If you’re looking for a free lace cowl knitting pattern, the Miriam Cowl is a lightweight fingering-weight project with delicate lace, simple ribbed edges, and an easy-to-wear shape.

You can find even more projects like this on my Free Scarf and Cowl Knitting Patterns page.

The Miriam Cowl is a fun little project when you want lace on your needles without committing to something as large as a shawl or sweater.

I knit mine with Hobbii Soft Alpaca, which gives the finished cowl a soft, lightweight fabric that works beautifully with the open lace stitch pattern. The combination of fine yarn and smaller needles also gives the lace plenty of definition without making the finished cowl feel bulky around your neck.

A Lightweight Free Lace Cowl Knitting Pattern

One of my favorite things about this free lace cowl knitting pattern is how much detail you can get from a fairly simple construction.

The cowl is knit in the round, so there are no seams to sew when you finish. It starts and ends with 1×1 ribbing, giving both edges a neat finish while letting the lace take center stage through the body.

The lace uses yarn overs and decreases to create the open pattern. Most of the rounds are simple knit rounds, so you get a little break between the rounds that require more attention.

That makes the Miriam Cowl a nice project if you enjoy lace but do not necessarily want to concentrate on complicated instructions during every single round.

Yarn for the Miriam Cowl

I used approximately 178 yards of Hobbii Soft Alpaca for my Miriam Cowl.

Soft Alpaca is a fingering-weight yarn, which helps give this free lace cowl knitting pattern its lighter feel. Alpaca also has a beautiful drape, so it works especially well for something like a cowl where you want the fabric to sit softly around your neck.

You could also substitute another fingering-weight yarn that gives you the correct gauge.

Because lace can change quite a bit depending on the fiber you choose, I would pay attention to how your swatch behaves after blocking. A yarn with a little drape will give you a different finished look than a springier wool yarn.

Needles and Gauge

For the Miriam Cowl, I used:

• US 1 / 2.5 mm 16-inch circular needles for the ribbing
• US 2 / 3 mm 16-inch circular needles for the lace body
• Stitch marker
• Yarn needle for weaving in ends

The gauge is 28 stitches and 40 rounds over 4 inches / 10 cm in stockinette.

The finished cowl measures approximately 11 x 16 inches / 27.5 x 40 cm when laid flat.

Switching to the smaller needles for the ribbing helps keep the edges neat while the slightly larger needles give the lace room to open.

Knitting Lace in the Round

If you have been wanting to try a lace project worked in the round, the Miriam Cowl is a fun place to practice.

Because you are always working from the right side of the fabric, you do not have to worry about converting lace stitches between right-side and wrong-side rows.

The lace pattern combines yarn overs with both right- and left-leaning decreases. These work together to create the openings in the lace while keeping the stitch count balanced.

If you are newer to lace knitting, using stitch markers between repeats can also make it easier to spot a missing yarn over or decrease before you get too far into the round.

And as always with lace, do not judge it too harshly while it is still on the needles! Blocking makes a huge difference and helps those yarn overs open so you can really see the finished stitch pattern.

Why I Like Cowls for Lace Knitting

Cowls are one of my favorite ways to use an interesting stitch pattern because they give you enough room to enjoy the design without turning into a huge project.

A free lace cowl knitting pattern is also great when you have fingering-weight yarn you want to use but do not necessarily want to knit socks.

The Miriam Cowl uses less than 200 yards, so it does not require a huge amount of yarn either.

Once it is finished, you have a lightweight accessory that can easily be worn with a sweater, cardigan, or jacket without adding the bulk of a heavy winter scarf.

What to Knit Next

If you enjoyed the Miriam Cowl, try another free cowl pattern next:

• Peace Cowl – a chunky cowl with simple texture when you want something that works up much faster.
• Wheat Cowl – another fingering-weight option with lace if you want to keep something lightweight on your needles.
• Nicolas Cowl – a cable cowl for the next time you are in the mood for texture instead of lace.

You can also browse my Free Scarf and Cowl Knitting Patterns page to see all of my scarf and cowl designs together in one place.

Miriam Cowl Free Pattern

Materials

350-370yds of Hobbii Soft Alpaca (180yds, 50g) or your favorite fingering (size 1) yarn.

Needle Size

1(US) 2.5mm 16in circular

2(US) 3mm 16in circular

Gauge (tension)

28 stitches x 40 rounds in 4x4ins/10x10cm in stockinette

Finished Measurement Laid Flat

11×16/27.5x40cms

Stitch Chart

Round 1 – knit across
Round 2 – knit across
Round 3 – [k2tog, k2tog, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, k1, yo, ssk, ssk] across
Round 4 – knit across

Cowl Instructions

Cast on 154sts using smaller circular needles. 

Join in the round. 

Place a marker to mark beginning of round. 

Work in k1p1 ribbing for 1.5ins/4cms.

Switching to larger sized circular needles, knit 1 round.

Work in charted stitch pattern (there should be14 repeats per round) until your work measures approximately 14.5ins/36cms from cast on edge, ending after completing a round 2 of the charted stitch chart.

Switch to smaller sized circular needles.

Work in k1p1 ribbing for 1.5ins/4cms. Your work should measure approximately 16ins/40cms from cast on edge but if it is a little bigger to get to round 2 of the lace, that is okay. It does not need to be exact.

Bind off.

I used a sewn bind off to match my tubular cast on, but you can use any bind off.

ABBREVIATIONS

K – knit                                                   

P – purl

YO – yarn over

K2TOG -knit 2 stitches

SSK – slip, slip, knit the slipped sts together

Ready to Knit the Miriam Cowl?

If lace, fingering-weight yarn, and smaller projects are your kind of knitting, I hope you enjoy adding the Miriam Cowl to your needles.

I especially love seeing how the same free lace cowl knitting pattern can look completely different depending on the yarn and color you choose.

What color would you knit your Miriam Cowl? Let me know in the comments!

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