How to custom make a Brioche Howl or neck warmer? There is no specific tension or gauge required. Just pick up two skeins of favourite yarns in different colours. Find a Brioche pattern you love, take the measurement, and start knitting!

First of all, what is a howl? You are familiar with a neck warmer, which is also called a cowl. It is basically a cylinder that can pass through the head, and worn around the neck. A howl is a convertible neck warmer that has a drawstring at the top to be tightened up. It can also be worn as a hat, a messy bun, or a ponytail hat. (i.e. h(at)-cowl).

This is not a standard pattern with step-by-step instructions to make a howl or a neck warmer for a specific size. Instead, it is a construction recipe that guides you to take your own measurement, and adopt a Brioche pattern to make a unique howl or neck warmer. Throughout the tutorial, I includes the note for the sample howl. This should give you the idea on what is needed for your own.

This pattern is free for personal use. You may share it freely, as long as you don’t alter it or claim it as your own. Please make a project with my pattern in Revelry, or tag me on Instagram. I love to see your creation with my pattern!

Terminology

1×1 Rib Stitches – It is the basic knitting stitch pattern by alternating knit and purl on every stitch in a row.

Brioche Stitches – It is a family of knitting patterns that creates a cushy, reversible ribbed fabric. For this recipe, you will need to know how to make Brioche stitches in rounds.

Design Plan

This howl contains several rounds of 1×1 rib stitches at the top and bottom, with a Brioche stitch pattern as the highlight in the middle. The 1×1 rib stitches add elasticity to keep the howl from falling onto the eyes. The drawstring holes are made on the round in which the Brioche stitches are transitioned to the rib stitches. The holes can be omitted if a simple neck warmer is preferred.

1. Head Measurement

You definitely want the neck warmer to be wide enough to pass through the head. For a howl to be worn as a hat, it can’t be too loose or it will fall onto the eyes. It can’t be too tight either, otherwise, it won’t be comfortable to wear. A general rule is to take a 2-inch negative ease to make it snug fit. If the head circumference is measured as 20″, making a howl with 18″ circumference should be just right. Wolly Wormhead has a good hat sizing guide for reference.

2. Test Swatch

It is important to note that rib stitches have a different gauge than Brioche. i.e. the number of stitches to make a row with 1×1 rib is different from Brioche. Therefore test swatches on both are highly recommended. If you are adventurous like me, you can also made a guesstimate by browsing Revelry for the yarns you are knitting with. Test it out with a few rounds. If it turns out to be good, make a note (for future projects), and continue on. Otherwise, take the measurement, and try again.

Sample Swatches

Yarn used: Caron Simply Soft
Needles used: 4.5mm circular needles

Tension/Gauge
1×1 Rib Stitches: 4.5 stitches per inch
Brioche Stitches: 4 stitches per inch

Actual head circumference: 20″
Desired circumference for the howl: (20″ – 2″ = 18″)

Number of stitches in a round
1×1 Rib Stitches: 18″ x 4.5 stitches = 81 84 stitches
Brioche Stitches: 18″ x 4 stitches = 72 stitches

Note on the number of rib stitches I made for the sample was not 81 as calculated. There was compromise I made for easier stitch transition, which I’m going to talk about in the later section.

3. Brioche Stitches

Here is the creativity come into play. Do you have a Brioche pattern in mind? Pinterest can give you endless ideas. Or you can be like me, flipping through Nancy Marchant’s Knitting Fresh Brioche: Creating Two-Color Twists & Turns for a pattern.

There is a criteria for a pattern to work. It needs to be repeatable with the number of stitches in a round.

Sample Brioche Stitches

Number of stitches in a round: 72 stitches

Desired Brioche Stitch Pattern: Braid Column @ Knitting Fresh Brioche
The pattern repeats itself every 24 stitches. There are 3 repeats in the sample.

4. Stitch Transition

As calculated earlier, rib stitches contain more stitches in a round than Brioche. When transitioning from rib to Brioche, the stitch increase/decrease needs to be spread evenly in a round.

Sample Stitch Transition

1×1 Rib Stitches: 81 84 stitches
Brioche Stitches: 72 stitches

Number of stitch changes: 81 – 72 = 9 / 84 – 72 =12
From 1×1 Rib to Brioche, reduce 1 stitch on every (72  ÷ 12  = 6) stitches.
From Brioche to 1×1 Rib, increase 1 stitch on every (72  ÷ 12 – 1 = 5) stitches. 

Why did I not follow the number of stitches in Rib as calculated? First of all, 1×1 Rib stitches have to be a multiple of 2 stitches. Secondly, should I make 84, the number of stitch difference is 12, which divides the number of Brioche stitches. This makes the stitch transition much easier, and it is a personal preference for the howl to be slightly loose.

Construction

After all these planning, let’s start knitting!

1. Use the Contrast Colour (CC) to cast on a desired number of stitches for 1×1 Rib. Italian Cast-on is recommended here, as it makes a stretchy invisible edge that blends perfectly into the 1×1 Rib stitches.
   • For the sample, cast on 84 stitches.
2. Optionally, use a stitch marker to mark the beginning of a round. Work 1×1 Rib stitches (knit, purl) in rounds, until the working piece is measure 0.5″ in height from the cast-on edge.
3. Setup Brioche. The stitch transition is done at the same time too.
   • For the sample, reduce one stitch on every 6 stitches.
     1. With CC: *p1, sl1yo, p1, sl1yo, p2tog, slyo*. Repeat from * to * till the end of the round.
     2. Attach the Main Colour (MC): *sl1yo, brk1*. Repeat from * to * till the end of the round.
4. Follow the Brioche Stitch Pattern of your choice, until the piece has reached the desired length. A howl is usually good when it is long enough to cover the crown to mid ears. Again, use the sizing guide for the reference.
   • For the sample, the piece was made with a height of 9″ from the cast-on edge.
5. With CC, change to 1×1 Rib Stitches. The stitch transition is done at the same time too.
   • For the sample, increase one stitch every 5 stitches.
     • *k5, yo*. Repeat from * to * till the end of the round.
     • Note that a drawstring is optional on a neck warmer. Use another method to make a stitch (e.g. kfb, or m1r/m1l) if preferred.
6. Continue the 1×1 Rib Stitches for another 0.5 inch in height.
7. Bind off with Invisible Ribbed Bind-off method.
8. Optionally, make an i-cord as a drawstring.
   • For the sample, I make curly cue on both ends of the i-cord.
     1. Use a crochet hook, chain 25.
     2. sc 3 onto the second stitch from the hook. sc 4 on each stitch along the chain.
     3. Pass the last stitch onto a double pointed needle. Cast on two more stitches.
     4. Make an i-cord till the desired length is reached. (Say 3 times of the width of the howl). Bind off.
     5. Pass the last stitch to a crochet hook. Chain 25, and repeat the steps above to make a curly cue at the end.

Due to the respect on copyright, I am not posting the Brioche Braid Column Pattern that I used in the sample. But once you’ve figured out the construction, it is not hard to invent your own howl or neck warmer pattern. The possibility is endless.