Brioche Knit Cowl in Caron x Pantone - Downloadable PDF

Brioche Knit Cowl in Caron x Pantone – Free Downloadable Knitting Pattern (PDF)

This free downloadable PDF pattern guides intermediate knitters through creating a beautifully textured brioche knit cowl using the distinctive multicolored Caron x Pantone yarn braid. The finished cowl measures approximately 28 inches (71 cm) around and 15 inches (38 cm) deep, making it a generously sized, cozy accessory suitable for everyday wear. The pattern offers two design versions — Version 1 and Version 2 — each producing a subtly different colorwork effect by alternating which Pantone color shades are assigned to Color 1 and Color 2.

What Is Being Made

The project is a circular knit cowl worked in the round on a 16-inch circular needle. The cowl is constructed seamlessly from cast-on to finish, with no seaming required. Its generous dimensions make it wearable as a traditional cowl or pulled up as a hood-like neck warmer. The two versions allow knitters to experiment with the color sequencing of the Caron x Pantone multicolored braid, producing different visual stripe and blending effects depending on which Pantone shade leads as Color 1.

Design Versions

Version 1

In Version 1, the Color 1 sequence begins at the far left of the braid color arrangement. The specific Pantone color numbers used for Color 1 are 13-3406, 16-3307, 18-3838, 16-0737, and 19-4324, while Color 2 draws from 14-1210, 14-4809, 18-1755, 18-1633, and 19-5408. This arrangement produces one particular progression of hues through the brioche fabric.

Version 2

In Version 2, the Color 1 and Color 2 assignments are reversed and reordered. Color 1 uses Pantone shades 14-1210, 14-4809, 16-0737, 19-4324, and 19-5408, while Color 2 uses 18-3838, 16-3307, 13-3406, 18-1755, and 18-1633. Swapping the color assignments shifts which tones dominate the raised brioche stitches versus the recessed background, creating a noticeably different colorway impression from the same yarn braid.

Techniques Used

The central technique throughout this pattern is brioche knitting, a classic method that creates a deeply ribbed, reversible, and exceptionally squishy fabric. Brioche is worked by combining a slip stitch with a yarn over on one round, then working those two loops together as a single stitch on the following round. This two-round repeat builds the characteristic raised, pillowy columns that define brioche fabric.

The pattern is worked entirely in the round on a circular needle, which simplifies the brioche construction compared to flat brioche knitting. Knitters alternate between two colors on successive rounds, a technique sometimes called two-color brioche, which allows each color to appear prominently in alternating columns of the fabric. This creates a sophisticated, almost woven appearance despite the relatively simple stitch repeat.

An important preparatory technique is separating the Caron x Pantone braid into individual color links before beginning. Because the yarn is sold as a connected multicolored braid, each distinct color section must be wound into its own separate ball — resulting in five individual balls per braid. This step is essential for managing the two-color brioche alternation and for ensuring the finite yardage of each shade is used efficiently.

Stitches Used

• K (Knit) – the foundational knit stitch used to anchor the brioche columns
• Sl1Pwyif (Slip 1 Purlwise with Yarn in Front) – the slip stitch component of the brioche unit, worked with yarn held in front to create the paired yarn over
• Yo (Yarn Over) – paired with the slip stitch to form the brioche stitch unit that is later worked together
• K2tog (