Seed stitch is perfect for beginners because it’s made up entirely of knits and purls. To make things extra flexible, I’ve designed this pattern to be totally customisable for whatever yarn and needles you have. It just involves some basic, non-scary math.
So, let’s talk seed stitch. This is a beautiful, easy-to-knit, nubby textured stitch that lays flat and is fully reversible. It’s more dense than stockinette stitch, which makes it really warm and perfect for a cowl or scarf.
While this is post is not a pattern, per se, it’s a very detailed guide for how you can create your own scarf or cowl pattern using your own yarn and needles. Let’s get started!
Materials I Used in this Post:
Yarn: Tjockt Martta the Merino in color Sunset (super bulky one-ply yarn)
Similar yarn: Lana Grossa Ragazza (1-ply merino) and Wool & the Gang Crazy Sexy Wool (1-ply wool)
Needles: one pair of 10mm bamboo needles (similar)
Notions: soft tape measure (similar)
Step 1: Choose Yarn and Needles
Quick note: steps 1-5 are for knitting a cowl, but the same principles apply for figuring out the width of a scarf.
Head to your local yarn or craft store and choose a yarn that you’d like to knit with. Look at the yarn label to find the “Recommended Needle” size. Use this as a guide for choosing your needle size.
My yarn label suggests a needle size between 10-15mm, so I’ve chosen to use a pair of 10mm circular needles that are 24″ long.
If you’re knitting a cowl, a circular needle with a length of 24″ is ideal. The needle size will depend on your yarn weight.
Keep in mind that a thin yarn will take longer to knit and a thicker yarn will be quicker to knit. The yarn I’m using is a super bulky weight yarn (for thick and quick knitting).
Step 2: Choose a Width For Your Cowl
Determine how wide you’d like your cowl to be. You can use a soft tape measure and wrap it around you neck to figure out the ideal circumference.
I want my cowl to be narrow so that it hugs my neck, so I’ll make it 25″ in circumference. Write down your ideal width. We’ll call this number B.
Step 3: Knit a Mini Gauge Swatch
Knit a swatch with your yarn and needles to figure out how many stitches make up 4″ of fabric. We’ll call this number A.
Scrub ahead to the 17:11 mark in the video above to see how to knit and measure your swatch.
Step 4: Determine the Number of Cast On Stitches
Now it’s time for some math! Not the hard stuff that’ll make you cringe and cry. Just some basic middle school math.
We’ll use the below formula to figure out how many stitches to cast on to get your ideal cowl width. If you want to hear me talk you through this process, scrub ahead to the 16:05 mark in the video above.
A = number of stitches that make up 4″
For me, using my yarn and a 10mm needle, 13 sts = 4″
B = ideal cowl circumference
For me, I want my finished cowl to be 25″
Divide B by 4″ (For me: 25 / 4 = 6.25)
Multiply that number by A (For me, 6.25 x 13 = 81.25)
That’s your number of cast on stitches!
If you’re knitting a cowl, round up to get an odd, whole number. I can’t cast on 0.25 of a stitch, so I need to round up or down to a whole number. Seed stitch in the round requires an odd number, so for me, I rounded up to 83.
So now I know that in order to get a cowl with a width of 25″ with my particular yarn and needles, I need to cast on 83 stitches. That’s my magic number!
Step 5: Cast On
Now that you’ve got your magic number, go ahead and cast on using your favourite cast on method. I like the longtail cast on. (LINK). Then follow the instructions for a scarf or a cowl below.
Knit a Seed Stitch Scarf (Knit Flat)
Cast on an EVEN number of stitches
Row 1: *knit 1, purl 1; repeat from * to end of row
Row 2: *purl 1, knit 1; repeat from * to end of row
Repeat Rows 1 and 2
Knit a Seed Stitch Cowl (In the Round)
Cast on an ODD number of stitches and join in the round, making sure not to twist stitches
Round 1: *knit 1, purl 1; repeat from * to last st, knit 1
Round 2: *purl 1, knit 1; repeat from * to last st, purl 1
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2
When your scarf or cowl is the length you like, then cast off in pattern. Scrub ahead to 22:08 mark in the video to watch this in action.
*** Major shoutout to Petra M. Greening, a lifestyle blogger here in Hong Kong, who did a super job modelling the seed stitch cowl in seriously humid weather. What a trooper!
Tamara says
November 12, 2015 at 2:08 pmDavina, thank you! I am looking forward to making this!
Kate says
November 12, 2015 at 5:51 pmI love this! I can’t wait to cast on this weekend. It looks sooo warm!
Janice says
November 15, 2015 at 8:51 pmI want to make this with worsted yarn. I got the part about figuring out the cast on stitches, but how much would I need? I bought three balls. Is that enough for a cowl?
Davina says
November 18, 2015 at 10:50 pmHey Janice! That really depends on the yardage of each ball of yarn and how tall you want to make the cowl!
Lois says
December 13, 2015 at 9:59 amWHAT SIZE NEEDLE AND HOW MANY STITCHES DO I CAST ON TO MAKE A COW? I WANT TO USE STRAIGHT NEEDLES. TIA.
Davina says
December 20, 2015 at 9:52 pmHey Lois, if you want to use straight needles, you would cast on a number of stitches that gets you the height of the cowl you want. And then use the instructions for knitting seed stitch on flat needles. Then start knitting! You’re basically knitting a scarf, but you’ll seam together both ends into a circle. As you knit, wrap the “scarf” around your neck to see whether you’d like it be longer or shorter. When it’s the length you like, cast off and seam both ends together to make a cowl.
As for the needle size and number of cast on stitches, it depends on the yarn you’re using. You can refer the blog post above where I go through the steps for choosing a needle size and how to decide on the number of cast on stitches. Good luck!
Jonathan says
August 21, 2016 at 12:28 ami love this stitch so much thanks for making a video on how to do it. my sister loves the scarf I made her
My dog also likes it
Debbie says
November 26, 2016 at 10:52 amHow many inches tall is the cowl you made for this video?
Thanks
laura says
December 11, 2016 at 3:30 amHi Davina, How much yarn in total did you use for this cowl?
Chinnu Jose says
December 18, 2016 at 10:31 pmHey Davina, I have the Estelle Worsted ub 200m -100g and it is asked to use a 4.5mm needle – 20 stitches. I want to make a single wrap cowl. Can you advice me on how many cast on stitches I should make to get this cowl? Will this 1 yarn be enough? Please advice at your earliest, thanks 🙂
Jill says
January 6, 2017 at 5:56 amHi Davina,
I’m just learning to knit and came across your website and tutorials. They are most helpful! I do have a question. Why is your “tail” from the slip knot always on the same side as & near the yarn that is pulling from the ball? I’ve noticed this in your videos for how to “knit” and “purl.” I’m confused because when I put the slip knot on, and cast on my number of stitches the tail is always at the end. I tried to join in the round like your video above, but that “tail” that you use to make the extra stitch isn’t there for me and I seem to have a huge gap.
Any help you could provide would be great.
Jo says
June 10, 2017 at 8:41 pmHi Davina, thanks for this great tutorial! I’m just finishing my first scarf for my sister and have lots more planned. Does your formula only work for calculating the number of stitches needed for a seed stitch cowel, or does it work with other patterns like a rib too? Cheers Jo
Bonnie says
March 25, 2018 at 4:02 pmI am a beginning knitter. I hope to make a scarf as my first project, using this pattern. What size flat needles did you use in the video for the scarf, when you cast on 16 stitches? Thank you for any help.
Karin Turkington says
April 14, 2018 at 3:15 pmYou are a very good teacher with great visuals and explanations.