Braid Cable Cowl in Plymouth Encore Mega - F550

Braid Cable Cowl in Plymouth Encore Mega – Pattern F550

The Braid Cable Cowl is a free downloadable knitting pattern (design number F550) from the Plymouth Yarn Design Studio, offered free with a yarn purchase. This cozy, textured cowl is knitted flat and then seamed into a loop, producing a finished piece that measures approximately 7 inches wide by 22 inches in circumference — a comfortable, snug neck warmer that works beautifully as a cold-weather accessory.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a single knitted cowl featuring a striking braided cable panel running along one edge, which transitions into a wide garter stitch body. The three individual cable strips are knitted separately, then joined together and worked as one piece, creating the illusion of interlocking braids at the join point. The result is a visually impressive textured cowl that looks far more complex than its construction suggests, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with basic cable techniques.

Construction and Techniques

The construction method is notably creative and worth understanding before casting on. Rather than working the entire cowl in one piece, the knitter begins by creating three separate cable strips, each worked flat for approximately 10 inches:

• Cable 1 — worked over 5 stitches using DPNs (double-pointed needles)
• Cable 2 — worked over 6 stitches using DPNs
• Cable 3 — worked over 5 stitches using straight needles

Once all three strips reach the required length, they are joined together on a single straight needle (16 stitches total) and worked together in garter stitch — knitting every row — until the cowl reaches 22 inches from the cable cast-on edge, or until approximately 3 feet of yarn remains. The piece is then bound off, and the cast-on edges of the three cables are sewn evenly along the bound-off edge to close the cowl into a loop, taking care to avoid any twist.

The use of double-pointed needles for the first two cable strips is a practical suggestion from the designer — their shorter length makes handling the small stitch counts easier — though the pattern notes that straight needles may be substituted if preferred. This is a flat knitting project throughout; the DPNs are not used for working in the round.

Cable Patterns and Stitches Used

Three distinct cable patterns give the braid its layered, woven appearance:

• Cable 1 and Cable 3 (each worked over 5 stitches): A two-row repeat combining C2F (cable 2 front), a center purl stitch, and C2B (cable 2 back) on right-side rows, with a simple purl-knit-purl sequence on wrong-side rows. This creates a narrow, rope-like twisted cable with a central rib detail.
• Cable 2 (worked over 6 stitches): A four-row repeat alternating C4F (cable 4 front) and C4B (cable 4 back) with plain knit stitches, producing a wider, classic traveling cable column.
• Garter stitch: The main body of the cowl is worked by knitting every row, creating a squishy, reversible fabric with horizontal ridges that complements the cable texture beautifully and works up quickly in the bulky yarn weight.

Key stitch techniques employed throughout this pattern include:

• C2F and C2B — 1-stitch cable crosses worked to the front and back respectively
• C4F and C4B — 2-stitch cable crosses worked to the front and back respectively
• Garter stitch (knit every row)
• Seaming — sewing cast-on edges to the bound-off edge to join the cowl
• Use of a stitch holder to hold live cable stitches before joining

Materials

The pattern calls for just one 100-gram ball