Mistake Rib Cowl In Simply Yak
There’s no mistaking the simple beauty of our Mistake Rib Cowl! Abundant in texture and warmth, it is as appealing as it is easy.
An outstanding stitch for beginners, mistake rib is just a knit-two-purl-two repeat where the cast-on number ensures that the columns don’t always line up.
A tiny change from standard 2×2 rib, but with enormous results! The small complexity of misaligned knits and purls creates a fascinating fabric that undulates like rolling hills.
We paired this simple cowl with our over-the-top gorgeous Simply Yak. One hundred percent undyed yak, combed from the downy, very warm undercoat of majestic, free-roaming yaks, this yarn celebrates the immense goodness of this fiber, just as nature made it.
Simply Yak comes in one color, a rich, velvety brown, and with a lovely halo glowing off its surface; it’s also over-the-top soft, similar in touch to cashmere.
It only takes three skeins of Simply Yak to make a Mistake Rib Cowl. Pick some up and cast on for your own happy accident!
Originally designed by Purl Soho designer, Jake Canton. Click here to see even more of Jake’s designs!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoMistakeRibCowl, and #PurlSohoSimplyYak. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 3 skeins of Purl Soho’s Simply Yak, 100% yak. Each skein is 109 yards/ 50grams; approximately 280 yards required.
- US 4 (3.5 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- A stitch marker
GAUGE
29 stitches and 39 rounds = 4 inches in stitch pattern, unstretched
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: 18 inches in circumference x 12 inches tall
NOTE
STITCH MULTIPLE
This pattern is worked over a multiple of 4 stitches.
PATTERN
Loosely cast on 132 stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Round 1: *K2, p2, repeat from * to end of round.
Round 2: P1, *k2, p2, repeat from * to last 3 stitches, k2, p1.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until piece measures 12 inches from cast-on edge or desired length.
Bind off in pattern. Here’s how…
Bind-Off Round: K2, pass first stitch over, *[p1, pass first stitch over] 2 times, [k1, pass first stitch over] 2 times, repeat from * to last 2 stitches, [p1, pass first stitch over] 2 times.
Weave in ends and block as desired.
This rib is beautiful! Could this pattern be adapted to leg warmers, and if so, what changes would be required?
Hi Jenny,
Thank you for your question! Leg warmers in Simply Yak and mistake rib sound absolutely marvelous! We don’t yet have a leg warmer pattern in mistake rib, but I’ll be sure to pass along this great idea to our team! In the meantime, if you’re interested in making leg warmers, we do have our Lovely Ribbed Leg Warmers Pattern in case you’d like to take a look (https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2021/09/27/lovely-ribbed-leg-warmers/).
These leg warmers are made using our Wigeon (a sport weight) yarn and Tussock (a fingering weight) held together, so collectively that’s about a DK weight, just like Simply Yak! You could definitely try using Simply Yak for this pattern and with any yarn substitutions, we also recommend doing a gauge swatch to make sure your gauge is consistent with the pattern. You might find that you need to adjust your needle size! Here’s our guide on swatching if you’d like more information (https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2020/08/20/all-about-gauge/)!
Let us know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Cat
Do you have a knit hat using the Mistake rib pattern for men using the Yak yarn?
Thank you
Carol
Hi Carol,
Thanks for writing in! I’m afraid at the moment we don’t have a mistake rib hat pattern featuring Simply Yak, but we do have a wonderful pattern called the Watch Cap + Mitts (https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2020/11/13/watch-cap-and-mitts/) that is knit in 2×2 ribbing! The result is an incredibly warm, cozy and stretchy hat that’s available in a wide range of sizes! I hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
Thank You for this easy, attractive coal pattern. My charity knitting group will LOVE this one.
If I wanted to make this larger would I add stitches in a grouping of 2 or in a grouping of 4?
Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you for your question! To make the cowl larger, you would increase the cast on by increments of 4 stitches since the stitch pattern is worked over a multiple of four. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
Wondering what yarn would be a good choice as a replacement for Simply Yak?
Love the yarn but would prefer a different color.
Hi Annie,
Thank you so much for writing in! Simply Yak is a DK weight yarn, so another DK yarn would work great for this pattern! I’d recommend Cashmere Merino Bloom (https://www.purlsoho.com/cashmere-merino-bloom.html), Knitting Yarn (https://www.purlsoho.com/knitting-yarn.html), and Cricket by Anzula (https://www.purlsoho.com/cricket.html) as wonderful options.
Cashmere Merino Bloom would have the closest feel to Simply Yak; it’s a beautiful mix of 75% extra fine merino wool and 25% cashmere and super soft! With yarn substitutions, we also recommend doing a gauge swatch to make sure your gauge is consistent with the pattern. You might find that you need to adjust your needle size! Here’s our guide on swatching if you’d like more information (https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2020/08/20/all-about-gauge/)!
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
Will mulberry merino work for this project? Carol
Hi Carol,
You can absolutely use Mulberry Merino for this pattern, but you may need to adjust the number of stitches you cast on, since Mulberry Merino is a lighter weight yarn than Simply Yak. To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern. Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the circumference of the cowl and cast on the nearest multiple of 4. Then you can follow the pattern as written!
All the best,
Lili
Bonjour,
J aimerai si possible un peu plus d explications sur le rang 2 :
tricoter 2m, m2 : comment tricoter ces m?
Merci pour votre réponse
Hi Colette,
Thanks for reaching out! On Round 2, you will begin by purling the first stitch. Then, you will repeat k2, p2 until you have only three stitches remaining. Finally, you will knit two stitches and the purl the last one. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
Can you recommend a hat pattern for a man with a large head?
Hi Constance,
Thanks for reaching out! All of our patterns are designed to be worn by people of any gender, but some may fit different body types better than others. I’d recommend browsing through our hat patterns and taking a look at the measurements listed under SIZES to get a sense of how they fit. Our largest sizes will likely work for people with larger heads. If you’d like advice on making any specific modifications, just let me know what you want to change, and I can absolutely help out!
All the best,
Lili
Hi Lili,
If I only want to use the knit stitch for the cowl, would I still cast on 132 stitches?
Many thanks,
dale
Hi Dale,
Stockinette stitch will have a different gauge than mistake ribbing, so you may need to cast on a different number of stitches in order to maintain the same circumference! I’d recommend knitting up a gauge swatch in stockinette, and once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the circumference of the cowl (18 inches). Then just cast on the nearest whole number, and you can begin knitting in stockinette!
All the best,
Lili
I would like to knit a kid size of this using cashmere merino bloom. How many stitches do you recommend I cast on? Thank you.
Hi TJ,
This pattern can be modified in a similar way to the other one you recently asked about! 15 or 16 inches would be a good fit, and based on the gauge of the pattern (29 stitches and 39 rounds = 4 inches in stitch pattern, unstretched), you would need to cast on 114 stitches for that measurement.
All the best,
Lili
I’d like to knit this pattern with worsted weight yarn . Do you have a pattern in adult woman .
Hi Jill,
You can absolutely make this pattern in a worsted weight yarn–it’s very easy to adapt! All you’ll need to to is change you cast-on number so that the cowl comes to the correct size.
To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern (if this is daunting, we have a wonderful tutorial called All About Gauge). Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the circumference of the cowl (18 inches) and cast on the nearest multiple of 4 stitches. Then you can follow the pattern as written!
All the best,
Lili