Hello friends! Embrace the warmth of winter by making a chunky, cozy bear ear crochet hooded cowl with this free pattern designed just for you.
Whether you call it a hooded cowl, snood, or balaclava, it’s a gorgeous addition to your wardrobe. The ribbed stitch texture gives it a fun twist, making it more than just an accessory—it shows off your unique style.
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You’ll also love the knit-like casing in the opening of your crochet hooded cowl. It has a drawstring that you can tighten to fit snugly around your face, keeping your head nice and warm on chilly days.
Let’s gather our supplies, get familiar with the stitches, and start crocheting!
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Crochet Hooded Cowl Pattern
Pattern Level of Difficulty: Intermediate.
This hooded cowl pattern uses standard US crochet terminology.
Stitch tension: 12 unstretched stitches (in the sequence of fpdc 2, bpdc 2) and 7 rounds equals 4” (10 cm).
Purchase a PDF download
- Inexpensive (costs less than a coffee)
- Ad-free & print-friendly.
- Instructions included for 3 sizes: Toddler, Child and Adult.
Materials
- Yarn: I used approximately 650 yards, or 595 meters, of bulky (#5) Hue and Me Yarn by Lion Brand in the colorway Agave.
- Crochet Hook: I used a 6.00 mm (US J-10) Clover Crochet Hook for the pictured crochet hooded cowl (or another size needed to meet gauge).
- A stitch marker is used to keep track of rows and stitches.
- Tapestry needle to weave in the leftover ends and sew the ears onto the hood.
- A Drawstring Threader to thread the string into the face opening casing (a large safety pin will also work).
- A sharp pair of yarn scissors.
Pattern Notes & Highlights
- The crochet hooded cowl is created from the top of the hood down to the cowl. Then, you crochet the casing for the string and the ears separately.
- Turning chain 2 doesn’t count as a stitch in the hood, but it does count as a double crochet stitch in the cowl portion of the pattern.
- The pattern allows plenty of stretching, but to make the cowl wider around the neck, add more stitches according to the instructions on the foundation.
- The instructions are for a size large and will fit average adult ladies. An inexpensive PDF download with instructions for two extra sizes (Toddler 3-5 yo and kid 6-10 yo) is also available.
Approximate Project Size
- Finished project height (A): 18” (46 cm) – fits an average adult woman.
- Cowl Width (B): 13” (33 cm) unstretched.
- Top of hood depth (C): 14” (36 cm) unstretched.
Instructions
This crochet hooded cowl is worked from the top of the hood down to the cowl. If you need to, you can find stitch abbreviations and other helpful information at the bottom of this article.
Total Time: 3 hours
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Foundation
Chain 39. Do not cut the yarn.
Sizing Tip: This crochet hooded cowl is also easy to make using a “measure-as-you-go” method.
To change the hood’s depth: start with any multiple of four chains plus three and follow the instructions in the following steps (disregard the stitch count if you’re adjusting the pattern to another size).
Row 1: dc into the back bump of the 3rd chain from the hook and the back bump of the next 35 chs, dc 4 into the last chain, dc into the opposite two loops of the next 36 chs, ch 2, turn. [76]
Crochet tip: Following the above instructions to crochet into the back bump and then in the opposite two loops of the chains will allow you to have a tight foundation (with no gaps).
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Hood
Row 2-25: dc 2 *fpdc 2, bpdc 2, repeat from the * until you have 2 sts left, dc 2, ch 2, turn, do not ch 2 in the last row. [76]
Do not cut the yarn yet.
Hood Sizing Tip: If you start the foundation of the hood with a different number of stitches to change the size, you may also want to decrease the number of rows (to any other odd number) to reduce its height.
Keep in mind that the face opening will be slightly tighter once you create the casing for the drawstring. -
Cowl
Once you finish the last stitch in row 25, slip stitch into the first stitch of that round to join the corners of the face opening. From here, you will crochet around instead of turning.
Round 26-32 (RS): ch 2 (counts as a dc st), bpdc in the 2nd dc st, (fpdc 2, bpdc 2) around, fpdc in the last two dc sts, sl st to join. [76]
FO. Cut the yarn.Cowl Sizing Tip: Add or subtract rounds in this step to change the cowl’s height if you’d like it taller. This will allow you to use your crochet hooded cowl as a balaclava to cover your face.
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Casing for the String
Attach the yarn to the center bottom of the hood’s face opening for this next step. With the right side out, crochet around (clockwise) in continuous rounds without joining.
Round 1: sc around the edge of the opening for the face. Create 2 sc sts for each st post. You should have 100 sts at the end of this and all the remaining rounds.Round 2-9: sl in blo around.
Next, you will create the holes at the bottom of the opening to draw the string ends out of the casing.Round 10: sl st into both loops of the first st, ch 3, sk 3 sts, sl in blo around until you have 4 sts left, ch 3, sk 3 sts, sl st into both loops of the next st.
Round 11-12: sl st in blo around. Do not cut the yarn yet. FO. Cut the yarn (leave a long tail if you’re using a tapestry needle to sew the next step).
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Sewing the Casing
Fold the piece you just finished to the outside with the WS of the fabric facing out. This gives the crochet hooded cowl that nice knitted look!
Sew along the first single crochet stitch round of the casing to form a tube. You can complete this in on of these two methods:
1. The first method is surface slip stitches, which I used for the pictured project (written instructions in “special stitches” below) to create the seam with the crochet hook.
2. The second method is sewing by hand using simple running stitches with a tapestry needle. -
String
Start with 120 loose chains. Then, sl st into the back bump of every ch across (third loop). FO. Cut the yarn. The finished string will measure approximately 42” (107 cm).
Next, insert the string into the casing with a drawstring threader. If you don’t have a threader, you can use a large safety pin or a metal knitting stitch holder.
Then, make a knot at each end of the string (you can also use wooden beads) to prevent it from sliding out.
Tip: If you’re adjusting the size of this crochet hooded cowl, you’ll also need to change the string size.
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Bear Ears (optional)
The ears are made with single crochet stitches in continuous rounds without joining. Follow the instructions below to make two ears. I made the large ears for the pictured crochet hooded cowl.
Round 1: sc 6 in a magic circle. Alternatively, you can crochet two chs and add all six sts in this round to the 2nd ch from the hook.
Round 2: (inc) x 6 [12]
Round 3: (inc, sc) x 6 [18]
Stop here and crochet 5 rounds of plain sc sts if you prefer small ears [18]
Do not cut the yarn yet. Refer to the sewing instructions below.Round 4: (inc, sc 2) x 6 [24]
Stop here and crochet 6 rounds of plain sc sts if you prefer medium-sized ears [24]
Do not cut the yarn yet. Refer to the sewing instructions below.Round 5: (inc, sc 3) x 6 [30]
Crochet 7 rounds of plain sc sts for the larger ears. This is the size used on the picture crochet hooded cowl. [30]
Sewing the ears:
Squeeze the “cup” opening you created and crochet a row of sc sts to close it.
FO and cut the yarn. Leave a long tail and use it to sew the ears centered and curved to the front onto the top of the hood.
To secure each ear, make two rows of running stitches along the bottom of each ear, one in the front and one in the back.
Pro tip: You can use sewing pins to help with the ear placement while sewing them onto the hood.
Estimated Cost: 25.00 USD
Supply:
- Chunky/Bulky (#5) yarn
Tools:
- 6.00 mm (US J-10) Clover Crochet Hook
- Stitch marker
- Scissors
- Tapestry needle
Materials: Drawstring Threader or a large safety pin
And there you have it! Your very own crochet hooded cowl. I hope you enjoy wearing it or gifting it to someone special!
Pattern Abbreviations & Terms
- blo: back loop only
- dc: double crochet
- ch(s): chain(s)
- fpdc: front post double crochet
- bpdc: back post double crochet
- FO: Fasten Off
- inc: increase (2 sc in next stitch for the ears)
- yo: yarn over
- RS: right side
- WS: wrong side
- sc: single crochet
- sk: skip
- sp(s): space(s)
- st(s): stitch(es)
- sl st: slip stitch
- ( ): repeat instructions within parenthesis as many times as directed.
- *: repeat the instructions after the asterisk as many times as directed.
- [ ]: stitch count in a round.
- x: a number followed by a “x” means how many times you’ll repeat the instructions within parentheses.
Special Stitches Explanation
- Front Post Double Crochet (fpdc):
- Yarn over.
- Insert the hook around the post of the double crochet stitch from the previous row, from the front of the work to the back. Then, to the front again.
- Yarn over again and pull up a loop.
- Complete the double crochet stitch as usual.
- Back Post Double Crochet (bpdc):
- Yarn over.
- Insert the hook around the post of the double crochet stitch from the previous row, the back of the work to the front, and then to the back again.
- Yarn over again and pull up a loop.
- Complete the double crochet stitch as usual.
- Surface Slip Stitch (surface sl st):
- Create a slip knot with the yarn and place it on the back of the work. The working yarn will remain at the back the entire time.
- Next, insert the hook, front to back, in the next stitch (through all layers of stitches) and pull up the loop from the slip knot.
- Then, insert the hook again into the next stitch, yarn over at the back, and pull through to complete the first surface slip stitch.
- Repeat around.
Crochet Hooded Cowl Pattern FAQ
What yarn is best for hooded cowls?
Chunky Wool Blend yarns are best for hooded cowls because they are soft and warm. However, good-quality 100% acrylic yarns will also work well.
Can a beginner crochet a hood cowl?
The difficulty level of this pattern can vary! It’s aimed at those with some experience in crochet, but it uses simple stitches and is worked in one piece, so there’s not much sewing involved. If you’re somewhat new to crocheting but know how to do a couple of specific stitches, you can still try and complete it!
Can I adjust the size of this crochet hooded cowl pattern?
Of course! I have included detailed instructions throughout the pattern to make it easy for you to adjust. Just begin with multiple chains of 4 plus 3 in the foundation and proceed from there.
If you would rather make it later, pin this crochet hooded cowl pattern on your Pinterest boards with this image.
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