Lao Tzu said that “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

As a crocheter, I find myself drawn to all kinds of different patterns, from wildly colorful to calm neutrals and difficult to easy. My pattern choices depend a lot on who the end product is for and what I feel intrigued by at the moment. I don’t make many things for myself, so I don’t often put much thought into what I, personally, would want out of a project.

A couple years ago, however, I found myself swept away in a tide of velvet. I was entranced by the softness, the colors, and the slightly heavier drape of the many velvet yarns that came flooding into the market. I ended up making lots of cowls for gifts that year, experimenting with the many different brands and colors. And I couldn’t resist making myself a handful of cowls with some of my favorite colors.

What I discovered over the next winter was that these simple cowls made my outfits shine. They were crafted in only one color using a very simple stitch, usually half double crochet, to avoid distracting from the luxurious texture of the velvet. The soft, somewhat heavy feel of the yarn was comforting, and a cowl is super utilitarian because it protects your neck so well from those icy drafts that winter loves surprising you with. Imagine my surprise then when, even when I threw one on with a hoodie and rain boots to take my daughter to school, I received compliment after compliment. The very simplicity of these easy, sturdy projects in their luscious yarn and vibrant colors made me look more sophisticated.

Or at the very least they distracted from the inevitable hodge podge of garments and moods that mornings always induce in me. Which is also a very workable situation.

So I thought I would throw up a super simple cowl pattern in a new velvet yarn I discovered this last year so that you can feel a little more glamorous in the midst of your own hodge podge.

The bonus is that it will only take you a couple hours to make, so it’s a great gift as well!

Simple Velvet Cowl

Loops & Threads Chunky Velvet, 57 yds (2 skeins) or other super jumbo (weight 7) yarn (You could also try doubling up a weight 5 or 6 yarn)

Size N hook (10 mm)

Measurement: 14” wide x 8” high

Gauge: 4” square: 5 hdc and 4 rows 

Note: Turning chain does not count as a stitch.

Ch 36, join

Round 1: Ch 2, hdc across, join to first hdc (36)

Round 2: Ch 2, turn, 2 hdc in same st, hdc across, join to first hdc (37)

Rounds 3-6: Ch 2, turn, hdc across, join to first hdc (37)

Round 7: Ch 2, turn, hdc across to last two st, hdc2tog in last two st, join to first hdc (36)

Round 8: Ch 1, turn, sc in first st and across, join to first sc, fasten off