The Fair Isle Crochet Technique is one of my favorite techniques! The Camden crochet cowl uses this technique to create beautiful colorwork throughout! It also has a matching hat!
It is a simple circular cowl that is great for fall and winter when the weather is cool!
What is Fair Isle Crochet?
Fair Isle Crochet is a color changing technique to create colorwork or even pictures within your crochet project. Instead of working over the non-working yarn, like in Tapestry Crochet, you’ll float your non-working yarn behind the stitches.
A crochet chart is usually used and helpful for Fair Isle Crochet but it is also really easy to follow in a written pattern as well.
In this pattern you’ll find written instructions, a chart, and a simple photo tutorial.
Fair Isle Crochet is really quite easy. If you know the single crochet stitch you can learn this technique.
If you love crocheting as much as I do, or want to learn more, or just want to show off your work, please join our Crochet Garments community over on Facebook! I hope you’ll share your finished crochet project with us!
Pattern Details
The Yarn
The Camden Cowl is created using two colors of worsted (#4) weight yarn. I used Mighty Stitch and Chroma Worsted, both from WeCrochet. I used 2 skeins of the Mighty Stitch and only about half a skein of the Chroma Worsted for my cowl.
Mighty Stitch is a super soft yarn with a lovely drape! I found that using this yarn for the project was perfect because it had such nice drape and didn’t cause the cowl to be too stiff. Mighty Stitch is 80% acrlyic and 20% superwash wool and can be machine washed and dried.
Chroma Worsted is a lovely color changing yarn that works great for this project! It comes in a large variety of colors and looks so good when crocheted! This yarn is 70% superwash wool and 30% nylon and can also be machine washed and dried!
This crochet cowl pattern is rated Easy in pattern difficulty. The stitches are your basic beginner stitches. Once you get a hang of changing colors and floating the yarn behind the stitches you’ll be on a roll!
The cowl is worked from the bottom up, starting with the trim. It is also worked in the round, joining to the first stitch at the end of each round.
Like I said above, in the pattern you’ll find written instructions, a chart, and photo tutorials showing how to change colors and how to float your yarn behind the stitches. You can also learn the basics of Fair Isle Crochet by watching my YouTube tutorial, below.
More Fair Isle Crochet Patterns
Love this pattern? You may also like some of these other crochet patterns that use the Fair Isle technique.
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Camden Cowl
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Camden Cowl
Copyright © 2026 Michelle Ferguson – Two Brothers Blankets
All rights reserved. No part of this pattern may be reproduced, sold, or tampered with, in any form or by any means, without permission from the publisher.
Items produced from these patterns may be sold, but the patterns themselves may not be sold, shared, or altered in any way.
Yarn:
80% Acrylic, 20% Superwash Wool
100g/208yards
70% Superwash Wool, 30% Nylon
100g/218yards
Hook:
I (5.5mm) crochet hook
Other Materials:
Gauge:
16 sc + 16 rows = 4”
Pattern Difficulty:
Easy
Stitches Needed & Abbreviations
st – stitch(es)
ch – chain
sl st – slip stitch
sc – single crochet
blo – back loop only
sc2tog – single crochet 2 together
MC – main color
CC – contrasting color
**- repeat what is inside these symbols
Sizing:
- Child – 10.5” x 8.5” (220 yards MC/ 75 yards CC)
- Adult 13” x 12” (275 yards MC/ 100 yards CC)
Pattern Notes:
Cowl is worked from the bottom up. Starting chain 1 does not count as first stitch.
Cowl is made in fair isle crochet style. Unused yarn is floated behind the stitches until it is used again.
Watch your tension throughout the workup. Don’t pull your floats tight behind the stitches.
Pattern is written in child size with adult size in parentheses. Total stitch count for both sizes is in parentheses at the end of each row/round.
A crochet graph is provided below if you prefer to follow that. Photo tutorial for color changes and catching your floats is also provided.
Pattern is written as number of stitches to work with what color to use as follows: 2 (MC), 2 (CC).
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Camden Cowl Crochet Pattern:
Bottom Trim
Ch 9
Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and across. (8)
Row 2: Ch 1, turn, in blo, sc in each st across. (8)
Rows 3- 96 (112): Repeat row 2.
Sew both ends of the trim together by slip stitching through both stitches across. Turn trim to the other side and continue to body of cowl.
Body of Cowl
Round 1: (MC) Ch 1, work 97(113) sc evenly around the side of the brim, join to 1st st. (97, 113)
Round 2: Ch 1, 2 (CC), 5 (MC), *3 (CC), 5 (MC)*, repeat to last 2 st, 2 (CC), join to 1st st. (97, 113)
Round 3: Ch 1, 1 (MC), 2 (CC), 3 (MC), *2 (CC), 1 (MC), 2 (CC),3 (MC)*, repeat around to last 3 st, 2 (CC), 1 (MC), join to 1st st. (97, 113)
Round 4: Ch 1, 2 (MC), 2 (CC), 1 (MC), 2 (CC), *3 (MC), 2 (CC), 1 (MC), 2 (CC)*, repeat around to last 2 st, 2 (MC), join to 1st st. (97, 113)
Round 5: Ch 1, 3 (MC), 3 (CC), *5 (MC), 3 (CC)*, repeat around to last 3 st, 3 (MC), join to 1st st. (97, 113)
Round 6: (MC) Ch 1, sc in each st around, join to 1st st. (97, 113)
Round 7: Ch 1, 2 (CC), 5 (MC), *3 (CC), 5 (MC)*, repeat around to last 2, 2 (CC), join to 1st st. (97, 113)
Round 8: Repeat round 7.
Round 9: Repeat round 6.
Repeat rounds 2-9 two more times for child size and three more times for adult size.
Fasten off CC and use only MC for the rest of the cowl.
Top Trim
Ch 7
1. Sc in 2nd ch from hook and across. (6)
2. Sl st in next 2 sts of body of cowl.
3. Ch 1, turn, sc in blo of each sc. (6)
4. Ch 1, turn, sc in blo of each st across. (6)
Repeat steps 2-4 all the way around top of the body of cowl. Join ends by working an sc into each
starting ch. Fasten off. Weave in ends. Block if necessary.
Fair Isle Crochet Chart for the Camden Cowl
Photo Tutorial for Color Changes and Floats
To change colors, instead of finishing out the last stitch before you go to the next color, pull the next color through the 2 loops for the last step of your stitch. This will finish out your last stitch and start you off with the new color for your next stitch.
To catch your float when working 7 stitches or more in the same color, simply grab your non-working yarn when working a middle stitch and then drop it again until your next color change.
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