Winter Woods Brioche Cowl

Free Cowl Knitting Pattern

The Winter Woods Brioche Cowl is part of the Winter Woods Brioche Set, which also includes a hat and a scarf.

All of the items in the set feature a two-color brioche stitch with a motif of leaves.

Skills required: to knit this hat, you have to know how to knit 2-color brioche stitch in-the-round, and make brioche decreases and increases.

Finished size: about 9" (22 cm) high and 37" (92 cm) circumference length.

Materials: 100% Wool Lion Brand (affiliate link) Fishermen's Wool yarn 465 yd (425 m) / 227g - 1 skein. Color Oatmeal (LC)
100% Wool Lion Brand (affiliate link) Fishermen's Wool yarn 465 yd (425 m) / 227g - 1 skein. Color Nature’s Brown (DC)

Needles: US 4 (3.5 mm) 21” (52 cm) circular needles.

Gauge: 18 sts x 20 rows = 4" (10 cm) in brioche stitch
Please note that 1 row of brioche consists of 2 rows: 1 row of LC and 1 row of DC

Abbreviations

Please note that I use Nancy Marchant's terminology for brioche stitch. I highly recommend her books Knitting Brioche: The Essential Guide to the Brioche Stitch and Knitting Fresh Brioche: Creating Two-Color Twists & Turns, as well as her lessons on craftsy.com.
yf - yarn forward: bring the yarn to the front, between the tips of the needles.
yb - yarn back: take the yarn to the back, between the tips of the needles.
sl1yof - slip 1, yarn over, yarn to front: with working yarn in front, slip the next stitch purlwise, then bring the yarn over the needle and the slipped stitch, then bring yarn back arow to the front, ready to purl the following stitch.
yfsl1yo - yarn forward, slip 1, yarn over: bring the working yarn between the tips of the needles to front of work, slip the next stitch purlwise, then bring the yarn over the needle and the slipped stitch. Leave yarn in back, ready to knit the next stitch.
brk - brioche knit: knit the stitch together with its accompanying yarnover
brp - brioche purl: purl the stitch together with its accompanying yarnover
brkyobrk – brk1, yo, brk1: [brk1, yarn over (yarn over under needle, then over needle to back), brk1] in the same stitch. 2 stitches are increased.
br4st inc – brk1, yo, brk1, yo, brk1 into the same stitch: 1 stitch increased to five.
brsssk (left slant 2-stitch decrease) – work to marked st, slip the next 2 sts (the marked st with its yarn over and the next single st) knitwise, one at a times, onto the right needle. Bark the following st, then pass the 2 slipped sts over.
brk2tog (right slant 2-stitch decrease) – work to 2 sts before the marked st (last brk) , slip 2 sts knitwise (st with yarn over and single st) and knit (brk) them together. Return this st to the left needle and pass the marked st (st with yarn over) over. Move this st to the right needle.
br4st dec – brioche 4 st decrease (worked over 5 sts, 4 sts dec): slip first brioche st knitwise, slip next st knitwise, place next brioche st on cable needle or stitch marker and hold in front of work, knit next st on LH needle, pass slipped st on RH needle over (1 st dec), move st to LH needle, pass next brioche st over (1 st dec), move st to RH needle, pass first slipped brioche st over (1 st dec), move st from marker to LH needle, move st on RH needle to LH needle and pass held brioche sts over (1 st dec), move st back to RH needle.
LS – light side
DS – dark side
LC – light color
DC- dark color
pm – place marker
mm – move marker
k – knit
p – purl


Two-Color Brioche Stitch in rounds

Please note that one brioche round consists of 2 rounds, one worked in LC and the other in DC.

Set up round (LC): *k1, yfsl1yo, repeat from * to the end of the round. Bring the LC yarn forward and leave it hanging in front of the work.
Set up round (DC): yf, *sl1yof, brp1, repeat from * to the end of the round. Bring the DC yarn back.
Round 1 (LC): yb, *brk1, yfsl1yo, repeat from * to the end of the round. Bring the LC yarn forward and leave it hanging in front of the work.
Round 1 (DC): yf, *sl1yof, brp1, repeat from * to the end of the round. Bring the DC yarn back.
Repeat round 1 (LC and DC)



Cowl

The cowl is worked in-the-round, without seams.

Please note that the beginning of the round will shift to the left, will remain vertical, and then will shift to the right.

Using 2 strands of yarn (LC and DC), cast on 160 sts, join and continue to work in rounds. Place marker to mark the beginning of the round.

Setup Round (DS, LC): ((k1, yf sl1yo) 10 times) 8 times. 160 sts.
Setup Round (DS, DC): ((yf sl1yo, brp) 10 times) 8 times. 160 sts.

Round 1 (LS, LC): (brsssk, (yf sl1yo, brk) 5 times, yf sl1yo, brk2tog, yf sl1yo, br4st inc, yf sl1yo) 8 times. 160 sts.
Round 1 (LS, DC): ((yf sl1yo, brp) 7 times, (yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times, yf sl1yo, brp) 8 times. 160 sts.

Round 2 (DS, LC): ((brk, yf sl1yo) 10 times) 8 times. 160 sts.
Round 2 (DS, DC): ((yf sl1yo, brp) 10 times) 8 times. 160 sts.

Rounds 3 - 4: repeat round 2.

Round 5 (LS, LC): (brsssk, (yf sl1yo, brk) 3 times, yf sl1yo, brk2tog, yf sl1yo, brk, yf sl1yo, br4st inc, yf sl1yo, brk, yf sl1yo) 8 times. 160 sts.
Round 5 (LS, DC): ((yf sl1yo, brp) 6 times, (yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times, (yf sl1yo, brp) 2 times) 8 times. 160 sts.

Round 6 (DS, LC): repeat round 2. 160 sts.
Round 6 (DS, DC): repeat round 2. 160 sts.

Rounds 7 - 8: repeat round 6.

Round 9 (LS, LC): (brsssk, yf sl1yo, brk, yf sl1yo, brk2tog, (yf sl1yo, brk) 2 times, yf sl1yo, br4st inc, (yf sl1yo, brk) 2 times, yf sl1yo) 8 times. 160 sts.
Round 9 (LS, DC): ((yf sl1yo, brp) 5 times, (yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times, (yf sl1yo, brp) 3 times) 8 times. 160 sts.

Round 10 (DS, LC): repeat round 2. 160 sts.
Round 10 (DS, DC): repeat round 2. 160 sts.

Rounds 11 - 12: repeat round 10.

Round 13 (LS, LC): (br4st-dec, (yf sl1yo, brk) 3 times, yf sl1yo, br4st inc, (yf sl1yo, brk) 3 times, yf sl1yo) 8 times. 160 sts.
Round 13 (LS, DC): ((yf sl1yo, brp) 4 times, (yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times, (yf sl1yo, brp) 4 times) 8 times. 160 sts.

Rounds 14 - 16: repeat round 2.

Round 17 (LS, LC): (brk, yf sl1yo, brsssk, (yf sl1yo, brk) 2 times, yf sl1yo, br4st inc, (yf sl1yo, brk) 2 times, yf sl1yo, brk2tog, yf sl1yo) 8 times. 160 sts.
Round 17 (LS, DC): repeat round 13. 160 sts.

Rounds 18 - 21: repeat rounds 14 - 17.

Rounds 22 - 25: repeat rounds 18-21.

Rounds 26 - 28: repeat round 2.

Round 29 (LS, LC): (br4st inc, yf sl1yo, brsssk, (yf sl1yo, brk) 5 times, yf sl1yo, brk2tog, yf sl1yo) 8 times. 160 sts.
Round 29 (LS, DC): ((yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times, (yf sl1yo, brp) 8 times) 8 times. 160 sts.

Rounds 30 - 32: repeat round 2.

Round 33 (LS, LC): (brk, yf sl1yo, br4st inc, yf sl1yo, brk, yf sl1yo, brsssk, (yf sl1yo, brk) 3 times, yf sl1yo, brk2tog, yf sl1yo) 8 times. 160 sts.
Round 33 (LS, DC): (yf sl1yo, brp, (yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times, (yf sl1yo, brp) 7 times) 8 times. 160 sts.

Rounds 34 - 36: repeat round 2.

Round 37 (LS, LC): ((brk, yf sl1yo) 2 times, br4st inc, (yf sl1yo, brk) 2 times, yf sl1yo, brsssk, yf sl1yo, brk, yf sl1yo, brk2tog, yf sl1yo) 8 times. 160 sts.
Round 37 (LS, DC): ((yf sl1yo, brp) 2 times, (yf sl1yo, p1) 2 times, (yf sl1yo, brp) 6 times) 8 times. 160 sts.

Rounds 38 - 40: repeat round 2.

Round 41 (LS, LC): ((brk, yf sl1yo) 7 times, br4st-dec, yf sl1yo) 8 times. 128 sts.
Round 41 (LS, DC): ((yf sl1yo, brp) 8 times) 8 times. 128 sts.

Round 42 (DS, LC): ((brk, yf sl1yo) 8 times) 8 times. 128 sts.
Round 42 (DS, DC): repeat round 41. 128 sts.

Bind off.

Finishing
Weave in ends. Block.

Enjoy!

Click image to enlarge