Waistcoat Cowl and Beanie Set Crochet Pattern

As someone who primarily crochets, I don’t think I am alone when I say that I am always jealous of people who can knit. I have tried serval times to learn and while I got fairly decent at purl stitch, trying to learn anything else just completely went over my head. I don’t know if it is just me, but I think knitting is so much harder on my hands for some reason, they get tired and sore quickly and I just end up giving up. So, when I found out about the crochet waistcoat stitch I was so excited! It is a stitch that pretty sufficiently mimics a knit stitch, so you can get the knit look with crochet! Granted, it isn’t exactly the same, but it is good enough for me!

Also, speaking of hands being tired, I have been pretty unfair to mine lately. I really need to take more breaks while I’m working and a couple hand and wrist stretches wouldn’t hurt either. I’ve been tackling a lot of pretty complex projects and sometimes it feels like my hands may never forgive me. Therefore I decided to take a little break from the harder patterns and go back to the basics with this Waistcoat Cowl and Beanie Set!

I had this beautiful pastel pink/peach chunky Loops and Threads Sorbet Yarn in my stash for a long time and could never find a project that felt right for it. I went on a little vacation to Portland recently and although winter is ending soon, I was slapped in the face with the harsh reality that I am a weather snob due to growing up in LA. It was a whole new level of cold that I hadn’t experience in quite some time, which sparked a primal instinct in me to make scarves and beanies. Nothing protects you from the cold like a nice chunky yarn and I had been wanting to try out the Waistcoat Stitch, so it seems like the perfect project for the Sorbet Yarn. Personally I found this yarn to be very close to, but actually softer than Bernat Chunky Yarn, needless to say I’m gonna have to make a sweater with it sometime in the near future.

This set pattern is super beginner friendly! You really only need to be familiar with Single Crochet as that Waistcoat Stitch is incredibly similar, you just need to slightly alter your hook placement when working the stitch and that is it!

Materials:

• 2-3 Skeins of Loops and Threads Sorbet Yarn in Blossom
• N/P 10.00 mm Crochet Hook
• Pom Pom Maker (Optional)

Abbreviations:

• SC – Single Crochet
• WS – Waistcoat Stitch

Cowl

Foundation:

• Chain 51 (or any length that you wish, the waistcoat stitch doesn’t have to be worked in any multiple)
  • I have read that this stitch is worked best in the round. Personally I don’t like working in the round because I still haven’t been able to get a straight seam; however if you are comfortable working in a round feel free to do so and save yourself from having to sew the ends together later.

Row 1:

• Working into the 2nd stitch from the chain, work 1 SC into each chain stitch.
• Chain 1 and turn.

Row 2:

• Work 1 WS into each stitch along the row.
  • The Waistcoat Stitch is the same as a Single Crochet, but instead of working the stitch in the place that you normally would, you work it into the “Middle Post” section as pictured below. I found identifying the “Middle Post” to be difficult the first row; however, finding the point in which to insert your hook gets easier/more obvious in the future rows.

• Chain 1 and turn.

Row 3-19:

• Repeat Row 2 for 16 rows.
  • I have a pretty short neck so I didn’t have to make my cowl very thick; however, If you want your Cowl to be thicker, add as many rows as you’d like.
• Chain 1 and turn.

Row 20:

• Work 1 regular SC into each stitch along the row.
• Tie off

If you worked in the round then your cowl is complete! However, if you didn’t work in the round like me, then you will need to sew your ends together. Personally, I find it hard to keep ends even when sewing them together, so I like to secure them together with a few stitch markers to keep them aligned while I sew. Once you have sewed your ends together, weave in your ends and you are done with the cowl!

Beanie

Foundation:

• Begin by making a magic circle OR chain 4 and slip stitch into the first chain.
• Chain 2

Round 1:

• work 6 SC into your magic circle or chain ring

For this beanie I chose to work in a continuous circle as I wanted to avoid a seam, so do not slip stitch in the following rounds, just keep working in a circle. Because of this, make sure you are focused on your stitch count because it is easy to get lost.

You will be working SC’s for the “base/top” of the beanie and then will begin working the waistcoat stitch for the remainder of the beanie.

Round 2:

• Work 2 SC into each SC from the pervious round until you have 12 SC

Round 3:

• *Work 1 SC into the next stitch, Work 2 SC into the next stitch* repeat * to * until you have 18 SC

Round 4:

• *Work 1 SC into the next 2 stitches, Work 2 SC into the next stitch* repeat * to * until you have 24 SC

Round 5:

• *Work 1 SC into the next 3 stitches, Work 2 SC into the next stitch* repeat * to * until you have 30 SC

Round 6:

• *Work 1 SC into the next 4 stitches, Work 2 SC into the next stitch* repeat * to * until you have 36 SC

Personally, this was as many rounds as I needed for the “base/top” of the beanie to fit my head (I have a pretty small head). However, if you need to make yours larger, continue working in that pattern where you increase the amount of SC you work by 1SC before you work your 2 SC stitches. (Hopefully that isn’t confusing haha). The “base/top” of the beanie doesn’t need to be huge, it just needs to fit nicely over the very top of your head, so it can fit snuggly on your head.

Once you have the “base/top” of your beanie to a size that you like, you will begin working the Waist Coat Stitches. I also worked the Waistcoat section in a continuous round.

Waistcoat Section

Before you start working your waistcoat section, work one slip stitch into the next stitch and chain 1. Now begin working your WS’s in a continuous round until your beanie is approximately the length you want it, because at that point you are going to add 2 rounds of SC at the bottom of the beanie which will work as a sort of rim.

Once you have worked your final 2 rounds of SC, tie off and weave in you ends! I didn’t take any in progress pictures of the beanie because it somehow didn’t feel necessary, hopefully I’m not wrong about that haha. Any hoo, I chose to add a pom pom at the top of my beanie, as mentioned in the materials section, you don’t NEED a pom pom maker to make your pom pom, but they are pretty fun. If you don’t have one here is a nifty little video explaining how to make one with a fork! When you finish it, tie it on to the top of the beanie and voila you are finished with the set!

I hope the pattern was easy to follow! As always, if you have any questions, comments, or noticed any error, please feel free to reach out! And please share any finished products you make, I would love to see them!