When Winter Winds Blow is a cozy cowl knit with two 400-430 yard skeins of your most luxurious fingering/sock weight yarns. This pattern really works for variegated yarns. You could also use the colors of your favorite sports team for a fun way to show off team pride!

It is cast on provisionally, worked in the round forming a tube, then the ends of the tube are Kitchener grafted together to form a continuous loop. It can be worn as a single loop or the Long size may be doubled for a cozier fit.

There is no wrong side because it is a closed, tube-shaped cowl—the snaggy, ugly part is hidden inside the tube!

You have two sizes to choose from: Short is wider and knit with two 430 yard skeins. It drapes comfortably around your neck. Long is narrower and is knit with two 400 yard skeins. It can be worn as a single loop or doubled to fit snugly around your neck.

This is a great pattern to knit while you’re commuting on the bus/train, sitting in waiting rooms, or binge watching your favorite tv shows.

My hope is that the circular, rhythmic motions of knitting will soothe your mind without boring you as each row is different. If you can read your knitting, you can memorize the pattern to free yourself from having to refer to a pattern.

When you’re finished, you’ll have a double layer cowl that’ll keep you toasty and warm when winter winds blow.

Skills required to complete this project:

• Provisional cast-on (I highly recommend the video by Knit Purl Hunter)
• Knitting in the round
• Working multiple colors in the round (only one color at a time)
• Kitchener stitch in the round bind-off and duplicate stitch to weave in end (I highly recommend this video by Knit Purl Hunter.). (For a refresher on Kitchener grafting in general, see below)
  

Size

Finished sizes

Short: 12.5” wide, 29” circumference, lying flat, doubled

Long: 7.5” wide, 45” circumference, lying flat, doubled

Yarn

Short: Zen Yarn Garden Serenity Silk Single (75% Merino, 15% Cashmere goat, 10% Silk; 430 yards [393.2 meters]/100 grams): Truffle (solid) (MC), 1 skein; Claysand (variegated) (CC), 1 skein

Long: Show Me Yarn Bootheel (80% Merino, 20% Nylon; 400 yards [365.8 meters]/100 grams): Bois d’arc (black) (MC), 1 skein; Dogwood Canyon (pink) (CC), 1 skein

Needles

One set of Size US 6 (4 mm) interchangeable needles, two 16” or 20” interchangeable cables, and two cord stoppers (for grafting);

-OR-

Two Size US 6 (4 mm): 16 or 20” circulars and two cord stoppers (optional, but will make your life easier when grafting)

Notions

Size G (4 mm) crochet hook (optional for a provisional crochet cast on); 1 stitch marker (the working stitch marker); 2 removable stitch markers (for grafting); 2 needle stoppers (see needles above); waste yarn (for provisional cast on); tapestry needle (for weaving in ends and grafting)

Gauge

Not crucial for this project, but samples were 24 sts and 26 rows = 4” [10 cm] in St st after wet blocking.

Abbreviations

Please see our standard abbreviations.

Sl2p – slip 2 stitches purlwise

Sl3p – slip 3 stitches purlwise

Pattern Notes

Working the color changes: Don’t cut your yarn between color changes. Just bring it up the wrong side and when changing back to the color, just snug it up to pick up any slack. {Read our tutorial on carrying yarn up the side}

Weaving in ends: If you are using scraps or mini skeins for your CC, you may want to weave in ends as you go along so it’s easier to get to them. All ends should be woven in (with the exception of the working yarn end) prior to grafting.

Grafting: The three-needle bind-off could be substituted for Kitchener grafting, but it will create a ridge (on the inside) and the seam will not be as invisible as the Kitchener method.

Pattern

Pattern Piece

I highly recommend this video tutorial on the crochet provisional cast on by Knit Purl Hunter because it shows you how to do the cast on as well as how to pick up the stitches and remove the waste yarn when you’re ready to bind off:

CO (Short: 144 sts; Long: 90 sts) with MC and waste yarn using your preferred provisional CO method. (This becomes your Row 1.) You may want to look at our tutorial on the crochet provisional cast on as well. Continue with pattern starting on Row 2. Place the working stitch marker on your needle and join in the round taking care not to twist your stitches.

Rnd 1 (MC): K to end of row.

Rnd 2 (MC): P2, *k3, p3, rep from * until 4 sts rem, k3, p1.

Rnd 3 (Change to CC): K2, *sl3p wyb, k3, rep from * until 4 sts rem, sl3p wyib, k1.

Rnd 4 (CC): K3, *sl1p wyib, k5, rep from * until 3 sts rem, sl1p wyib, k2.

Rnd 5 (CC): K to end of row.

Rnd 6 (CC): K2, *p3, k3, rep from * until 4 sts rem, p3, k1.

Rnd 7 (Change to MC): Sl2p wyib, *k3, sl3p wyib, rep from * until 4 sts rem, k3, sl1p wyib.

Rnd 8 (MC): *Sl1p wyib, k5, rep from * to end of row.

Repeat Rnds 1-8 until you reach your desired length, reserving enough yarn for 3 to 4 times the circumference of the end of your tube for use in grafting. Remove the working stitch marker and put the stopper at the other end of the cable. (If you have interchangeable needles, remove the needle on the other end of this cable and replace with a stopper. Place the removed needle onto the other cable with a stopper at the other end.)

Finishing

Weave in all ends except the working yarn, then cut the working yarn to 3 to 4 times the circumference of the end of your tube.

Now would be a good time to watch the Kitchener stitch bind-off video by Knit Purl Hunter because it will make it much easier to understand what to do when you’re reading my written instructions

As recommended in the video, place one removable stitch marker on the stitch (you’re marking the stitch) at the end of the needle that has the working yarn attached to it. You will graft in MC with the Kitchener method taking care not to twist the ends of the tube before grafting them together into a deflated inner tube shape. You’ll be grafting starting with the outside edges of each end of the tube.

With the second circular needle, pick up the MC sts from your provisional CO and place the other removable stitch marker on the first stitch of the front needle. When you’ve picked up all the stitches, count to confirm you have the same number your CO required. You’ll need to have the same number of stitches on both circulars in order to Kitchener graft without an interruption of the pattern design for the invisible join.

If you haven’t done Kitchener in the round before, I highly recommend proceeding with Kitchener grafting in a quiet environment with no distractions.

Illustration for kitchener set up.  The working ends of the needles are on the outside of the tube.

Thread your tapestry needle with the end of your working yarn, then hold your needles with the working yarn needle (the one with the removable stitch marker attached to the stitch) at the back. The ends of the cords with the stoppers on them will just dangle there in your way until you get past the first few inches. You can now begin your Kitchener grafting, feeding the stitches on both needles as you go. Because you’re Kitchener stitching in the round, you do not need to do the usual set up sts.

When you reach the end, you’ll have two sts on each of your needles, with the two stitch-markered sts you bound off, right after them. You will go into the first st on the front needle knitwise and slip it off the needle, then you’ll go into the st that has the stitch marker on it that follows it, purlwise. You can remove the stitch marker from that st. Then go into the st on the back needle purlwise and slide it off the needle. Then go into the remaining st with the stitchmarker, knitwise. Remove that stitch marker. Snug everything up so it looks seamless.

Finally, weave in the end of your working yarn with the duplicate st method (also shown in the video). Congratulations, you’re finished!

Wet block flat. I like using my mesh sweater dryer and a fan pointed at it overnight. Rotate it so it dries evenly and move the fold ends around and stretch the cowl a bit so it is the same width around.

Enjoy the warmth of your cozy cowl When Winter Winds Blow!