Sugar Plum Cowl – Free Knitting Pattern

The Sugar Plum Cowl is a simple one-skein knitting project that lets a beautiful yarn take centre stage. Worked in the round with a 2×2 ribbing and stockinette stitch, it’s an easy and relaxing knit with no increasing or decreasing.

Originally published in 2015, the Sugar Plum Cowl has become one of my most popular free patterns. I recently returned to this little cowl and knit the above new sample. I was reminded just how satisfying a simple, wearable project can be.

Then I went on to knit three more versions! You can see them here: The Sugar Plum Trio: An Old Favourite Revisited.

Pattern At A Glance

• Skill Level: Easy
• Yarn: Worsted weight, one skein, or approximately 200 yd [182 m]
• Needles: US size 8 [5.0 mm], 16″ [40 cm] circular needle
• Gauge: 18 sts and 26 rnds = 4″ [10 cm] in stockinette stitch, in the rnd, after blocking
• Finished Size: Approx 22 inches [56 cm] circumference and 10 inches [25 cm] tall
• Construction: Worked seamlessly in the round
• Techniques: Knitting in the round, knit, purl, 2×2 ribbing

---

Choosing Yarn For Your Sugar Plum Cowl

The Sugar Plum Cowl is a perfect project for a special skein of worsted-weight yarn. Because most of the cowl is worked in simple stockinette stitch, the yarn gets to do the work. This makes the pattern especially well suited to tonal, variegated, and hand-dyed yarns.

The original Sugar Plum Cowl was knit in Madelinetosh Tosh Vintage, but you certainly don’t need to use the original yarn. My recent Sugar Plum re-knit was done in Sweetgeorgia Merino Worsted in the Portobello colourway.

Choose a worsted-weight yarn you love, whether that’s a beautiful hand-dyed skein or just something already waiting in your stash.

When choosing your yarn, check both the yardage and your gauge rather than relying on skein weight alone. Approximately 200 yards or 182 metres is a good starting point.

Knitting The Sugar Plum Cowl

The Sugar Plum Cowl is worked seamlessly in the round from the bottom up. Simple 2×2 ribbing creates a neat, stretchy edge, followed by an easy stockinette section and a matching ribbed edge at the top.

When joining to work in the round, take a moment to make sure your cast-on stitches aren’t twisted. For neat ribbing, keep an eye on your tension as you move between knit and purl stitches.

When it’s time to bind off, bind off loosely in pattern by knitting the knit stitches and purling the purl stitches. This will help the upper edge remain stretchy and comfortable to wear.

And that’s it! A simple combination of ribbing and stockinette creates a soft and versatile cowl that’s easy to knit and lovely to wear.

Modifying Your Sugar Plum Cowl

The Sugar Plum Cowl is easy to customize if you’d like to change the finished circumference. Because the 2×2 ribbing is worked over a multiple of 4 stitches, any adjusted cast-on number must be a multiple of 4.

Use your gauge to estimate the number of stitches needed for your preferred circumference. At the pattern gauge of 18 stitches per 4 inch (10 cm), adding approximately 4 inches (10 cm) to the circumference, for example, requires about 18 additional stitches. Adjust that number to the nearest multiple of 4 for the ribbing.

Keep in mind that a larger cowl will require more yarn. If you’d like to make a long cowl that can wrap twice around the neck, for example, plan on using more than one skein.

Finishing Your Sugar Plum Cowl

Once the knitting is done, weave in the yarn ends and then soak your cowl in lukewarm water with a suitable wool wash. Rinse if required and then carefully squeeze out the excess water without wringing. Rolling the cowl in a clean towel works beautifully.

Lay the cowl flat to dry and gently shape it to the finished measurements. Blocking rods or dowels can help to keep the edges strait and even and prevent creasing, but they’re not essential. Allow the cowl to dry completely.

You Might Also Enjoy