Valley Yarns Paradise Pond Cowl Crochet Pattern

Valley Yarns Paradise Pond Cowl

What Is Being Made

The Paradise Pond Cowl is a crocheted neck accessory designed by Grace Hernandez. This cozy cowl is worked flat in a sideways construction, then seamed at the ends to form a circular, tubular garment. The finished cowl measures 7.5 inches deep and 44 inches around, making it suitable for both men and women. The design features a simple ripple stitch pattern accented with narrow horizontal stripes in contrasting colors.

Techniques Used

This project employs several fundamental crochet techniques appropriate for beginner-level crafters:

• Flat construction: The cowl is worked flat like a scarf, row by row, rather than in rounds
• Seaming: The final step involves seaming the last row to the starting chain using slip stitches to join the ends together and create the circular cowl shape
• Striped colorwork: The piece incorporates a repeating color pattern that alternates between the main color and contrasting colors, creating horizontal stripes throughout the fabric
• Edging: A finished edge is worked in rounds around the cowl perimeter using single crochet stitches
• Blocking: The pattern notes suggest blocking the finished piece for optimal shape and drape

Stitches Used

The Paradise Pond Cowl utilizes a limited stitch vocabulary, making it accessible for beginners:

• Chain (ch): Used to create the foundation of 36 chains
• Double crochet (dc): The primary stitch that forms the main fabric and creates the ripple texture
• Double crochet 2 together (dc2tog): A decrease stitch that creates the valleys in the ripple pattern by combining two stitches into one
• Single crochet (sc): Used exclusively in the finishing edging rounds
• Slip stitch (sl st): Employed to join rounds in the edging and to seam the cowl ends together

Materials

The Paradise Pond Cowl requires Valley Yarns Northampton, a 100% wool yarn with a yardage of 247 yards per 100-gram skein. The pattern calls for 2 skeins of Burgundy as the main color (MC), 1 skein of Medium Grey as a contrasting color (CC), and 1 skein of Dark Grey as a second contrasting color (CC2). The color pattern alternates by working 10 rows in the main Burgundy color followed by 2 rows in the contrasting colors in a repeating sequence.

A US size G/6 (4.00mm) crochet hook is used, or a hook sized to achieve the specified gauge. The pattern gauge is 21 stitches and 10 rows measuring 4 inches in the pattern stitch, which is essential for achieving the correct finished dimensions.

Pattern Structure and Construction

The cowl is constructed by chaining 36 stitches as the foundation. The pattern then repeats a single row throughout the work, which is worked until the piece measures 22 inches or the desired length. The row repeats a ripple motif that combines double crochets and decreases to create a wavy texture. Once the desired length is achieved, the right sides of the fabric are held together and the final row is seamed to the starting chain using slip stitches, transforming the flat rectangular piece into a circular cowl.

After seaming, a two-round edging is added using the Dark Grey contrasting color. The first edging round works 2 single crochets into the end of each row around the cowl perimeter, and the second round works 1 single crochet into each stitch. The pattern recommends weaving in all loose ends and blocking the finished cowl if desired for a polished appearance.