Are any of you planning to see Catching Fire? I can hardly wait. (You probably noticed the countdown in my sidebar.) In all the trailers Katniss is wearing this super cool cowl/shawl thingy, so I started looking for a pattern.
I decided on the pattern by LollyKnits, which is, of course, knit. You already know that I don’t knit. But I tried for the pattern. My gauge was horrible, it was going to fit a baby instead of me. So I did what I do in all these cases and adapted it to crochet. And now I’m sharing the pattern with you (for free!) so maybe you can make one and go to the movies in style. 😉
This post is linked to the Clever Chicks Blog Hop #69.
Ravelry page here
Click here for the PDF!:Â Katniss Cowl
Sizing
As written, the cowl fits a size ‘small’. Keep in mind it’s drapey. If you wear a larger size, here are some suggestions.
To make the cowl bigger…
- I would use a 12 MM crochet hook, which will make it larger without doing any modifications.
- Â If that doesn’t make it big enough, you can add any number of chains. Just make sure it’s an even number for the pattern to work as written. Try 50-60 to start.
- Keep in mind that you will need more yarn if you make it bigger! With just the larger hook, and no changes, I think it would take at least another ball. Since you’re crocheting looser, you’re using more yarn for the same amount of stitches. It’s better to get more yarn than not enough…although your savings might disagree. Coupons help. 🙂
To make the cowl smaller…
- Make less chains in the first row, make sure it’s an even number ~ try 30-40 to start. Downsize the cowl as well!
- Try using worsted weight yarn and an 8 MM or so hook. Follow the pattern as written and make the first row of the triangle. It should go from your shoulder to the opposite hip. Remember, you can add chains if you’re close ~ otherwise, do it with bulky yarn and try #1.
- Switch up the hook size, still using bulky yarn, trying maybe an 8 MM hook which will make it just a bit smaller – but maybe that’s just the bit you need.
Materials
- 320 yards of super bulky yarn (category 6) –Â I used 4 balls of Lion Brand Hometown USA in Houston Cream.
- 10 MM crochet hook. Mine says it’s size ‘N’, but many have different letters. Pay attention to the millimeter size, not the letter!
- Yarn needle, scissors, pins to help with assembly
Special Stitches
- Herringbone double crochet (hbdc): YO, insert hook into st, yo, pull loop through st and following loop, ch 1, yo, pull through 2.
- Herringbone double crochet 2 together (hbdc2tog): *Yo, insert hook into next st, yo, pull loop through st and following loop*, repeat from * to * in next st, yo, pull through all 3 loops.
See this post for a better explanation of the stitches, a photo tutorial, and a link to a video!
Notes
The cowl is made in three pieces: two triangles for the front & back, which are made the same way, and a cowl. The one in the movie involved crocheting around rope, but it didn’t look very comfortable. Mine involves just a normal cowl. If you’re into the rope look, try the cowl in this pattern (knit version)Â or this pattern (crochet version). They might not come out to quite the same measurements, but that shouldn’t be a problem.
I worked under 2 loops of the chain (the back loop and back bump)Â on the first row of each part to make it sturdier.
Gauge
3-4 stitches and 2 rows of herringbone dc = 2″ wide, 2″ long.
Don’t panic about the gauge! Just make sure the beginning chain goes from your shoulder to the opposite hip, and you should be good.Â
Triangles (make 2)
Ch 46.
Row 1: Hbdc in 3rd ch from hk and in each ch across – 44 sts. Note: I like to work this first round by inserting my hook under both the back loop and the back bump. This makes for a neater, sturdier edge.
Row 2: Ch 2, turn (does not count as a st.) Hbdc2tog in first 2 sts, hbdc across until you reach the last 2 sts, hbdc2tog. (Decreasing by 2 sts each row)
Repeat Row 2 until you have 2 sts left.
Last row: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog. FO and weave in ends.
Cowl (make 1)
Ch 50. A note on the chain number: My cowl is rather loose and baggy, so if I were to do it again I would probably chain 40 or so. I’ve seen versions with a cowl done in rows so it can button up. You could also substitute a rope-like version as linked in the pattern notes.
Join with a slip stitch to form a ring, being careful not to twist the chain.
Round 1: Ch 2 (does not count as a stitch.) Hbdc in each st around. Note: I like to work this first round by inserting my hook under both the back loop and the back bump. This makes for a neater, sturdier edge. Sl st to 2nd ch of beg ch-2 to join. Turn.
Rounds 2-6 (or desired height): Ch 2 (does not count as a stitch. Hbdc in each st around. Sl st to 1st hbdc. Turn.
Assembly
Fold the cowl neck in half and mark each side, so 25 stitches between each marker. Then get the triangles facing the right way (the long, starting chain side will be going across your body.) Pick either one to start with. Sew it to the cowl neck using mattress stitch, but leave about six inches of triangle at the end, which will go over your right shoulder. Then do this to the other triangle. (It should be mirrored in the back) Then sew the shoulders together. Finally, leave yourself a comfortable arm hole and sew the rest of the way down.
Maybe a drawing would be helpful? Please excuse my drawing ‘skills’…
Finished Measurements
Here’s a picture with the measurements (color coded, because it’s fun) in inches and centimeters. I’ll also write it out below in case you can’t view the pictures for some reason.
Triangle Side: 21″/53.5 cm
Triangle Hypotenuse: 25″/65 cm
Armhole: 8″/20.5 cm
Shoulder: 6″/15 cm
Cowl Height: 4″/10 cm
Cowl Circumference: 30″/76 cm
Finishing
If you’re using acrylic yarn like I did, I highly suggest washing it when it’s done, rather than blocking. Then it will be very soft and drapey. (It’s also faster and easier, for those of us who worry about that sort of thing.) It’s extremely warm, so it’s great over a long sleeve shirt, and under a coat, if you get super cold like I do. And it’s conducive to archery ~ I’ve checked! (I’m right-handed, but if you’re not, you could just flip it around so the sleeve is on your left arm, and fire away.)
If you would like to sell items from this pattern, that’s totally fine…but I would really appreciate it if you linked back to my blog! (Just a ‘Pattern by Cogaroo Crafts’ would be great.) Thank you!
***
If you have any questions, or find a mistake in the pattern (I’m sure they exist!) leave a comment and I’ll be happy to help. And if you do make a Katniss Cowl, please send some pictures ~ I’d love to see. 🙂
May the odds be ever in your favor!
very nice! I actually think I like yours more than mine 🙂 the neck is so much softer and drapier, and I really love the way the diagonal stitching looks on the front and back.
Thank you! I tried making yours first, but as usual, I couldn’t get gauge. 🙂 I still really like the ribbing on yours.
Thanks 🙂 I have the same issue with gauge, I can never get it right!
Great job, Claire! And I think your drawing is glorious. Will they let you bring arrows into the theatre, do you think? 🙂
P.S. I haven’t watched it, but I see there’s a Sesame Street video on YouTube called The Hungry Games: Catching Fur. Of course it made me think of you.
Hmm, I think that might violate public safety laws. 😉 I have not seen that, but I’ll check it out.
I stood in front of the movie poster last week and hoped that someone would duplicate and post it online (hopefully free!) and now you have. Thank you so very much!
I had the same feeling! I’m so glad LollyKnits did her pattern so I could adapt it to crochet. 🙂
I am sooooooo excited to make this!! I was hoping someone with talent would create a decent pattern! Thank you and I will definitely share pics when I finish! WONDERFUL JOB!!
Thank you! I can’t wait to see your pictures. 🙂
How long did it take to make?
I am so excited as soon as I saw the movie last night and i saw Katniss in her cowl, I wanted one!
I just got back from the movie…IT WAS AMAZING!!!
Okay. Calming down. I had to do a lot of frogging because I was making it for the first time, but in total I would say 3 days. If I did it again it would probably be 2. (I’m a pretty fast crocheter, but the bulky yarn will be fast for anyone.) 🙂
how long did it take you to make this?
My daughter saw the movie the other night and commissioned me to make one for her! So w immediately search for a pattern and found yours! You did a great job making it and thank you very much for sharing your pattern! I will definitely post a picture of my Katniss project when I get it finished! Thank you very much again! You are wonderful!
I’m so glad my pattern could be of use. You must have a very persuasive daughter. 🙂
Great pattern.
Thank you!
I’m watching the 1st Hunger Games again in preparation for going to see the 2nd film.
Hi Cogaroo. My daughter headed to Catching Fire yesterday afternoon and I made your shawl while she was gone. I made the pieces with slight modifications for more texture and one ring from the lollyknits pattern, then awaited her return to size it (she is very tiny so I only started with about 28 chains. I figured she’d want the ring since it was more authentic to the Katniss sweater. Well, after pinning it together she decided she couldn’t shoot her bow with the ring. She declared that obviously movie Katniss must have had someone else shoot because you would get the fletchings caught at the chin. So I nixed the ring and cowl upon request. Let me know how to send a picture.
The ring definitely does look cool but I didn’t think it would be very comfortable…I didn’t even think about trying to shoot with it. Got to love those stunt doubles! If you’re on Ravelry you can add a picture as a project (it’s a really cool site!) If not you can email me.
Looks awesome, the closest looking one I’ve found as far as how it falls on the body. Was wondering if you could post a pic of it laying flat and what the measurements of the triangles before sewing them together. Ps reading crocheting is like reading another language to me! I knit 🙂
I’ll do that on Tuesday, tomorrow I’m spending the day loosing arrows. 😉 Maybe you should check out LollyKnits’ pattern! ETA: Done and posted. 😀
Awesome!!! Thanks!!! how much room did you leave for the arm hole?
8 inches. Sorry, I forgot to add that. I’ve updated the pattern yet again ~ you’d think I’d have learned by now!
i found crocheting easy to learn, and this herringbone stitch is just too beautiful not to want! i am just SO in love. i think i bought a yarn that’s too thin, which is crushing.
i can’t handle how beautiful this pattern is! thanks
I just knew there would be a pattern out as soon as I saw it. Thank you SO much for taking the time to do this. I’ll definitely make one!
You’re totally welcome! 🙂
I would love to make this and I crochet a lot, but I don’t understand the pattern at all! Please help!
I’m sorry you don’t understand the pattern! Maybe I can help a bit. You start by making the triangles, which you make flat. Then you do the cowl, which is worked in the round. The seaming can be kind of confusing but the picture should help. If you need help reading patterns, try this site: http://www.craftyarncouncil.com/tip_crochet.html If there’s something in particular you need help with, let me know and I shall try to assist more. Good luck! 😉
This looks awesome! Is there any chance its available in pdf?
It is now! 😉 Right by the link to the Ravelry page.
Thank you so much ♥
Hi! Can I use the rope/crochet cowl with this pattern? Do I just follow the direction on the link you provided for that tutorial? Thanks!
Yes, that should work. I don’t know if it will come out to the same measurements, but it probably won’t make a huge difference. 😉
the “hooray, you look glorious!” cartoon made me LOL! Well done, thanks for sharing my dear;)
Hehe, glad I could make you LOL. Hopefully it was for a good reason. 😉
it was! it made ME laugh out loud! it’s so cute!
So i have a few questions…
1. is 10mm N hook a typo? Cuz the only N hook i could find was only 9mm. Will this still work?
2. Roughly, how many balls of yarn did it take to finish one triangle? Im plus size, and had to extend the first chain a lot to accommodate my size, and ended up using an.entire ball of brand new Hometown USA on just five rows.
3. When printing out your pdf, your last picture.of the finished measurements doesn’t show up in the pdf file. You may want to double check that its loaded to the off correctly ^-^
This really is a great pattern, and thank you for making.it. I hope my alterations work so I can.wear.it!
Kaitlynne ~
1. About the crochet hook…mine says N – 10 MM, but I realize that most N’s seem to be 9 MM. I don’t know what’s up with that. Mine is the Susan Bates brand, if that makes any difference. If you use the 9 MM make sure to crochet very loosely, if you can, I would use the 10 MM.
2. I believe it took me 1.5 balls to make a triangle, and 1 to make the cowl. Using the 10 MM hook might help you get more triangle for your yardage.
3. Yes, I’m aware of that…usually I use RTF format, and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to add another picture. I figured it would use too much ink, anyhow. You can refer back to this post if you want to measure at the end. 😉
I hope I could help you, if you have any other questions I’d be happy to elaborate. Good luck!
Thank you for getting back to me! You have no idea how many people just dont answer me when I ask questions. This pattern is really great, and I love this stitch.
So, for the triangle size, since Im having to extend the chain to fit me (the 46 barely reached my hip, so I tried 86, and that was way too long, seeing as one ball of yarn didnt even get me half way done), what starting chain number should I start with?
My measurements are rather large, and this is my first time making clothes of any type, so Im really confused lol
Thank you so much for all your help, and for your patience while working with me ^-^ I really appreciate it <3
I’ve edited the post with some additional sizing information. I hope that helps. This was only my second time making clothing, so I totally understand. If you need any more help, please ask, it’s no trouble at all. 😉
katelynne, it is really difficult to get an 11.5mm hook; i want to crochet the jolly rancher skirt from ravelry. it only comes in a set of hooks!
there are many n hooks in 9mm and some in 10mm; m hooks are also 10mm. if you have a set of large hooks you must own the 10mm. it’s a lot of trouble getting these larger sizes coordinated and buying the largest individually!
that said, i hope you were able to make the cowl; it’s beautiful! it’s worth ripping out and doing over with fewer chains or a 10mm hook. i wonder if taping a thin cardboard sheath onto the 9mm hook would be worth the trouble; you could remove it afterward. i don’t know if any of this is helpful to you, but i personally look forward to crocheting this soon. it’s beautiful!
I wish I could post my pic of the finished product…. My FB wall has exploded with likes. Mine was a meld of the Knit pattern using the Herringbone stitch but with the cowl. Your picture of how you put it together were supper helpful. Thanks!!! 🙂
You can email me the picture if you like. If you want, I could even add it to the Ravelry page as a featured photo. 🙂
ugh, so annoying…i have to start AGAIN! i should have gone with the directions for hbdc i found on another website; yours start wrong, so people following your directions get 45 hbdc: it should start with the THIRD chain from the hook. i did it their way with the 50 hbdc start but don’t really think i want that many despite being a size 14/16.
i have an hourglass figure and when i lose the weight i gained from a difficult recovery after some operations i want the cowl to reach the top of my hip at the very longest. i may just do an extra hbdc in the last chain and go with 46. since i’m using baby alpaca it’s stretchy enough for the first hbdc not to crochet up too short, i hope.
for anyone with a large waist that isn’t hourglass-shaped, i would suggest the 50+ cast-on. i’m normally a 34-inch waist now but post-thanksgiving at my mom’s my natural waist is 36 inches around, for anyone who wants to know.
I’m sorry you’re having trouble, and for the mistake in the pattern. It’s fixed now, thanks for pointing it out.
The finished object really does seem to stretch, especially after washing. It won’t be very tight around your waist, it’s more like it just drapes over it, if that makes any sense. A few stitches won’t make much of a difference, so whatever number you do is fine, just make sure you do the same for the other side. 😉
oh, it’s a gorgeous pattern! thank you so much for posting it. it was just annoying to have to start a third time! it crocheted up really quickly! you should try securing some 100% baby alpaca by misti (not one of the blends!) alpaca and making another; it would be well worth the cost because it’s so warm and soft, and not acrylic, if you’re not allergic! thanks a BILLION for this pattern! I almost want to make two…and in fact am using a wonderful acrylic-wool tweed in the same weight to make a scarf for my brother using the herringbone stitch.
I actually have a purple similar to your background and a hunter green; i’m not sure whether I should make one side green and crochet a separate cowl to complement the piece or make two, or or or or or! maybe I’ll use theother two skeins (gray&olive) of acrylic-wool tweed to make a second katniss cowl that will satisfy my less-purple cravings, give it a bright yellow cowl…oh, the wondrousness you have wrought! thank you!
more notes: I crocheted much more tightly this time around and ended up with plenty of yarn in a 110-yard skein left. anyone could do this in a loose tension or a tighter tension with a 46- or 48-stitch (plus two chains) start and use up close to 110 yards per triangle. I would block it if opting to crochet more tightly; the drape is completely different and would probably be nice and flowy with blocking, and remain warm with a good yarn.
I think a really awesome artistic take on what’s already cool would be to take some hugely wide satin ribbon or upcycled leather strips (there are some great very liquid speedball paints in “inkwells” and pearlex paints if you want to apply paint to the leather that won’t crack or stiffen the texture! I also use speedball screenprinting inks on leather) and use that to bind the shoulders and possibly the cowl to the main body.
I like all of your ideas! The cowl on mine loosened up a lot, so I was thinking about weaving a ribbon through ~ I like your ribbon idea as well. Re-starting is annoying, I’m glad it finally worked out. 😉
I just finished the first triangle but it looks small. I tried it against my daughter who is anxiously awaiting it and it seemed to fit across her but don’t know how its going to fit once its sewn up the side!
I guess I have to wait and see! Thanks for posting the pattern as soon as we saw the movie my daughter needed this!!!
I just got back from seeing the movie yet again and I experienced pretty much the same thing. 😉 The long edge goes from my left shoulder to my right hip, if that helps any. It loosens up a lot, though, just FYI. Have fun!
This is the first time I’m crocheting clothing! Now my second triangle (chain) is longer lol I know I increased the starting chain but couldn’t remember how many, guess I should have written it down somewhere. Yes I’m having fun even though I’m having a wee bit of trouble! I’ll figure it out yet!
Same with me ~ before this I’d only crocheted shawl and poncho-type things – they don’t take much fitting. 😉 You can just chain until it’s the length of your first triangle edge, then add 2 and go from there. You can figure it out! Let me know how it works. 😀
OK so what if triangle 2 is a tad bit bigger? Should I just unravel now? Lol help!!
Hmm…I would decide which triangle fits you better (if that makes sense?) and frog the other one, then make it the right size (like, have it match the existing triangle.) If it’s an inch off, you could probably block it to size, although I dislike blocking and avoid it whenever necessary. They crocheted up pretty fast for me, but it’s always annoying to frog stuff ~ sorry about your dilemma!
Help I’m a little tossed about the hbdc,and wear a size 20. This is my outbreak form scarfs and hats. I want this
I’m pusinboots4 @ raverly
I published a new post with some more tutorials for the subject: http://cogaroocrafts.wordpress.com/2013/12/20/herringbone-double-crochet-tutorials/
I think I’m like a women’s size small (different clothing companies call it different things) so I would suggest using a 12 mm hook, and adding more chains if you need to.
Good luck!
You are so generous to provide your pattern for free. Thank you so much! I’ll post a pic when finished.
Why thank you, Jenni! There weren’t many free crochet versions (in fact, there was exactly one) so I wanted to change that. 🙂 I would love to see your cowl!
I really want to make this, but wear 9/10. Any suggestions on making it smaller? Thanks, very excited to start something for myself!
This is a bit of a wild guess, but ~ try making the starting chain with worsted weight yarn (rather than super bulky) and perhaps an 8 mm hook and see how long it is. It should go from your shoulder to the opposite hip. If that works then you’re good to go. Other methods would be to subtract chains from the starting chain, making sure you have an even number, and go from there. Hopefully this will help a bit!
Wow, thanks for a super fast reply! Knowing that it goes from shoulder to opposite hip will help. I will start with a smaller hook and gauge my starting chain with that. Can’t wait to start, now to find a few extra hours in my day!
One thing I forgot to mention ~ the cowl part seems to stretch a lot with wear, so I would make it smaller ~ maybe 40 chains with the adjusted yarn. It’s something I wish I had done, so I don’t want you to make the same mistake! 🙂
Unique pattern! Lovely!!
Thank you!
Thank you for this pattern! I just finished mine today. I changed to neck since I wanted it to be different and left the yarn ends since I like how it looks. I would love to email you some pictures. If you can email me at poohangel1@juno.com I will send you some pictures. The yarn I used was mill ends that is a combination of wool and silk and grey, black and white. Very bulky yarn so it is very warm!
Elle
Yay! I’m glad you liked the pattern, and your yarn sounds wonderful! Also, your variations sound cool. You can email me the pictures at [address here] (will delete this address after you see it to avoid spam.) 🙂
Thanks! I emailed some pictures, hope you got them. I really love the look of this!
You know, I like the look of your version better. The over-large, over-stiff collar of the original just seems a touch too runway fashion, to me, and wouldn’t fit under coats.
Yours is much easier to… um, does it count as accesorizing if its going under a drovers coat?
Heh.
Thank you, Knightofthemoon! I agree, the collar doesn’t look comfortable at all, though Katniss pulls it off. I guess fashion is different in a dystopian world. But nowadays that would be quite impractical. 🙂
I think it counts as accessorizing, but what’s a drovers coat?
I designed a knit pattern here –
https://www.etsy.com/listing/170787987/instant-download-knitting-pattern-the?ref=shop_home_active_3
The picture of your assembly drawing is missing, as is the one with the finished measurements. I can’t visualize the assembly at all so, could you fix it or tell me where to find the pictures? Thank you!
I didn’t realize those pictures had vanished as well, thanks for letting me know. The assembly drawing shows up for me, but if you can’t see it, try clicking here. I don’t have the measurement picture anymore, so I’ll try to redo and upload it as soon as I can. Sorry for the inconvenience!
The “click here” comes up as an unknown page. Maybe trial and error will need to be used to put this together. If you can post new pictures, it would be great.
I’m sorry about the delay, I haven’t gotten a chance to take new pictures yet. My old ones disappeared along with most of the other photos on my blog, and I’m still trying to repair the damage. I’ll redraw the assembly diagram, as I don’t have the first one anymore. Thanks for letting me know!
At long last I’ve remodeled the page! Sorry for the wait. Hopefully my photos don’t vanish this time. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this pattern and the time you are taking to help people. I would love to know the name of the movie it refers to so I can show my daughter. I also learnt a new stitch thanks to you. Only one small problem, on my iPad, I can’t see any of the photos showing the stitch instructions, there is just a blank there. Thanks again from New Zealand.
Hi Eva! I’m so glad you like the pattern. 🙂 This cowl is based on the one Katniss Everdeen wears in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” which I loved. There actually aren’t any pictures for the stitch instructions, I just have an assembly diagram and a picture with the finished measurements. (The hbdc tutorial doesn’t have any pictures either, since they all disappeared.) If you need any help, though, I’d be happy to assist! So cool to hear from someone in New Zealand. 🙂
Have tried to down load the Katniss Cowl; free knitting pattern from Raverly, It will only down load in machine code not knitting or even crochet pattern. I am hoping that you still had the knitting pattern, and was wondering if you could possibly email a copy to me. My wife is not long out of hospital and is looking for something she could sit and do as a surprise present for our daughter; who is a big fan of the films.
Hi John, thanks for your comment. To get the Katniss Cowl pattern, click here. You can either download it or view it in the post. It’s a crochet pattern, but there are links to knitting patterns too, and if you google ‘knit Katniss cowl’ there will be a plethora of free knitting patterns. 🙂 I hope your wife is doing better; it’s a lovely idea to make it for your daughter! I hope that helps. 🙂