Cowl of Star Stitches and Lovers Knots

My newest cowl design is Lovelace. I have wanted to crochet two fancy, historic stitches together in one pattern for a long time! I wonder if it has ever been done before.

Historic Stitch Combo

I think of Lovelace as uniting north and south. This is based on all the research I did into the history of these stitches. 

Starwirbel is star stitches
crocheted in very fine wool,
just like in old Norway!

Both originated in the mid-1800's. I can trace star stitches back to Norway, where warm wool yarns were used. Even though some of the earliest star stitches were lacy, they were crocheted with wool, not a cotton or silk crochet thread.

Electra is 100% lover's knot
in fine, fancy yarns. 

Meanwhile, the lover's knot (a.k.a. Solomon's knot, or simply knot stitch) was always crocheted with crochet thread, and the finer the better! So delicate and lacy—so summery—that from a distance the strands appear to dissolve in the sunlight.

My Lotus yarn held together
with a strand of glittery mohair.

Love knots are perfectly happy to be crocheted of yarn too, even wool. For Lovelace I used a medium (worsted weight) merino wool yarn, and swatched many others, which all worked beautifully.

Lovelace swatched in handspun angora!

Crocheting these two together is a fun and exciting Intermediate skill-level experience. It makes a truly special gift. Make it as long or wide as you like; I included information for customizing the size in the pattern.

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!

The Perfect Stitch for Fall Crochet Cowls!

- - Free Crochet Pattern Alert! see below - -

Slip Tectonics Cowl combines two kinds of slip stitches so that it
is self-shaping. This gives it easy-chic looks and comfort.

Thaxton Hood Cowl

I'm in love with my new cowls made with the super stretchy, warm, soft, snug, and stylish crochet slip stitch ribbing. Especially in short row wedges! So, I've created a free crochet pattern called "Slip Slope Scarf" to help introduce this technique, see below.

Short rows and slipped stitches are both much more common in knitting than crochet. Together they make magic for crochet cowls.

Slip Slope Scarf (free pattern)
Pattern includes guidelines for making a
 loop scarf & moebius-style infinity scarf. 

In crochet, combining slip stitches and short rows is rare. When I do see crochet short rows, it's more often for "soakers" (diaper covers) in regular crochet, and for Tunisian crochet. 


The few short-rowed slip stitch designs I've found so far have been for hats--and I can see why! What a fabulous fabric for toasty hats that keep ears covered!

Side view of the self-shaping  
Slip Tectonics Cowl  

(For some examples of these non-cowl short row designs, see my Crochet Inspirations Newsletter Issue #29.)

Slip Slope Scarf
as scarf

Personally I prefer to wear cowls as hat-like hoods when I need them. Also, right now I'm loving the new textures and color patterning I can do with crochet slip stitch rib short rows worked flat, rather than in the round as hats usually are. That's where I'm at in my crochetin' journey.


Below is a photo from my free online tutorial. It shows the slip stitch short rows in progress. 

New Tunisian Crochet Cowl Scarf

Rimply the edgy, one-skein, big-hook neck warmer is packin' some Heat-Trapping Technology:

Worsted-weight Rimply

You're looking at familiar, by-the-book Tunisian Knit Stitch, crocheted not-so-by-the-book to fortify it with stretchy padded goodness. That violet one above is for DK-to-Worsted Weight yarn and an L (8mm) Tunisian crochet hook. The grey one below is for Aran/Heavy Worsted Weight yarn and an M (9mm)Tunisian crochet hook. (Instantly downloadable pattern is written for both options.)

One edge has extra stretch built in so that it flares comfortably....seductively, even?....at the lower neck as it widens for the shoulders.  However, check out how the grey aran weight one looks when it's worn upside down! The stretchier edge is the top edge of the scarflet now:

Chunky-weight Rimply (upside down 🔄)

More photos of both versions can be seen in Rimply's Flickr set.

Rimply is named for its thermal pockets, or "rimples"—a little used term that I like reviving.

Making it as long and as wide as you prefer is easy. In fact, I fantasize about an oversized muffler-type, or even a capelet-type wrapper. So warm and squishy-soft omg.

Presenting Chainmaille, a Crocheted Cowl-Scarf-Neckwarmer

I so love this stitch pattern—how chic in a luxe metallic-looking alpaca yarn!
Feels like liquid chain mail.

I have just released “Chainmaille Cowl, Neckwarmer, & Men's Long Scarf”. Pattern includes these 3 project types plus information for customizing. Download the pdf crochet pattern:

https://designingvashti.com/product/chainmaille-cowl-mens-scarf/

Like all of my crochet patterns, this one includes an exclusive link to a photo album of alternate views, swatches, close ups, etc. A few of the photos are visible to anyone here. 

Click the album link from within the pattern, and yeah baby: max pics with more added as they happen. Forever.

Photographing Crochet Cowls

I never hear a peep from my mannequin, Lindsay, no matter how long she has to stand there while I drape crochet on her every which way. OK yes, she doesn't have a head, but I think I would know if she grew restless. I'm sure it helps that whenever I make myself a mocha, I make one for her too.

If you haven't tried it (mochas and draping cowls on a patient mannequin), it's worth it! I see new ways to wrap stitches around a neck and shoulders, and new places to put a button or shawl pin. Like with the one shown here, I wonder about a toggle or two? Or short ribbon ties, or a buckling-latching thing?

Let's "face" it, headless models are not ideal for photographing cowls, so I try to be creative, learning something daily about this kind of accessory.

For example, today I tried dressing the mannequin in a black silk camisole--the opposite of a heavy winter coat, then tried different kinds of cowls on her.

The crochet cowl experiment you see here is all about the stitch. It's a deliciously spongy double-faced pattern I came up with on my own. In pure bulky wool and a big hook it's nearly an inch thick!! It's one full 3.5oz/100g skein of Patons Classic Wool Roving (Bulky weight, 120yd/109m). It calls for a USJ/10/6mm crochet hook and I used an M/9mm. I wish I'd gotten a few more rows out of that skein, but it does fit as a 'gaiter'-type cowl more than one way.

The yarn is vivid Christmas red, which caused my camera to blur the stitches no matter what I did. I had to cool off the red with editing tools just to see the stitches! Then I played around some more to get the version you see here.


Please please leave comments if you have any tips, feedback, commiserating about photographing crochet cowls! It just isn't like photographing other crochet projects.

Photos: Crocodile Stitch Neckwarmer

I blogged this yesterday. Here are some photos, thank you Lianka Azulay:

Is this a cool crochet stitch pattern or what? You can also see this design in two other colors, a gray and an olive green. The designer recommends Knit Picks Palette, a fingering weight pure Peruvian Highland Wool. 

Lianka writes: "I really have very little time to promote my designs (i.e. full-time job, husband, dog and grad school). Crochet is what keeps me centered.

I love that your blog intends to increase interest in crochet. Unfortunately, too many people think that you can only make ponchos, doilies and tablecloths with it."