Buttoned Shell Stitch Cowl
My mom recently celebrated her birthday, and I wanted to crochet her a buttoned cowl as a part of her gift! It is so special crocheting items for loved ones, knowing that they will wear them and always think of you when they do :) You might recall that I crocheted a Puff Stitch Scarf for my mom two years ago as well! Scarves and cowls have been a must recently during our cold Canadian winters as the temperatures have been dipping extremely low and any exposed skin could result in frostbite!
I had just recently crocheted my favourite baby hat, the “Shell Stitch Beanie” for a newborn when it occurred to me that using the shell stitch would be a great idea for a cowl! I LOVE doing the shell stitch, and the result is always beautiful. Thus, I excitedly began and crocheted a series of chain stitches, estimating how long I wanted my mom’s cowl to be. Then I started doing the shell stitch across!
I wanted this cowl to be folded around the neck and secured with a button, so instead of crocheting in a circle in rounds, I crocheted it row by row, turning at the end of each row.
It is important to note when following the pattern that each shell stitch is worked in the Chain 1 space from the previous row below, NOT the space between the shell stitches.
This results in a beautiful pattern in which the shell stitches are stacked upon one another rather than being staggered across the rows.
The edges also have a pretty scalloped design!
For this particular cowl I crocheted 6 rows of these shell stitches. I then sewed on a very special button that we picked up from the Halifax Farmer’s Market!
I also crocheted a cowl for a friend in this beautiful green colour and added a brown button from the same Farmer’s Market! I love “Loops & Threads Cozy Wool” as it is so incredibly soft. My mom’s cowl is in “Pewter” and the green one is called “Spearmint”. I used one ball of yarn for each!
I snapped a quick photo of the spearmint cowl before it went off to its new owner!
This is my mom’s finished cowl!
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Here is the pattern that I made for this cowl:
Buttoned Chunky Shell Stitch Cowl (worked in rows)
Using a 10 mm crochet hook,
Chain 48
Row 1: In fourth chain from hook, dc (initial chains count as first dc), ch 1, 2 dc in same stitch. *Skip 3 ch, (2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc) in next ch* repeat from * to end (12 shells [each shell made of total 4 dc and ch 1])
Rows 2-6: Chain 3, turn. *2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc* in first chain 1 space. *2 dc, ch 1, 2 dc* in each ch 1 space till end (12 shells).
Finish off and weave in ends. Attach button towards left side of cowl (see pics above). Be sure to wear the cowl with the scallopped edges facing upwards!
[Finished cowl is 7" in height and 29" in width, using one skein of “Loops & Threads Cozy Wool”]
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Here is my beautiful mom wearing her new buttoned cowl! She loved it as soon as she opened it! She particularly likes how soft the yarn is and how she can put the button through any hole of this cowl. It’s also easy to wear since you don’t have to pull the cowl over your head which can result in staticky hair!
I wanted to make a REALLY chunky buttoned shell stitch cowl for myself using some interesting yarn that Ryan found called “Patons Cobbles” at Michaels! The way that the yarn was segmented into little chunks looked really neat and we were curious how it would look in a crocheted piece. We bought a beautiful brown colour called “Moon Rock” (pictured below) and a gorgeous yellow colour called “Mustard Seed”.
I decided to use the “Mustard Seed” colour for my cowl since I wanted to use this big, beautiful wooden button that we picked up in a cute little craft boutique in Paris two years ago. I think it’s so neat when we buy buttons on our travels as each button reminds me of our special adventures. I love being able to use them in my crocheted pieces, and I had been waiting a long time to use this amazing find :) The brown button contrasts so nicely against the mustard cowl!
Isn’t the texture of this cowl absolutely stunning? I love the unique look that the “Patons Cobbles” gives!
When worn under a coat, the cowl gives a very beautiful collared effect! It also helps keep my neck very warm too :) What a great way to be warm and stylish at the same time! It certainly is a statement piece that can help spice up any outfit! With the recent frigid temperatures, we dared not take any outside photos for this shoot- thank goodness we managed to snap some snowy photos when the temperature was still manageable with the Ribbed Pom Pom Beanie a couple weeks ago!
For this cowl, I used a 10 mm crochet hook and chained 56 initially, resulting in 14 shells. Using two skeins of this yarn allowed me to do 5 rows. This cowl was 7" in height and 40" across.
{Dress: Urban Outfitters, Sweater: Roxy, Jacket: Zara, Bracelet: Mikaylove, Buttoned Shell Stitch Cowl: Me!}
I crocheted another buttoned cowl for a friend using “Lion Brand’s Wool-Ease Thick & Quick Yarn” in “Raspberry” (the same yarn I used for my “Long Double Crochet Cowl” from last year). We chose a beautiful gold button to contrast against the pink yarn. For this cowl I also chained 56 in the beginning, resulting in 14 shells. With one skein of yarn I could make 7 rows (dimensions: 8.5" in height, 32" across).
I crocheted a matching toddler cowl for my friend’s daughter too! For this cowl I used an 8 mm crochet hook and chained 48 initially, resulting in 12 shells and 4 rows (dimensions: 4.5" in height, 24" across). I found a smaller gold button to match with her mom’s too!
Of course I had to make Myla a toddler cowl too! Here we have three generations wearing the “Buttoned Shell Stitch Cowls” that I crocheted, each in varying sizes! Don’t we all look so cozy and warm?
I hope you enjoyed reading about all the “Buttoned Shell Stitch Cowls” that I crocheted! Once you know how the basic pattern works, you can easily adapt this pattern to make your cowls various sizes and lengths (add or decrease 4 chains at the beginning to increase or decrease number of shell stitches). This pattern is so versatile as using different yarns and different buttons helps give the cowls different looks, and they can be quite the statement piece! These cowls also work up very quickly which is usually the case when working with chunky yarn and a large crochet hook! The shell stitches give such an elegant, pretty, and romantic look to the cowls, wouldn’t you agree?
I also designed a “Round Shell Stitch Cowl” that is worked in rounds instead of rows and does not include a button. See the step-by-step tutorial and free pattern HERE!
For some more cowl options, be sure to check out my “Chunky Double Crochet Cowl” and “Long Double Crochet Cowl” from last year too!
WIll you be making any of these cowls? What yarn are you going to use? They would make lovely Christmas gifts! Let me know what you think about them in the comments below, and don’t forget to show me your finished pieces on my Facebook page, Twitter and Instagram (@AllAboutAmi, #AllAboutAmi)! Happy crocheting and stay warm, everyone ❤
Amazon affiliate links:
Spinrite Cobbles Yarn, Mustard Seed
This pattern is an original pattern by Stephanie Lau of All About Ami. Please do not claim this pattern as your own. If you wish to share this pattern, you may link to this pattern but please do not reprint it on your site. You may keep a copy for your own personal use but please DO NOT sell the pattern or distribute it.
You may sell products made from this pattern but please clearly credit the design to me, Stephanie Lau of All About Ami, and provide a link to my blog www.AllAboutAmi.com. Permission is NOT granted for mass production or factory manufacturing of any kind. Thank you for being respectful and for your understanding!
