to swing a crocheted garment around themselves. And even with all that function, I hope it makes her feel pretty too!!"

New Lacy Crochet Cowl for Spring

Trellis: Tonal DK-weight yarn version

I've got crochet lace cowl scarves & wraps on the brain. I can't think of anything more beautiful to drape around one's head, shoulders (or dare I say décolletage) at this time of year! And they're so easy to crochet.

I just added a new downloadable Doris Chan crochet pattern to the DesigningVashti.com crochet site. Trellis has turned out to be one of those make-it-now-and-get-addicted-to-making-more lace patterns. That's what happened to Doris, according to the story she blogged about it. So, the pattern PDF includes THREE shapes of Trellis to crochet, and in a whole range of yarn types. 

I like what Doris said about using color-changing yarn for this design: "Inexplicably, Trellis is also happy in tonal shaded yarns and in long-repeat colorways, which hardly ever happens with crocheted lace." 

It's true, all bets are off if the stitches are lacy, so it's one of those pleasant discoveries about a design. 

Trellis: Color-Changing Worsted Wt. Version

I love self published crochet patterns! Not only does the designer choose the yarn, s/he is also free to play with other yarns for the same design, and then share the results! 

One of the highs of independent crochet designing for me is discovering how a design turns out to have special versatility and hidden strengths. 

Indie crochet designers are free to "run with it," and explore intriguing parts of a design. How are related variations (in yarns and shapes) not going to happen? Why shouldn't a designer include them in the pattern PDF and share the excitement? So I love to see it happen for Doris too.

Versatile Cabled Cowl by Mary Jane Hall

As a Neck Warmer

As a Hood

I have always been the kind of designer who says, “What else can I do with this?” I love playing around with a crocheted piece and sometimes my mind just goes crazy. It all started with a design in Crochet That Fits, where I have 6 designs all from the same exact shape. 

As a Capelet

As a Skirt

I didn’t start out planning to do the same with this cowl, but after it was finished, I was not satisfied with just one way to wear it!

As a hood

My model, 24 yr old Mihaela Vaduva from Romania, so patiently allowed me to manipulate this cowl all over her body.

There are several ways you can wear this cowl, so it's really 7 patterns in one!

They are:
1. As a Cowl - neck warmer
2. As a Hood - over your head
3. As a Capelet - around the shoulders
4. As a Skirt
5. As a Tube Top - to wear under a jacket
6. As a Tote Bag
7. As a Throw Pillow 

 Of course, if you wear this piece as a skirt, you may need to weave in a chain tie through the waist to help keep it on your hips. And if you use the pattern as a tote bag, you'd need to crochet a rectangle shaped bottom, sew on handles, and add lining and a stabilizer to help keep its shape.

For those of you who are fairly new to crochet, you may look at the stitch pattern and think it looks complicated. But it’s not at all. Believe me, I try not to do real difficult patterns.

If I can’t figure out a stitch pattern in a few minutes, I’m done with that one, and go on to try another. I am known to design easy patterns, and this textured cable and aran stitch won’t disappoint you. It’s not the quickest pattern, but well worth your time.  The stunning texture resembles knitting from afar. BTW, I would never advise anyone to wear a crochet sweater, such as this, (at left) with the crochet cowl. I had been taking pictures of Mihaela in crochet pieces I found at the thrift store and was in a hurry! A post called "Thrift Store Finds" can be found on my blog here.

This cowl pattern is now available for sale on my blog here.
                                        

As a Tube Top

As a Tote Bag

As a pillow

Each piece you see in the photos is the exact same piece. (the original cowl) My model is a size 4-5, but as a skirt this would also fit a size 1-2.

If you need to make a larger size skirt or capelet, all you'd have to do is add more rows.
For the pillow at right, I sewed up one end, put a pillow form inside, then sewed up the other end on the outside.
Maybe you have another idea of how this pattern can be used, and if so, I'd love to hear about it! Details of the pattern (price - shipping options) is here. Please let me know if you have any questions!

The Loken Cowl

I am so pleased to be able to talk about the Loken cowl that I designed for Berroco yarn company, as part of their eBook of patterns featuring their new Flicker yarn.

The brief I was given, was basically, to design an oversized cowl featuring crochet motifs.  I wanted the motifs to be unique, and I achieved this in the way that they are joined together.  This cowl is completely seamless and begins by crocheting 2 strips of motifs.  Then, the top and center motifs are made separately and incorporated into the spaces in the cowl by crocheting around edges of the previously joined motifs and into loops of the center or top motifs, simultaneously.  This creates bold thicker areas around the motifs which gives them an interesting texture, because the edges stand up and away from their centers.

When the bottom portion of the cowl is complete, you are rewarded the fun of crocheting the lovely shaped cowl neck in rounds above the motifs.  Working these chain stitch rounds is something I could do for hours on end!  It grows quickly and it is easily shaped by increasing or decreasing the number of chains.

It can be worn either loose around the neck or pulled down to cover the shoulders as in the photo above. It could also be made into a larger or smaller size by adding to or subtracting from the motif repeats, and altering the number of chains in the neck to fit.

There is more about my design process and some additional photos of the cowl here, on my blog, if you are interested!

Two Crochet Cowls by Kristine Mullen

Kristine is the crochet designer of Ambassador Crochet, an Etsy shop based in Connecticut (northeast USA). She contacted me a few months back to let me know that her Yin Yang Contrast Cowl pattern was available in her shop. I can't believe how behind I got in posting about new crochet cowls! In the meantime, Kristine has designed another crochet cowl (both are pictured below). I can post about both of them together. 

The Yin Yang Contrast Cowl looks like a quick and fun cowl to crochet right now for instant warmth if you live where the winds are still wintry blasts. It uses super bulky yarn. (As I write this, I hear that a big new nasty storm is expected from Louisiana to New York.)

In contrast, the Elegant Infinity Cowl crochet pattern is a bit lighter and still plenty warm for these months of variable winter-to-spring temperatures. Kristine says it's a suitable pattern for a beginner. I've only shown one image here, but be sure to click on its name to see the other four photos of how she has draped and styled it. The one shown here reminds me of a dollop of whipped cream. 


If you visit Kristine's Ambassador Crochet Etsy shop you'll also see a stylin' array of beanies for kids! She states in her shop that you can sell any items made from her patterns for profit. (Please link to her if you do.)

The Transitional Mobius Cowl According to Doris Chan

Snow Day as Snood (Hood)

Snow Day as Loop Scarf

A Doris J. Chan Cowl

Ms. Doris caught the cowl-crocheting bug and check out the result: it's the perfect transitional neckwarmer-shoulderwarmer-snood/hood, as practical in a wintry cold snap as it is pleasurable during a Spring thaw. Read about her inspiration for it here.

True or False: Möbius?

Moebius geeks purists connoisseurs please note: it's a true möbius (deserving of the umlaut ö). 

Snow Day is the newest addition to DJC, the new indie crochet patterns designed by Doris Chan. She also has another pattern line just for girls called DJC2, and will be adding a new design in a week or two. I'm proud to be able to offer both of Doris' indie pattern lines at my own online shop for downloadable crochet pattern pdf's.


One of the things I personally like about Doris' style of pattern publishing is how she builds in a lot of choices and swatch results in fibers and yarn textures so that you can make informed choices about the yarn you use. 

Stay in the Doris Chan Loop

Snow Day as Mobius Wrap

Keep up with all new Doris Chan crochet pattern releases three ways: 


1. Check Doris' blog Everyday Crochet


2. Check in with her Ravelry group, Doris Chan: Everyday Crochet


3. Subscribe to the DesigningVashti Crochet Inspirations Newsletter, then sit back and wait for a new issue to arrive by email every month.

Snow Day shown in a Silk-Cotton-Rayon blend yarn

So, as promised a little while ago...a free pattern! This is my Hairpin Lace Infinity Scarf...a type of cowl! My Christmas present to all of you! If you happen to make one, drop me a line and a pic to post on my Reader's Gallery! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

New Free Crochet Cowl Pattern Today

Fresh off the crochet hook is Carol Wolf's warm cowl with a lot of drape and luster. It's called Roli's Cowl and the pattern was posted today at her Wolf Crochet blog:

She used 300-400 yards of a sport weight bamboo blend. Nice job, Carol!
Here's the Ravelry page for Roli's Cowl.

Free Crochet Cowl Patterns!

Free crochet cowl patterns galore! Crocheting is fast, and even the smaller 1-skein cowls can be plenty warm, so there's still plenty of time to crochet cowls for Christmas gifts.

Free Indie Patterns for Small, Quick Cowls

Deb Burger's free 1-skein cowl-to-hat design

Deb Burger's free one-skein crochet cowl converts into a hat (photo by Deborah E. Burger). How cool is that? When you click on this link, please explore the free online Crochet Uncut magazine. You can see 37 or so projects here.

Newest news: Beth of Displaced Moose has a free new downloadable crochet cowl pattern!

Elizabeth Ann White offers one at her website; you can see another without fringe at its Ravelry page. (Be sure to also check out the 17 projects made from the pattern so far. Some are even smaller in size.)

Free Indie Patterns for Larger Cowls
About the more generous-sized cowls, Cheryl Brown of Purple Butterfly tweeted: "I love the cowls that cover my shoulders and b/c I also love shawls, ponchos and wraps I feel it is all in one." I agree with Cheryl--when I wear Orbit, I enjoy it like it's a wrap, only more so.

Suzana Davidovic of Croatia recently uploaded a free pattern for a larger crochet cowl to Ravelry. It uses about 400 yards of sport weight yarn and an I/5.5mm crochet hook.

Stephanie of The Crimson Owl published a free cowl pattern on her blog last year and I've seen people are talking about it again this year in online forums. Also see her follow up post about it, and its Ravelry page with 333 projects listed. Yes: 333!

Free Cowl Patterns from Yarn Companies
My crochet friend and Crochet Inspirations Newsletter subscriber Eleanor Lahn wrote to me about Lion Brand's cowl patterns: "Lion Brand’s latest newsletter has a link to all 60+ of their cowl patterns. I think Lion Brand has done as much as anyone to promote cowls in the past year -- they have lots of clever patterns." Thanks for pointing it out, Eleanor! Here's the link. (Some knit patterns are mixed in with the crochet)

Paradores

Aspen

Caron (scroll through projects to see cowls and scarflets). I especially like Aspen, designed by Kim Guzman and Tammy Hildebrand's Paradores Infinity Scarf.

Red Heart Yarns by Coats & Clark has a few free patterns for crochet cowls here.

Bernat's Cluster Cowl

Bernat has a lovely new free crochet cowl pattern called "Cluster Cowl" in an alpaca blend yarn. (Note that you have to become a member of the site (it's free) to access the free patterns.)

New Release: Crochet a Spiraling Orbit Cowl!

Crocheting this mesh rib stitch in a spiral sure has momentum! I really picked up speed while crocheting it: no joining, no turning, no counting stitches to slow things down.

To make it even more addictive, you only crochet into every other stitch, and this makes for an especially soft, stretchy cowl-neckscarf-capelet-hooded-shoulderwarmer-snood-wimple-thing.

The Orbit Cowl crochet pattern is fully customizable and includes the "how-tos" along the way. You can see some styling and color editing experiments in its online photo album.

I'm just now thinking that I could have written it for many yarn weights! The one shown uses an "aran-weight" (kind of "chunky weight" or heavy worsted) and a J-US10-6mm crochet hook. (Isn't it great how the self-striping yarn* looks?) The customizing how-tos in the pattern should help with substituting any yarn.

Well, dangnabbit: why not go super chunky? A big crochet hook too--probably bigger than an L, say an M or N (9mm or 10mm) crochet hook. The 'orbiting' ribs would certainly make a statement, huh?


*Crystal Palace Mochi Plus (80% merino wool, 20% nylon): 300 yards were needed for the size shown.
I also uploaded it to my Ravelry Store today.

Update

It's been 2 or 3 years since I wrote this post. It turns out that I wear Orbit more often than most of the others I've crocheted. I added a drawstring at the neck opening. I also often wear it pulled up like a hood. (When I wear a different cowl, it's when there's a fierce biting wind. That's when I turn to the wind-blocking Thaxton hood.)