The Crochet Mandala Cowl, is designed to go with the Mandala yarn by Lion Brand yarns.
The detail of the stitching in this cowl creates a beautifully unique texture that will keep you stylish and warm.
I got inspired by the name and the yarn construction. This yarn has some beautiful color changes that create a lovely gradient and presents many colors, without needing to do the color changes yourself, and without having to purchase 5 different balls of yarn to be able to have 5 different colors.
A mandala is a complex abstract design that is usually circular in form. In fact, “mandala” is a Sanskrit word that means “circle”. So, of
So, of course I had to ceate a circular project, and so a cowl came to mind. Most mandala’s designs also change every new round, to add a new design or motif, but that is attached or surges from the previous one, so I tried to mimic this attribute, and I created a new pattern for almost every row. Some repeats, only appear in one row, while others have 2 or 3 rows to realy show the texture. So is the case of single crochet rows, as they are too small, so they need to be repeated a bit more than rows with double crochet.
This design, also complements the color changes of this yarn, since the color changes are a bit too abrupt, not all designs look nice with this yarn, at least not to those with any level of OCD that will get a strange feeling of a new color appearing in the middle of a row or round. But, because this cowl changes pattern repeats so often, is hard to spot those color changes, because the fabric created is not plain and is a bit more intricate. And to add to this feature, since cowls will never sit over your neck completely strechted, this waves created while you wear the mandala cowl, will also help in hiding those color changes.
Table of Contents
Crochet Mandala Cowl – Free crochet pattern specifics;
Skill level: Intermediate
Gauge: in double crochet 15 st. by 10 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) After blocking.
Stitches used and abbreviations: (links are for video tutorials)
Dc3tog = double crochet 3 together
Dc4tog = double crochet 4 together
Fpdc = front post double crochet
Bpdc = back post double crochet
Blsc = back loop single crochet
Rep = repeat
Yarn: Mandala by Lion Brand. Lightweight; DK (#3) (11 wpi)
Yardage: 590 yards (539 meters)
Hook: Crochet hook G (4.25 mm) or necessary hook to obtain gauge.
Measurement:  25 by 12 inches (64  by 30 cm) not  including fringe
To get to the free pattern and video, keep scrolling down.
Or you can get an Ad-free printable PDF here: Crochet Mandala Cowl PDF
Crochet Mandala Cowl – Free crochet pattern
Add this pattern to your Ravelry Projects
Ch 199. Sl St to close
Round 1: Ch3, dc around, sl st to close.
Round 2: Ch4, skip 1 st, dc in next st., *ch1, skip 1 st, dc in next st Rep from * to end of round, sl st to close.
Round 3: Ch3, dc, *ch1, skip 1 st., dc in next st, Rep. from * to last st, ch1, skip last st, sl st to close.
Round 4: Ch4, skip 1 st, dc3tog in ch space, *ch1, skip 1 st, dc3tog in ch space, Rep from * to end, sl st to close.
Round 5: Â Ch1, sc around, sl st to close.
Round 6 & 7: Ch1, blsc around, sl st to close.
Round 8: Ch3, *skip 2 st, [dc, ch1, dc] in next st, Rep from * to last 3 st, skip 2 st, dc in last st, sl st to close.
Round 9: Ch3, *[dc, ch1, dc] in next ch space, Rep from * to last ch space, dc in last st, sl st to close.
Round 10: Ch3, *dc3 in ch space, Rep from * to last ch space, dc in last st, sl st to close.
Round 11 & 12: Ch1, sc, *ch2, skip 2 st, sc in next st, Rep from * to last st, sc in last st, sl st to close.
Round 13: Ch3, *dc2, ch1, skip 1 st, Rep from * to last st, dc in last st, sl st to close.
Round 14: Ch5, skip 2 st, dc3tog in ch space, *ch2, skip 2 st, dc3tog in ch space, Rep from * to last ch space, ch2, dc in last st, sl st.
Round 15: Ch3, dc around, sl st to close.
Round 16 & 17: Ch3, *fpdc, bpdc, Rep from * to end, sl st to close.
Round 18: Ch3, dc3, *ch3, skip 3 st, dc4, Rep from * to end, sl st to close.
Round 19: Ch3, dc, ch2, skip 2 st, *dc3 in ch space, ch4, skip 4 st, Rep from * to end, st st to close.
Round 20: Ch3, dc, ch2, skip 2 st, *dc3, ch2, sc2 in ch space, ch2, skip remaining ch st, Rep from * to end of round, sl st to close.
Round 21: Ch3, dc, ch2, skip 2 st, *dc3, ch4, skip all st in ch space (including sc – 6 st total), Rep from * to end, st st to close.
Round 22: Ch1, sc around, sl st to close.
Round 23: Ch1, sc, *ch1, skip 1 st, sc in next st, Rep from * to last st, sc in last st, sl st to close.
Round 24: Ch1, sc2, *ch1, skip 1 st, sc in next st, Rep from * to end, sl st to close.
Round 25: Ch4, skip 1 st, dc, *ch1, skip 1 st, dc in next st, Rep from * to last st, ch1, skip last st, sl st to close.
Round 26: Ch3, *dc4tog in ch space, ch1, skip 1 st, Rep from * to last ch space, sl st to close.
Round 27: Ch4, skip 1 st, *dc4tog in ch space, ch1, skip 1 st, Rep from * to last st, sl st to close.
Round 28: Ch3, dc around, sl st to close.
Round 29: Ch3, bpdc around, sl st to close.
Round 30 & 31: Ch3, *skip 1 st, dc in next st, then dc in the skipped st (going thru the back) Rep from * to end, sl st to close.
Round 32: Ch4, skip 1 st, dc in next st, *ch1, skip 1 st, dc in next st, Rep from * to end, sl st.
Round 33: Ch3, *dc in next st, ch1, skip 1 st, Rep from * to end, sl st to close.
Round 33: Ch3, dc around, sl st to close.
Fasten off, and add fringe.
Crochet Mandala Cowl – Video Tutorial
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I believe you left out the ch 2 in row 14. It should read:
Round 14: Ch5, *CH2 skip 2 st, dc3tog in ch space, Rep from * to last ch space, ch2, dc in last st, sl st.
Yes, the ch 5 is the 1st ch 3 ad the 2, but for the repeat, I missed the ch2. Thank you, I will fix it
I am having a terrible time trying to figure out row 21. Skipping 4 stitches doesn’t leave me in ch spaces because there is ch. Spaces on both sides of 2 single crochet, can you tell me if pattern row is correct?
You can find the video tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMa-63eDByE
You can skip to minute 24:30 to jump just before round 21
Hope that can help you. And you should skip all the stitches, not just 4. It was a typo, and I am very sorry about, I will correct it right now. Thank you so much for noticing!
Thank you.
Is there a way to modify the initial ch count to adjust for other yarn weights?
You could, but every row has a different “multiple of stitches” required to work.
Loving the pattern thus far! Is it alright to sell ours with proper credit given?
Thanks in advance!
Of course!
Also, make sure to use your own photos. Otherwise, feel free to sell your FO. 🙂
It would be helpful to have a stitch count with each pattern change. I have redone rows because there were too many or too few stitches.
Yesssss exactly
Where did you find your hooks used in this video?
I make them and sell them on my etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/craftytuts
Beautiful colours, so pretty.
Thank you Heather!!
Hi! Question for rounds 16 & 17: did you alternate the front and back posts? So, front post for round 17 is hooked from tje back post of round 16? I hope question is not confusing. Thanks.
No, not like that. I alternate them stitch by stitch. Of course ch3 is neither, but after that I make one fpdc, followed by a bpdc, and repeat from there, fpdc, bpdc, fpdc, bpdc.
I hope it makes sense, and if you are still confused, you can refer to the video tutorial bellow the pattern, just skip the part you don’t need to see.
Such a lovely cowl. What colourway did you use for this project?
Thank you!! I used spirit.
Hi Mary!
Thank you for sharing your lovely pattern. I am enjoying the work so far, and I have a question about row 13. The written pattern says dc2, ch 1, skip 1 stitch, dc2. The video tutorial says that row 13 it is dc2, ch 1, dc2 in the chain space… Could you provide a bit of guidance in how to continue? Are the dc2 set into the chain spaces or into every other stitch? Any guidance you can offer is appreciated. Thanks again!
Hi Meri.
The dc2 goes over that ch2 space, then the skipped stitch is the single crochet from the row bellow.
Not all together on the chain space.
Since the row bellow has 2 chain stitches, the 2 double crochet correspond to one in each chain. But because they are trapped between single crochet stitches, you can choose to make them “IN” the chain stitches, OR in the space. I hope that was able to clarify your doubt, but if you are still confused just let me know and I will try to say it in a different way 🙂
Thank you for your prompt reply, as the project has been on hold till now! Your explanation is makes sense, and I will continue row 13 as you described. I am quite excited to see how it turns out! I used Gnome Lion Mandala, so it should make for one colorful cowl!
I’m glad I was able to help! 🙂
I am coming up short on my thread….It did require one ball of yarn…Correct?
Yes. I only used one. And even had some left over for the fringe.
Although it is possible that your gauge/tension could be different, and thus using more yarn than I did.
I used Mandala Sparkle. The total yardage for the sparkle was less than the standard Mandala. Luckily I had purchased more than one!
Can you tell me if the scarf is supposed to twist on itself? My scarf is doing so and I was wondering if I had done something wrong from the beginning.
Thanks,
LG
Hello LG. The scarf is not supposed to curl unto itself. You can check the video and see if that helps. And also check what could be causing the fabric to curl up. If it is because is too tight, you can choose to go up a hook size and try to obtain a loose fabric that will have drape and won’t curl up
Thanks for the tip. It obviously got twisted at the beginning on the first round. Now I know what to do when crocheting in the round. So here’s starting over from the beginning. LG
Hi, I am having trouble with row 18. If I ch3, dc 3 (at beginning of the row), ch3, sk3 st, dc 3; I end up with 4 sts left at end of row. But in the video, it looks like I should end up with 3 that I skip. I tried to dc 4 at the beginning of the row and that didn’t seem to work out either. I don’t know what I am doing wrong and I can’t tell in the video what I am doing wrong. Can you please help? Thanks!
It is ch3, dc 3 (making it 4dc counting the first ch 3 as a dc) and after that you should be doing dc 4, not dc 3. Only the first part is dc3 to make it fit into the repeat, because it starts with a ch 3.
I hope this helps, and if not you can always write to me in my facebook page, I’m here to help 🙂
Is it possible to do this without joining (working in a round), thus making it a shawl instead?
It is, but you will have to modify a few stitches to make that work. Since some rounds end with a chain or two and are secured at the end with a slip stitch.
Beautiful pattern but why does the Ravelry link take one to a Knitting pattern?