The Chassé croisé

The Chassé Croisé Cowl by Jean-Philippe Cliche

What Is Being Made

The Chassé Croisé is a knitted cowl designed by Jean-Philippe Cliche. This one-piece cowl is worked flat and then assembled after the bind-off, creating a finished neck accessory suitable for a range of skill levels.

Craft and Technique

This project uses knitting as its primary construction method. The cowl incorporates brioche knitting techniques, which create a distinctive textured fabric with characteristic yarn overs and paired stitches. Brioche knitting is known for producing a reversible, elastic fabric with excellent drape and stretch recovery, making it ideal for cowl construction. The pattern requires working in both right-side and wrong-side rows, with careful attention to yarn placement and stitch pairing.

Stitches Used

• Knit (k): The fundamental stitch used throughout the pattern
• Purl (p): Used to create texture variation and pattern definition
• Yarn over (yo): Creates new stitches and decorative holes, essential to brioche knitting
• Brioche knit 2 together (bk2tog): A signature brioche stitch that knits a stitch together with its paired yarn over from the previous row
• Slip stitch (sl st): Used for edge work and assembly
• Slip one purlwise (sl 1 purlwise): A technique for moving stitches without distorting them, often used at edges

Materials and Tools

The Chassé Croisé is designed to be worked with chunky to super chunky weight yarn, allowing for a quick knitting time of 1.5 to 2 hours. Two yarn options are provided:

• Option 1: Crazy Sexy Wool from Wool and the Gang, knitted with 1 strand (1 ball required)
• Option 2: Lanaloft Bulky from Brown Sheep Co., knitted with 3 strands (2 balls required)

Construction requires 15 mm / US 19 needles and a tapestry needle for finishing and assembly. The pattern uses standard knitting abbreviations and includes detailed notes on yarn placement and stitch orientation, with measurements provided in centimeters.

Difficulty Level

While the pattern is labeled as beginner-friendly, it incorporates intermediate brioche knitting techniques. Knitters new to brioche construction should expect a learning curve with the bk2tog stitch and yarn over management, though the straightforward one-piece construction and quick completion time make it an accessible introduction to this specialized knitting method.