Big Ol' Brioche Cowl

Big Ol' Brioche Cowl by Shannon Larson

What is Being Made

The Big Ol' Brioche Cowl is a beginner-friendly circular cowl neck accessory designed by Shannon Larson of Justlivin Designs. This project creates a cozy, textured neck warmer using the brioche knitting technique in two contrasting colors, resulting in a visually striking and dimensionally interesting cowl.

Craft and Technique Overview

This is a knitting project that specializes in the brioche stitch technique. Brioche knitting is a method that creates a distinctly elastic, puffy, and reversible fabric by working stitches together with their yarn overs from the previous round. The pattern is specifically designed to be beginner-friendly by using large-scale materials that make the brioche stitches easier to see and manipulate, allowing new knitters to clearly understand stitch formation and technique execution.

The two-color brioche approach further simplifies the learning process. By assigning the main color to knit stitches and the contrasting color to purl stitches, knitters develop muscle memory and can more easily track their stitch work. The contrasting color remains positioned in front of the work throughout, creating clear visual separation between stitch types.

Stitches Used

• Brioche Knit (brk) – knitting a stitch together with its yarn over from the previous round
• Brioche Purl (brp) – purling a stitch together with its yarn over from the previous round
• Knit (k) – basic knit stitch
• Purl (p) – basic purl stitch
• Slip one yarn over (sl1 yo) – slipping a stitch and creating a yarn over for brioche construction

Materials and Tools

Yarn: Malabrigo Rasta in super chunky weight, using two contrasting colors – 1 hank of Pagoda (main color) and 1 hank of Whole Grain (contrasting color). The pattern is designed to use nearly all yardage, with approximately 37 grams of main color and 46 grams of contrasting color remaining after completion.

Needles and Notions: US 15 circular needle in 24-inch length, one stitch marker, and a darning needle for weaving in ends.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern is worked to a gauge of 8 stitches and 7½ rounds over 4 inches when worked in two-color brioche stitch, measured unblocked. The cowl is designed with flexibility – knitters can continue working until they run out of yarn, allowing for customization based on available yardage.

Difficulty Level

Rated as beginner difficulty, this pattern is intentionally structured to introduce knitters to brioche technique without overwhelming complexity. The use of super chunky yarn and large needles provides excellent stitch visibility, while the two-color system creates natural stitch definition that helps beginners track their progress and understand brioche mechanics.