Thank you to Lion Brand Yarn for supplying the yarn for this sample!

I know, I know. This one looks familiar. I already used this stitch on a cowl, so what am I doing releasing the same pattern again?

But it’s not the same pattern!

I’ve said it many times — when I find a stitch I love, I get really fixated on it. This has been one of those stitches. So far I’ve made that other cowl, boot cuffs, and a gorgeous rustic-modern blanket.

So for this cowl, I decided that I really wanted it in a color-blocked style. I had my eye on some yarn from Lion Brand’s LB Collection, called 100% Superwash Merino, that I wanted to use. The problem with that other cowl is that I worked it in vertical rows instead of horizontal, so I couldn’t have achieved the color-blocked look with that pattern. So, I decided to write up a similar-but-different pattern, working it in horizontal rows this time. I love how it turned out!

About the Yarn

I don’t wear a lot of bright colors; I’m most comfortable in blacks and grays. (I’m not a sad person, I promise. I just find gray very cozy.) But I have been trying to inject a little color into my wardrobe lately, and my favorite color to pair with classic gray is deep purple. 100% Superwash Merino Yarn from the LB Collection is a really pretty lightweight (#3) yarn that has a nice array of colors to choose from. I chose Wisteria, Charcoal, and Purple for my cowl. The yarn itself was a pleasure to work with. There was virtually no splitting (yay!) and it showed of the stitches really nicely. LB Collection Yarn is only available online at lionbrand.com, their studio in NYC, their outlet in New Jersey, or in the Lion Design catalog. (In other words, you won’t find it at the big craft stores or in your local yarn shop.)

If you’re thinking about using 100% Superwash Merino from Lion Brand in your own cowl, here are a few color schemes I put together that you might like:

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  Comfy Squares Color Block Cowl (Ad-Free PDF)

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COMFY SQUARES COLOR BLOCK COWL

Level: Easy

Size: Cowl measures 28″ wide by 14.5″ tall before seaming.*
*It should probably be noted here that while most of my patterns are modeled on real people, this one is staged on a standard sized jewelry bust that you find at craft stores, which is only about 10″ wide at the shoulders. Keep this in mind when you decide whether or not to adjust the pattern, because if you want it to look as full on you as it does in the photo, you’ll want to increase your starting chain (just keep it an odd number). The good news is, if you use the recommended yarn, you’ll have plenty of yarn in your skeins to do it.

Hook:  H (5.00mm)

Yarn: LB Collection 100% Superwash Merino (#3 light yarn) in 3 colors. You will need 170 yards each of the bottom two colors, and 205 yards of the top color (it uses more because of the ribbing at the top).

You’ll also need: Yarn needle

Gauge: A row of 18SC = about 4″ in length.

Abbreviations Used:
   ST (stitch)
SL ST (slip stitch)
SK (skip)
CH (chain)
SC (single crochet)
HDC (half double crochet)
   SC+HDC (this just means to put a single crochet and a half double crochet in the same stitch)
FPDC (front post double crochet)
BPDC (back post double crochet)

Notes:
(1) This pattern is written in American Standard Terms.
(2) Starting CHs do not count as stitches.
(3) To adjust the width of your cowl, add or subtract from your starting CH (just begin with an odd number of CHs). To adjust the length of your blanket, add or subtract an even number of rows to/from each color block.
(4) Cowl is worked from the bottom up, so keep this in mind when choosing the order of colors you work with.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

To begin:
With first color, CH125.

Row 1: SC in 2nd CH from hook. SC across. (124)

Rows 2-21: CH1, turn. HDC in 1st ST. (SK next ST, SC+HDC in next ST) across until 1 ST remains. SC in remaining ST. (124)

Row 22: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (124)

Helpful tip: The SCs in Rows 22 & 23 help us to create a nice straight line where color blocks come together. If we didn’t add it, the color changes would have a more jagged edge.

Switch to a new color; fasten off previous color, leaving a long tail for seaming.

Row 23: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (124)

Rows 24-43: CH1, turn. HDC in 1st ST. (SK next ST, SC+HDC in next ST) across until 1 ST remains. SC in remaining ST. (124)

Row 44: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (124)

Switch to a new color; fasten off previous color, leaving a long tail for seaming.

Row 45: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (124)

Rows 46-59: CH1, turn. HDC in 1st ST. (SK next ST, SC+HDC in next ST) across until 1 ST remains. SC in remaining ST. (124)

Row 60: CH1, turn. SC in each ST across. (124)

Row 61: CH1, turn. HDC in each ST across. (124)

Rows 62-67: CH1, turn. FPDC in first ST, BPDC in next ST. (FPDC in next ST, BPDC in next ST) across.

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for seaming.

Leaving your 3 long tails alone (there should be one of each color), weave in all other tails to get them out of the way.

Seaming
Lay your cowl flat, then bring the sides together and match up the color blocks. Use a yarn needle to sew each color block closed with its matching yarn tail. Weave in all ends.