Lange Cowl and Hat Knitting Pattern

Lange Cowl and Hat in Berroco Millstone Tweed

What Is Being Made

The Lange pattern is a coordinating set consisting of two separate knitted accessories: a fitted hat and a matching cowl. Both pieces are designed by Lorenette Haynes and work together as a cohesive collection. The hat measures 18 inches around with a height of 9½ inches when unstretched, while the cowl is larger at 27 inches in circumference and 11½ inches tall, making it suitable for wrapping around the neck multiple times or wearing as a generous collar.

Techniques Used

Both the hat and cowl are constructed using circular knitting, worked in the round from the bottom up. This technique eliminates the need for seaming and creates seamless, tubular garments. The pattern utilizes stitch markers to track pattern repeats as you work around the circumference. When the number of stitches becomes too small to work comfortably on circular needles, the knitter transitions to double-pointed needles or preferred small-circumference needles to complete the crown shaping of the hat. The pattern includes blocking after completion to achieve accurate finished measurements and proper stitch definition.

Stitches and Pattern Details

Both pieces feature a Pattern Stitch that can be worked either from a provided chart or from written instructions. The pattern stitch is based on a 17-stitch repeat that repeats 4 times around the circumference of each garment. For the hat, the pattern stitches are worked for 8 rounds, repeated four times, followed by additional shaping rounds. The cowl follows a similar construction method. Gauge is critical for this project and should be measured at 15 stitches and 24 rounds equaling 4 inches on the larger needle after blocking.

Materials: Yarn, Needles, and Notions

This pattern calls for Berroco Millstone Tweed yarn, a 50-gram ball weight, in the colorway #11112 Sky. A total of 4 balls are required to complete both the hat and cowl.

For the Hat: The pattern requires two sizes of 16-inch circular needles—size 4 (3.5 mm) for the ribbed cuff and size 9 (5.5 mm) for the main pattern sections. Additionally, one set of size 9 (5.5 mm) double-pointed needles or preferred needles for small circumferences are needed for working the crown. One stitch marker and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends complete the notions list.

For the Cowl: Two sizes of 24-inch circular needles are required—size 8 (5 mm) and size 9 (5.5 mm)—along with one stitch marker and a tapestry needle. The larger needle size is used to obtain the correct gauge for the pattern stitch.

Skill Level

This pattern is rated as Intermediate difficulty, indicating that knitters should have experience with circular knitting, reading charts or written pattern instructions, and managing stitch markers and gauge. The techniques involved are accessible to knitters who have completed several projects and are comfortable with in-the-round construction.