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Easy Chunky Crochet Cowl with Free Pattern

A Quick to Crochet Cozy Cowl

If you want a chunky crochet cowl pattern to use up some leftover wool or want something new and warm, you are going to love this easy chunky crochet cowl.  I usually crochet projects for home, but I had the nice blue quick yarn I figured I might as well make myself an easy crochet cowl with the chunky yarn.  Blue is not a colour I ever use in home decor, no wonder it’s been in my stash forever.   

Reasons You Will Love This Cowl

What you’ll love about this Cowl :


  • QUICK– You can create this cowl in one evening. It used thick and bulky yarn so it was a quick project
  • GREAT GIFT – It makes a thoughtful last-minute gift idea
  • WARM – The cowl is large so it snuggles in across your shoulders making it extra warm and it stays tucked in. The bulky weight yarn is very warm.
  • EASY- It’s a beautiful simple cowl but made with basic stitches so it’s easy to crochet. It has a nice ribbed stitch that resembles knitting only its easier to do.

Did I say it has a free pattern?  Right here on the blog post.

A large cowl in dark blue with buttons.  The crocheted cowl is made from a free crochet cowl pattern.

Like most people, I am in the middle of the post-Christmas decluttering season.  I came across an embarrassingly large amount of wool skeins.  With the exceptionally cold Alberta winters, I decided I should spend an afternoon making a large thick cowl for my own personal use.  Of course, it would make a great homemade gift as well.

My goal was to use up some wool and then continue clearing out my craft stash.  I wanted it to be easy and quick to crochet using basic stitches so I could have something pretty and warm and relaxing to crochet.  It’s one of those fun projects you can just work on over a coffee break, drop it, and gladly pick it up when you have a few more minutes.

This cowl is really warm, and it is large enough to stay in place when tucked in.  I made a little shell pattern along the edge to make it feminine.

A very wide homemade cowl made from a free pattern.  The cowl is shown outside the coat to explain how wide and warm the cowl is.

As it is made with chunky wool, it only took me one evening to make.  This picture shows you how big the cowl is.  The pattern is repetitive and simple so you could easily change the size to make it smaller.  I love it wide, as you can see it goes from shoulder to shoulder, perfect for those extra cold February days.

How Quickly Can You Crochet this Cowl?

The time it takes to crochet this cowl is dependent on lots of variables, how fast you crochet, and how often the dust bunnies in your craft room distract you.    Like any crochet project, it takes a couple of hours to make.  If you sat down and just crocheted you can make it in one evening over a movie or two.  I hope that gives you an idea.  

Free Crochet Cowl Pattern

Abbreviations

Chain Stitch – ch

Single Crochet – sc

Half Double Crochet – hdc

Double Crochet – dc

For this pattern, I used 2 skeins of lion brand’s wool-ease thick yarn and a 6.5 mm hook.  

You will also need 2 large buttons.

Row One –  Foundation chain –  Ch 30. Turn.

Row Two –  In the second chain from the hook, crochet a hdc in the back loop of each stitch of the previous row.  Repeat until the end of the row.  Ch 2 turn.

Doing the stitch in the back loop gives the cowl the rippled look you see in the picture.

Row Three –  in the 2nd chain from hook, crochet a hdc in the back loop.  Continue doing hdc in the back loop of every stitch across. When you reach the end of the row, ch 2 and turn.

Repeat row for about 50 rows or until your cowl is 11 inches long.  If you want to make the cowl smaller crochet fewer rows and stop earlier.

Crocheted Border Pattern

I added a pretty frill border to my cowl.  It’s a simple shell pattern you repeat around the entire edge. 

Ch 1 and turn,  work around the entire cowl doing a shell pattern.  *sc, hdc,dc,hdc,sc ch 1 skip one loop*  repeat around all the edges.  Tie Off.  At the end do a slip stitch (sl st) pull the yarn tight and trim.  Using either your crochet hook or a yarn needle weave the ends into the crochet.

Adding the Cowl Buttons

Once you have the cowl crocheted, wrap it around your neck. Decide the placement of the buttons and attach them with a scrap bit of wool and the yarn needle.

Want to Make This Pattern? Pin it to Have it!

A closeup of a crocheted cowl in dark blue.  The crocheted cowl is made using a free crochet cowl pattern.

Here is a Collection of Free Cowl Patterns for You

Because I typically do home decor crochet, I don’t have any other cozy crochet cowls of my own to share. I love cowls, I think they have an elegant look, compared to a scarf that seems more casual to me.

But there are so many different ways to create a cowl, that I thought it was only fair to find some other ideas for you. 

Easy Crochet Cowl Pattern

This Crochet Easy Cowl Pattern from My Crochet Space is perfect for those who know their basic crochet stitches.  It’s part of a last-minute Christmas gift series.  

Easy Crochet Cowl for Beginners

An Easy Crochet Cowl for Beginners from Sigoni Macaroni.  This simple chunky crochet cowl has a simple design and can be made in various sizes.  I love that she placed the easy crochet pattern on her blog page for you.

This crochet cowl is not as chunky as the other ones, and it only uses one skein of soft yarn. 

20 Comments

  1. I love the look of the cowl tucked into your coat — so pretty! That winter picture is amazing…absolutely gorgeous, but BRRR. Thank you for being such an awesome co-host at the #HomeMattersParty 🙂

    ~Lorelai
    Life With Lorelai

  2. LeannaForsythe says:

    Hi Pam: Crochet relaxes me. I find mechanical projects like cutting or drilling stressful. I am determined to do it but hubs know I am not talented at it and asks me to wait until he’s home.

  3. You look adorable. I have two left hands when it comes to anything yarn. lol
    Pam

  4. That is beautiful and I have never seen anything like that. I am going to show it to my mom. She is a crocheting genius. I have tried and failed many many times. So if you want to talk about some skeins laying around…shame on me!

    1. LeannaForsythe says:

      Oh that makes me feel better. I really did think “get a grip Leanna” when I saw that big bag of unused wool. I am determined to make some more things with it before spring.

      Feel free to email me a picture of two of your mothers projects, I bet their beautiful.

  5. So beautiful. Now I need to learn how to crochet! #homemattersparty

  6. Ooh. This is cute. I love the different ways you can wear it. #HomeMattersParty

    1. LeannaForsythe says:

      Hi Marissa: You can wear it different ways and I specifically chose blue so I could wear it with my dress jacket as shown. Or with my jeans.

      Thank you for commenting. See you at the party later this week.

  7. LeannaForsythe says:

    Hi Michelle: Crochet is a very easy craft to do. I am glad it is slowly coming back into style.

    See you at the #HomeMattersParty Leanna

  8. Leanna, your scarf is beautiful!! I have only ever tried finger knitting but would love to crochet! You have so much talent!! #homemattersparty

  9. Looks beautiful, Leanna. Wish I could crochet. #HomeMattersParty

    1. LeannaForsythe says:

      Hi Sahana: Glad you like the cowl. Crochet is much easier to do than knitting is. This is a project easy enough for a beginning project because it uses large wool.

      Thank you for commenting from the #HomeMattersParty. Leanna

  10. This is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing the pattern. I’ve been knitting and crocheting more now that it’s cold again. #HomeMattersParty

    1. LeannaForsythe says:

      Great stuff Emily. The wool arts are making a come back in popularity. I think its because of these gorgeous chunky wools. I crocheted this easily in an evening.

      Thanks for commenting from the #HomeMattersParty. Leanna

  11. I grew up in a warm climate, so I didn’t learn until way into my adulthood (after spending my first winter living in an super cold climate) that wearing something around your neck makes a HUUUUGE difference in keeping warm. Your crochet cowl scarf sure looks cozy! Stay warm up there in Edmonton! #HomeMattersParty

    1. LeannaForsythe says:

      Hi Nicole: I wish I could say I grew up where its warm, I am a Northerner until retirement anyways. That scarf or cowl around the neck is certainly for more than added colour lol. Thank you for stopping by and it continues to be fun co-hosting the #HomeMattersParty with you.

  12. You do beautiful work. I never could get the hang of it. And that is a great picture of you.

    1. LeannaForsythe says:

      Hi Debra. I was shy taking a picture with the granny bun, but I wanted readers to see the cowl. Its really snuggly and warm. I am quite impressed with it.

      Thanks for commenting, especially about the pic. Leanna

    1. LeannaForsythe says:

      Hi Marie: This new chunky wool is really easy to work with and stitches up so quickly. We haven’t had the winter we were expecting but we still have February to ahhh… look forward to lol

      Thanks again for commenting. Always appreciated. Leanna

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