LONG DOUBLE CROCHET COWL.

I made this long double crochet cowl using a tutorial over on All About Ami. This one was a present for a friend but I love it so much I'm thinking of making myself one as well. It's nice and long and can be wrapped around a couple of times to make a cosy, chunky cowl.

I used 2 100g balls of a chunky pale grey wool. Instead of working in the round like I did with my simple double crochet cowl, I made one long piece and whip stitched it together at the end. You chain 1 and double crochet in the spaces between each stitch to make the lacy, staggered pattern.

Here it is hanging up so you can see how long it is. It's basically an extra long infinity scarf. It ended up measuring around 38 inches when folded in half and could be wrapped around 2 or 3 times easily. Once I got the hang of crocheting in between the stitches I was able to work it up quite quickly. It only took a couple of nights from start to finish and I'm so pleased with how it turned out. It made the perfect present.

Don't forget to pop on over to Ami's blog for the full tutorial and pattern. She made a chunky double crochet cowl using the same pattern as well that's just gorgeous.

MAKE YOUR OWN SIMPLE DOUBLE CROCHET COWL.

My adventures with crochet continue, if you've been following along you'll know so far I've mastered the single crochet and made a pair of woolly crocheted hats and this simple crocheted cardigan. For my next project I wanted to try something that was a bit more difficult, crocheting in the round.

I've tried crocheting in the round before but it wasn't entirely successful. I ended up with a wonky tube that got bigger and smaller as it went on, not exactly what I was going for. This time I hoped having a better grasp of the basics would help.

I started by watching what felt like a million YouTube videos (but was probably more like 20) and tried to figure out where I'd been going wrong. There's a couple I found particularly helpful, this one from Wool and the Gang showing how to crochet in a tube and this one from A Beautiful Mess showing how to double crochet. After a bit, ok, a lot of practice, I was finally able to make a basic double crochet cowl. Definitely a case of practice makes perfect.

To make this simple double crochet cowl I used a size 7 (4.5mm) crochet hook and 1 ball of chunky wool.

1. Start off by making a chain. I chained 75 stitches but you may need to adjust this depending on the type of wool and size of crochet hook you're using.

2. As we're crocheting this cowl in the round you need to straighten out your chain making sure it's not twisted and join together by slip stitching into the first chain to make a circle.

2. To make the first round, chain 3. Double crochet into the fifth stitch from the hook, this includes the chain 3 we just made. Continue to double crochet into each stitch. To join the first round together slip stitch into the first of the chain 3 you started with.

3. Add more rounds by repeating step 2 until either your cowl reaches the height you want or you run out of wool. I was able to complete 9 rounds with 1 ball of chunky wool.

4. Finish your cowl by tying the end and weaving in any loose tails.

In the end this cowl was really quick to make, only a couple of hours although I imagine anyone who has more experience crocheting would be able to make this up much quicker.

One of the things I like most about this project is that it can be easily adapted. If you want a taller, fuller cowl all you have to do is add more rounds and if want a looser fit add more stitches to your initial chain.

P.S. Don't forget to check out my other crochet projects here and here.