Thank you Lion Brand Yarn for providing the yarn for this pattern!
I had the opportunity to try the new Mandala yarn from Lion Brand and I am sooooo excited about it! If you aren’t familiar with it yet, it’s Lion Brand’s take on the trendy yarn cakes that have taken the crochet world by storm recently. I knew I was going to love Mandala as soon as I heard that it was a #3 light yarn – that immediately set it apart in my mind from all the other versions. And the colors!
Not only are there 16 beautiful color schemes to choose from, but the gradient effect they give is the best I’ve seen in these popular cakes. While not a true gradient, the creators of Mandala yarn were very intentional about their color changes. Instead of 3 or 4 abrupt color jumps, Mandala utilizes light and dark shades of the same color to gradually change from one color to the next. For example, in “Genie” (the sample with the green/white/gray colorway), the yarn started as a dark gray, then switched to medium gray, to grayish-green, to green, to light green, to even lighter green, to white, to lightest gray, to medium gray, and finally on back to the dark gray it began with. What a difference that makes in the overall look!
I decided that a nice simple textured project would be perfect for showing off the pretty colors of this yarn. I’ve been playing with the bean stitch lately, so that’s what I used. I don’t know exactly why this stitch got its name, but I think it looks like an espresso bean, and coffee-related things always make me happy.
I also worked this cowl up in two other fun colors – Sphinx (left) and Chamera (right). Mandala yarn definitely has something for everyone!
What’s really great about this pattern is that it uses all of your Mandala cake without leaving any wasted yarn. That’s always a win for me (and for my overflowing yarn shelf)!
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This pattern is also available as an ad-free, printable PDF! And if you love PDFs, you might want to check out my All Access Pass. It’s an awesome deal! (Or, scroll down for the free version!)
SPRING BEAN COWL
Difficulty: Easy
Finished Size: 29″ around x 16″ tall
Hook: H (5.0mm)
Yarn: 1 full cake of Lion Brand Mandala (or about 590 yards of your favorite #3 light yarn from Lion Brand). Sample is shown in “Genie”.
Gauge: 14 rows of 7 bean stitches = 4″ square. Or, your starting chain should measure about 27-28″.
You’ll also need: Yarn needle
Abbreviations Used:
ST/STS (stitch/stitches)
SL ST (slip stitch)
SK (skip)
CH (chain)
SC (single crochet)
Special Stitch:
Bean Stitch – Completed, this stitch actually covers the ground of two stitches. Here’s how you do it:
Insert hook into stitch, yarn over and pull through (2 loops on hook). Yarn over, insert hook into same stitch, yarn over and pull through (4 loops on hook). Yarn over, insert hook into same stitch, yarn over and pull through (6 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all 6 loops. Chain 1 to close the stitch, and skip the next stitch. (You will skip the next stitch every time you do a bean stitch.)
Notes:
(1) This pattern is written in American Standard Terms.
(2) CH1 at the beginning of round does not count as a stitch.
(3) Pattern is worked in a continuous, seamless round (spiral). Do notjoin, turn or chain except where instructed.
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THE PATTERN
Fringe (optional)
Before we make a single stitch, we’re going to cut our fringe. This enables us to have enough yarn for the fringe while still using up every yard of the Mandala cake for the pattern. Since we want our fringe to blend right into the gradient of the pattern, carefully remove the label and find the end of the yarn. (We’ll be pulling from the center while we crochet, so the bottom of the cowl will be the end you find along the outside wall of the cake). Handle your cake with care so that you can slip that label back on it when you’re done.
Find something in your home that is approximately 9″ wide – I used a 9″ cutting board. Wrap the yarn all the way around the object 55 times, keeping it taught, but not pulling super tight (Figure 1). Cut once at the halfway point (Figure 2). Carefully gather the strands in your hand and fold them in half, then cut again at the halfway point (figure 3). You should now have about 110 pieces of fringe. (We only need 100, but usually a few of them end up too short.) Carefully replace the label on your yarn cake, and proceed to the pattern.
For the pattern, use the beginning of the yarn from the center of the yarn cake.
To begin: CH100. Join to first CH with a SL ST, being careful to not twist the chain. (Briana K has an awesome video tutorial here for how to do this perfect every time.) (100)
Round 1: CH1. SC in same ST and in each ST around. Do not join. (100)
Round 2: Do not chain. Complete a bean stitch in the first SC from the previous round (see “Special Stitch” for instructions). Bean stitch around. (100, or 50 bean stitches)
Rounds 3-52 (or until you almost run out of yarn): Bean Stitch around. (100, or 50 bean stitches)
To finish: After your last completed bean stitch, SC in next ST and SL ST in next ST. Fasten off and weave in ends. In groups of 4 strands, attach fringe every 4 stitches (every other bean).
Love this pattern, but it is incredibly difficult to get. There’s no link to the free PDF. I went to Ravelry and it kept referring me back to your website. I don’t really like having to download software like some PDF conversion software, but I did, then it wanted me to pay for a driver update. I hope you don’t think I’m being rude, just honest. Your patterns are beautiful, but a lot of hard work to get at. I finally just gave up. Sorry
Hi Disappointed, 🙂
I don’t actually offer my ad-free PDFs for free. The pattern itself is written out in this blog post, in full, for free use. If you wish to purchase the ad-free downloadable version you can do so using the links in the post. You were probably seeing (and clicking on) an ad.
Rebecca 🙂
Could u do this pattern without slip stitching to the beginning or do u have to slip stitching to the beginning to do this scarf?
You don’t have to, but you’ll have a little jagged edge at the top if you don’t.
Can I cut this down for 6 and 7 yr olds
You can simply chain a smaller amount (keep it an even number) and adjust for the height by doing fewer rounds.
Do you have a hat or ear warmer pattern that goes with this?
No earwarmer, but the Barista Slouch uses the same stitch and yarn weight: http://littlemonkeyscrochet.com/barista-slouch-hat/
Thank you for sharing this beautiful pattern! I am pretty new at chocheting and this was a great project for me. My scarf turned out beautiful!
Just came across your blog…GREAT patterns and your darling personality comes across too..thank you for being so kind and sharing! Hope you and all your little monkey’s are doing great!
You should do a video tutorial – I’m kinda a watch n do person n these stitches are easier if I can watch someone do them ! Just suggestion!
I would love to be able to do video tutorials for all of my patterns, but with a 10 month old, it’s a bit tricky. 🙂
I finished this as my first project, and it feels amazing, BUT somehow I ended up with a cowl that’s turned in on itself, so it doesn’t open up like a normal scarf, if that makes sense.. any idea where I went wrong?
You’re welcome to send me a photo: littlemonkeyscrochet@gmail.com
If i want to make longer, how many stitches do I add to chain? You said an even number but how many per bean stitch? Like 4,6,8? I hope this makes sense, basically if it needs to be 102, 104, 106, 108….or any even number.
Each bean stitch covers 2 stitches. Is that what you’re asking?
If you add more to the chain, you’ll end up making it wider, not longer. You’ll have to subtract from the chain (by an even #) to make it longer, but that’ll make the neck hole smaller.
I actually have a question . When you say after the foundation chain “ sc around “ , is that the same as crochet “across the foundation chain ? Or is it literally around ?
I’m not sure if I’m understanding your question correctly. The foundation chain is joined, so after that you are working in the round.
Is there a way to adapt this into a baby blanket? I love the pattern!!! Gorgeous!
Thanks Ori! The bean stitch looks a little different when worked in turned rows instead of continuous rounds. For an idea, you can look at my Bean Stitch Accent Pillow – http://littlemonkeyscrochet.com/bean-stitch-accent-pillow/
The tutorial for the perfect chain every time is absolutely awesome!
This is a beautiful Cowl. I was wondering if you can do the starting chain of 100 as a Foundation Single Crochet (FSC) instead? Got to love that your patterns are free. Lots of hard work goes into making patterns and yours are great!
Thank you for the kind words! Yes, you can use FSC. 🙂
thank
hi i really love this, thanks, the lnk to this page was shared to me and i have to say thank you to that person , I love this thanks
Hi is there a video for this project? I’m not too good with reading patterns and I really love this.
Unfortunately there is no video at this time 🙂
I bought 7 of these cakes in the Gnome colorway to make an afghan for my 3yo for Christmas. Pretty sure I’ll have a full cake leftover, so now I get to make this cowl for my 7yo! Thanks for yet another awesome pattern. I had no idea what I was going to do with that extra cake. LOL
Is there a video tutorial for this?
There is not 🙂
Oh 🙁 I’m a beginner kinda and I do better with video still not the greatest at patterns.
I wish there was a video too! I am having such a hard time hooking the chain without twisting.. I keep getting confused.