A free knitting pattern for a cowl fit for a mermaid! Waves of sea green and turquoise froth around your neck in soothing bands of color.
This lightweight accessory is truly season-spanning. It’s also comfort knitting. The easy-to-remember four-round stitch pattern is meditative and relaxing.
Thanks to KnitPicks for providing the the yarn for this project. This post contains affiliate links.
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About the Yarn
Use fingering weight gradient yarn, color-changing yarns, or a tonal pack of mini skeins as shown here. Or make a rainbow version using your sock yarn odds and ends.
KnitPicks Stroll Tonal is a fingering weight wool blend. It’s a classic sock yarn made of 75% superwash merino wool and 25% nylon. The Stroll Tonal Mini Packs are available in a variety of beautiful colorways. I chose Aquarium for my cowl, but there are several beautiful color combinations to choose from.
Including the yarn I used for a swatch, I used about 10 g of colors A and E, and a bit less than that for the other colors. That works out to be about 38-48 yds [34-44 m] per each of the five colors.
My math says that you should have enough to make two cowls from one mini pack, as long as you only knit one swatch and you match the pattern gauge.
You do always knit a swatch, right?
About the Knitting
With US size 3 [3.25 mm] 16″ [40 cm] circular needles, cast on loosely and knit in rounds until you are finished. Matching gauge is always important, but it’s not crucial in this project. What could be easier?
I’ll tell you what could be easier: collect up your stitch markers and put a marker between each 11-stitch repeat. That’ll help you keep track of the stitch pattern!
The free knitting pattern is below. You can also purchase an ad-free printable pdf pattern that includes photos and a stitch chart.
Oceanid Cowl Pattern
Size & Finished Dimensions
One Size: 26″ [66 cm] diameter x 5″ [12.5 cm] high
Materials
Fingering weight yarn: approximately 48 yds [44 m] each of five colors. Sample used KnitPicks Stroll Tonal Mini Pack (75% superwash merino wool/25% nylon, 3.5 oz [100 g], 462 yd [422 m], colorway Aquarium
US size 3 [3.25 mm] 16″ [40 cm] circular knitting needle or size to obtain correct gauge
17 stitch markers; one in a unique color
Gauge
Two 11-st pattern repeats = about 3″ [7.5 cm]; 48 rounds = 4″ [10 cm] in Wave Pattern
Gauge is not crucial in this pattern, but do match gauge for best results.
Abbreviations
A, B, C, D, E: color designations
k: knit
k2tog: knit 2 stitches together
rep: repeat
rnd(s): round(s)
ssk (slip, slip, knit): slip next 2 stitches one at a time knitwise, insert left needle into the front of these 2 sts and knit them together through the back loops
st(s): stitch(es)
yo: yarn over
Wave Pattern
(multiple of 11)
Rnds 1 & 2: Knit.
Rnd 3: *[Ssk] two times, [yo, k1] 3 times, yo, [k2tog] two times; rep from * around.
Rnd 4: Purl.
Repeat Rnds 1-4 for pattern.
Instructions
With A and circular needle, loosely cast on 187 sts using a long-tail cast-on and placing a marker every 11 sts. Place unique color marker to indicate end of round. Join for working in the round, being careful not to twist sts.
Set-Up Rnd: Purl.
Begin Wave Pattern, working four rounds each of colors A, B, C, D, and E. Work until piece measures about 5″ [12.5 cm] long, ending with color E.
Bind off Rnd: Remove markers as you work this round. With E, *bind off 4 sts, (yo, lift previous st over the yarnover to bind off, bind off next st) 3 times, bind off 4 sts; rep from * around. Fasten off.
Weave in all ends. Block.
