Braided Cowl, Free Crochet Pattern

Do you have your three balls of Scheepjes River Washed XL ready to go? Great!

If you haven’t, nip over to Wool Warehouse*, or Caro’s Atelier*, or head to Scheepjes.com for the full list of stockists.

What You’ll Need

3 skeins of Scheepjes River Washed XL, one each of 942 Steenbras, 949 Yarra, and 94 Danube.
6mm hook (or hook to obtain tension)

Measurements

60cm around, by 15cm wide

Tension

5 stitches by 7 rows = 10cm
Unblocked, in stitch pattern.

Abbreviations

(UK terms)
Ch chain
Tr Treble crochet (US: DC double crochet)
Ps Puff stitch (4 loops)
C1 (C2, C3) colour one, colour 2, colour 3

Notes

This pattern is worked in rounds, with each round being worked in the opposite direction to create the braided effect. It is also based on a three stitch repeat, so to increase or decrease the circumference, add or subtract stitches in sets of threes.

Repeat instructions between *…* the stated number of times.

The stitch itself is also very simple, but can be awkward to get the hang of in the beginning. The first stitch of the round is a ch 3, which counts as a treble. The next stitch is a 4 loop puff stitch (yarn over, insert hook, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through all loops), however this is worked through a stitch two stitches back. The next stitch of the round is then worked three stitches forward from the original starting chain. More on this in the instructions.

It’s important to remember that this design makes use of almost all of the yarn, there will be very little left over, so pay close attention to your tension. There are four rounds of each colour, so if there are concerns about yardage and tension, work two quick rounds in pattern and weigh your work. If more than 50% of the ball is used, check and adjust the tension/hook.

Instructions

With C1 ch99. Ss to join.
Ch3 (counts as a tr), *skip 1 chain backwards, ps in the previous chain. Ch1, skip 4, tr in the next.* (There should be two skipped chains between the ch3 and the next treble.) Repeat 32x, ss to the top of the puff stitch (not the chain) to join.
Turn, ch3. *ps in the last treble from the previous round (skip one stitch backwards), ch1, tr in the top of the next ps* repeat 32x. ss to the top of the 1^st ps of the round. Tie off, weave in ends.
Change to C2, repeat round 2, working in the opposite direction to row 3 so the puff stitches will slant in the opposite direction.
Repeat round 3, tie off, weave in ends.
Change to C3, repeat round 2, working in the opposite direction to row 3 so the puff stitches will slant in the opposite direction.
Repeat round 3, tie off, weave in ends.
Change to C2, repeat round 2, working in the opposite direction to row 3 so the puff stitches will slant in the opposite direction.
Repeat round 3, tie off, weave in ends.
Change to C1, repeat round 2, working in the opposite direction to row 3 so the puff stitches will slant in the opposite direction.
Repeat round 3, tie off, weave in ends.
Change to C3, ss in each stitch around, tie off, weave in ends.
With C3, repeat round 12 in the starting chain.

Tie off, make sure all your ends are woven in. This project doesn’t need to be blocked, but blocking improves every crochet project, so it’s recommended.

There you go!

Share your photos on Instagram using the hashtag #braidedcowl or #missneriss

Photo Tutorial

Round 1

ETA: **Note: the below photos shows us that there is a round of DC (US SC), but this is just for the photo purposes. You should work the first round into the chain you made**