Cowls Knitted Flat

Personally I prefer infitity scarfs (or cowls) to flat scarfs, because they are more comfortable to wear (at least for me :) and the ends don't dangle around loosely. However, I usually prefer knitting flat to knitting in the round. So over the years I have created quite a few cowls that were knitted flat and later made into a tube (i.e. cowl) shape.

Any flat piece of cloth can be turned into a tube just by sewing the sides together, but with handknitted items it usually looks better to go for a techniques that makes the piece look seamless.

To avoid a visible seam - I prefer to use the following two techniques:

• Provisional CO: My favorite method for a provision CO is the crochet provisional CO - it is shown in this Youtube video by New Stitch a Day.
• Grafting: Grafting (or Kitchener stitch) is a way to join two piece of knitting in a manner that it is practically invisible. The best (free) information on grafting that I know of is a five part series on Interweave Knitting by Joni Coniglio. The first of these articles can be found here. Alternatively, you can also use a three needle BO to create a seam that is nearly invisible (it is show e.g. in this YouTube video by planetpurl)

Most of the patterns shown above are from this blog, but the list below includes lots of other  free patterns of other designers as well.

The following links show different techniques and how they are incorporated in flat-knitted cowl patterns. Starting off with patterns shown in the photo:

1. This was one of the first patterns I knitted back in 2011 (I had just taken up knitting again) and I really liked this cowl I found on Ravelry. It's called Color Theory and designed by Xandy Peters - even though it is easy to knit (in stripes with a slant) the effect is gorgeous. (Side note: this designer has other more stunning designs: here's her designer page on Ravelry, her YouTube channel and her blog are well worth a visit. Her patterns were the ones that made me try out stacked stitches ... which neatly leads to the second cowl :)
2. The Stack Overflow Cowl was my first attempt to knit stacked stitches.
3. As soon as I had seen patterns with short row waves, I wanted to knit something like that myself. One of the patterns that resulted was the Mixed Wave Cowl - it's not only knitted with short row waves but also slanted sideways.
4. Burgdorf Cowl: Modular knitting can also be turned into a cowl. 
5. Chevrons All Round Cowl: Knitted with two skeins of variegated yarn - and changing the yarn after every second row.
6. Patchwork Cowl: Another example of modular knitting
7. Jolly Waves Cowl: A combination of chevrons and short rows  
8. One of my first ventures into intarsia was the Ice Maiden Cowl. 

Other cowls that used different and interesting techniques are the following (patterns not pictured above). Unless otherwise indicated I have not tried to knit them, but I did like the design.

• Interesting Constructions:
• Esquina Cowl: consists of big mitred squares, great for variegated yarn and to avoid color pooling
• Tight Cowl Mitred Squares: In the words of the designer "This cowl is made of mitered squares. You only have to weave in 4 (!) ends, applied I-Cords make a good looking edge." (and I really like the idea of having only 4 ends to weave in :)
• Pivot Cowl - all in garter stitch but with an interesting shape consisting of two rectangles and a triangle (Ravelry link, direct link)
• F765 Three Color Cowl  - a combination of different patterns
• Dragon Wing Cowl - also available on Ravelry
• Mitred Mini Neckwarmer
• Ten Ten Cowl: with ruffles, also a combination of working flat and working in the round
• Color Flow Cowl:  with short rows in a contrast color and nobs - great effect and easy to knit
• Short rows: 
• Cubist Short Row Cowl: short rows used for graphic effect 
• Wurm Cowl: with short rows and shaping
• Challah Cowl: Short rows used for a three-dimensional effect
• Cables can also be encorporated in flat knitted cowls - here are some free patterns I liked very much: 
• Lava Flow Cowl (by Dixie Norton) - this pattern was the first piece I knitted with a reversible cable pattern. 
• Cowl for PtitPatate: combines different cable patterns 
• A Very Braidy Cowl: "big fat braided cables" (designer's words) - they are looking great.
• Knitted Plaid: How to knit plaid and fashion it into a cowl or collar is shown in this Knitty Pattern Princess Franklin Plaid Collar (Ravelry link here)
• Lace:
• Blue Glacier Cowl: with a checkerboard mesh 
• Seaspray Cowl: lace on a bias
• Orchid Cowl: In the words of the designer: "A little bit of stockinette stitch, a little bit of garter. Add a little bit of Spider lace stitch and it all adds up to a great little cowl!" Really nice combination.
• Colors:
• Daniel a diagonally striped cowl: Diagonal stripes in garter stitch 
• Romanov Cowl: In two colors with a slip stitch lattice pattern
• Unisex Neckwarmer Template Nr. 1: slip stitch knitting in two colors
• Changing Leaves Cowl or Scarf: with a design of falling leaves
• Pawprints: With pawprints in colorwork - lovely.
• Knit-Purl-Combinations: 
• Ninotchka Neck Warmer: Seed stitch with i-cord decoration
• Linienspiel - great effect of knits and purls 
• Around the Block - seed stitch

Of course there are lots of other great cowl patterns available. Therefore, finally, here's a link to get all free knitting patterns for cowls knitted flat (or rather patterns with the category "cowl" and the attribute "worked-flat") on Ravelry - and here's the link to get all pattens (not only the free one) with these attibutes.