The Secret Garden Cowl
Free Crochet Pattern
Effortless colorwork and beautiful texture
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The Pattern
The Secret Garden Cowl is the pop of color that is guaranteed to brighten up any outfit. It is worked seamlessly in the round and uses a gorgeous variation of the waistcoat stitch, making it much easier to work up compared to the traditional stitch.
The intricate looking colorwork pattern is actually just a 2-stitch repeat and it’s super easy to memorize. And since you’ll only ever work with a single color at a time, there’s not much yarn management to talk about.
My sample shows size 3 and uses Furls Wander acrylic yarn in colorway Snow as the main color, and Atlantis, Aurora, Camel, Enchanted, Sprout, and Cabin as contrast colors.
MEASUREMENTS
Cowl circumference: 20 (22, 24) inches or 51 (56, 61) cm
Cowl height: 6.5 (7.25, 8.25) inches or 17 (18, 21) cm
DIFFICULTY
Advanced beginner
MATERIALS
Yarn: Furls Wander acrylic yarn in colorway Snow as the main color, and Atlantis, Aurora, Camel, Enchanted, Sprout, and Cabin as contrast colors.
The Wander acrylic yarn is a soft, squishy and shiny yarn. The acrylic fiber provides durability and elasticity, and it’s a great pick for crochet winter accessories due to its abrasion-resistant nature which wicks away moisture and is quick-drying. The yarn also has great stitch definition, which highlights the vibrant colors and gorgeous crochet texture!
Any yarn weight would work for this pattern! Just pick an appropriate hook size that will create a fabric with an appropriate drape – not too stiff and not too loose. If using a different weight yarn, use an appropriate hook size and keep in mind that your yardage and dimensions may vary. My testers used a variety of yarns and colors to show off this design – scroll down to the tester lookbook below to find all the details on yarns and yardages from my testers!
Hook: 4.0 mm Furls Blush Streamline Metal crochet hook. The undersized hook paired with a loose tension allows you to easily insert the hook through the center of the stitches.
Notions: Scissors, darning needle, stitch marker.
YARDAGE
The approximate yardages are:
Main color: 1 skein of Furls Wander, or 75 (95, 115) yds / 70 (85, 105) m
Contrast color: 6 skeins of Furls Wander (one for each CC), or 70 (85, 105) yds / 65 (80, 95) m in total
I’d LOVE to see your work, so be sure to tag me @CrochetHighway on Instagram and use the #CrochetHighway hashtag for a chance to be featured on my stories!
Tester highlights
Scroll down for the complete tester lookbook, where you can find photos, yarn & yardage info from all my testers.
Yarn SUBSTITUTION Ideas
Looking for yarn substitution ideas? Here’s a list of alternative yarns you can try!
Join my Facebook support Group
I proud myself with writing ultra-detailed patterns for you, so that your crocheting experience is as smooth and seamless as possible. But whenever you have a pattern related question, my Facebook support group is the place to ask. There you can also share your WIPs and brag about your FOs with the community!
The pattern
Finished measurements
Size | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Cowl circumference | 20″ | 22″ | 24″ |
Cowl height | 6.5″ | 7.25″ | 8.25″ |
General notes
- Level of difficulty: Advanced beginner.
- The cowl is worked in the round, completely on the right side in a spiral, without turning your work or joining your rounds. You’ll change colors at the end of each round. If needed, use a stitch marker to keep track of the end of one round and the start of the next.
- The pattern uses standard US terminology.
- The pattern is written for 3 sizes as follows: 1 (2, 3).
- The pattern uses brackets to mark stitch repeats [like this].
Stitch glossary
CC | contrast color |
CH | chain |
MC | main color |
RS | right side |
SC | single crochet |
SK | skip |
SLST | slip stitch |
Special Stitches
long WST (long waistcoat stitch): see photos 2-6 below.
See a step-by-step photo tutorial and a video demonstration of the waistcoat stitch here.
Gauge
16 ST and 18 rnds = 4 x 4 inches (10.16 x 10.16 cm)
Complete the gauge swatch following the directions below and block it the same way you would block your cowl. The sample was lightly steam blocked. Take measurements from the center of your swatch.
See my in-depth guide on how to block your crochet items. Note that some fibers, such as wool, may cause the fabric to relax after blocking, so you should take that into account when choosing a size.
Gauge swatch directions
With MC and a hook size that is 1.0 mm bigger than your main gauge hook, CH 40. Switch back to your 4.0 mm (main gauge) hook.
Setup round (MC): SC directly into back loop of first foundation CH to form a ring, taking care to not twist the chain. SC in back bump of each CH around, placing the last SC in the last CH. Change colors on the last SC by completing the last yarn over and pull through with the new yarn. [40 SC]
Round 1 (CC): SK first SC, [2 long WST in next SC, SK next SC] around (photos 2-8), 2 long WST in last SC. Change colors on the last long WST by completing the last yarn over and pull through with the new yarn (photos 9-10). [40 long WST]
Pro tip! On the very first round of long WSTs, it will be more difficult to insert your hook into the center of a SC from the setup round. All subsequent rounds will work up much faster as it will be significantly easier to insert your hook in the center of another long WST.
To start a long WST, insert hook in the center of the indicated SC, going in from the front and in between the two lines forming a V shape (photo 3), and coming out the back in between the two lines forming a similar V shape, underneath the horizontal bar from the back side of the SC (photo 4). Yarn over and pull up a loop (this is also known as the “golden loop”) twice as high as you normally would (photo 5). Yarn over again and pull through both loops on your hook to complete the long WST (photo 6).
Round 2 (MC): SK first long WST, [2 long WST in next long WST, SK next long WST] around, 2 long WST in last long WST. Change colors on the last long WST by completing the last yarn over and pull through with the new yarn (photos 11-18). [40 long WST]
Repeat round 2, x20 more times, alternating between MC and CC. After the last repeat, SLST in top of first SC to join. You now have 23 rounds, including the setup round.
Cowl Directions
Now that you have completed the gauge swatch, you are familiar with the stitch pattern and you also know what your gauge is. With MC and a hook size that is 1.0 mm bigger than your main gauge hook, CH 80 (88, 96) or a multiple of 2. Switch back to your 4.0 mm (main gauge) hook.
Setup round (MC): SC directly into back loop of first foundation CH to form a ring, taking care to not twist the chain. SC in back bump of each CH around, placing the last SC in the last CH. Change colors on the last SC by completing the last yarn over and pull through with the new yarn. [80 (88, 96) SC]
Round 1 (CC): SK first SC, [2 long WST in next SC, SK next SC] around, 2 long WST in last SC. Change colors on the last long WST by completing the last yarn over and pull through with the new yarn. [80 (88, 96) long WST]
Round 2 (MC): SK first long WST, [2 long WST in next long WST, SK next long WST] around, 2 long WST in last long WST. Change colors on the last long WST by completing the last yarn over and pull through with the new yarn. [80 (88, 96) long WST]
Repeat round 2, x26 (30, 34) more times, alternating between MC and CC. After the last repeat, SLST in top of first SC to join. You now have 29 (33, 37) rounds, including the setup round.
Weave in all ends and block according to fiber. The sample was lightly steam blocked. Read more on how to block your crochet garments and accessories in my free comprehensive guide.
Tester lookbook
My patterns would not be so smooth without the input of my team of talented testers. Swipe left & right for more photos of your favorite versions!
Want to test my future patterns? Check out how you can become a pattern tester for CrochetHighway!
Colt (ColtyStitched on Ravelry)
Size 3, using 145 yds of Furls Crochet Wander Yarn In Snow as MC, and 60 yds of Furls Crochet Wander Yarn In Cobblestone And Mist as CC (worsted weight yarn)
Hook size(s): 4 mm
Mods: None.
Karem (karemchristiane on Ravelry)
Size 2, using 109 yds of Circulo Yarn/ Mollet as MC, and 78 yds of Circulo Yarn/ Mollet as CC (DK weight yarn)
Hook size(s): 4 mm
Mods: None.
Claudia (LilMissC on Ravelry)
Size 3, using 112 yds of Carron Simply Soft as MC, and 100 yds of Carron Simply Soft as CC (worsted weight yarn)
Hook size(s): 4.5 mm
Mods: None.
Sofia (Sofia.brn on Ravelry)
Size 2, using 100 yds of Drops Lima as MC, and 100 yds of Drops Lima as CC (worsted weight yarn)
Hook size(s): 4 mm, 5 mm
Mods: None.
Size 3, using 190 yds of Malabrigo Rios as MC, and 30 yds of Malabrigo Rios as CC (worsted weight yarn)
Hook size(s): 4 mm, 5 mm
Mods: None.
Jen (sunsandstitches on Ravelry)
Size 3, using 110 yds of Big Twist Value as MC, and 105 yds of Big Twist Value as CC (worsted weight yarn)
Hook size(s): 4 mm
Mods: None.
Valentina (Valentina2607 on Ravelry)
Size 2, using 90 yds of Craftiss as MC, and 90 yds of Craftiss as CC (DK weight yarn)
Hook size(s): 4.5 mm, 5.5 mm
Mods: None.
Sarah
Size 2, using 273.403 yds of Miratex Copito as MC, and 273.403 yds of Miratex Copito as CC (sport weight yarn)
Hook size(s): 5 mm, 6 mm
Mods: None.
Marta (Martasantos58ms on Ravelry)
Size 3, using recycled yarn from a thrifted garment as MC, and the same recycled yarn from a thrifted garment with a strand of color changing acrylic mohair as CC (2 strands of lace making a light DK yarn)
Hook size(s): 4.5 mm, 6 mm
Mods: I made the cowl shorter by working fewer repeats.